She asked, “Is it weird if I ask you to take the socks I’m wearing right now?”
A friend recently visited the Darn Tough store in Vermont. She brought socks with her that had some holes to see if they would honor their guarantee. Then, she realized she was wearing a pair that also had some holes. Hence, the question.
Guess what happened?
The guy said, “Yeah, that’s kind of weird. But we’ll replace those too.” How cool is that?
If you’re not familiar with Darn Tough, they offer an unconditional guarantee for life. We have several friends who have tested this promise, and the company always honors it. They are lifelong, loyal customers. You can understand why!
“If these aren’t the longest lasting socks you’ve ever owned, you can return them to us for another pair. No receipt needed, just the pair in question.”
Customers love a good guarantee. So, what will your policy be? It doesn’t always have to be something that mimics typical retailers with greater volume and deeper pockets than we have as self-employed business owners. It should make sense for your business, what you sell, and how you operate.
For example, I offer call packages, which means my clients can purchase multiple calls with me at a discount. While other service providers typically have an expiration date for usage (e.g., you must use all of your calls within a year of purchase), I do not. If you bought calls with me and haven’t used them all, I will honor your purchase for the rest of my life. So yes, you can book a call with me as long as I’m still alive. 🤣
I have a few clients who purchased calls almost 10 years ago who still schedule the occasional call from their original package, and I’m cool with that. I enjoy talking with my clients!
Sure, the occasional customer might abuse your guarantee. But most people are good folks. If you find that something like a money-back guarantee is being abused too often, you can fine-tune your policies to tighten things up a bit.
For example, I have heard of people buying a digital product, then demanding a refund—over and over again. Not cool. So, those sellers have adjusted policies to say they won’t offer a refund on something that obviously can’t be returned, like that.
Long story short, your sales will benefit from offering some sort of guarantee. Buyers will feel a bit nervous about a considerable purchase otherwise.
Want to brainstorm with me about your policies? Book a free call anytime.
From corporate exec to entrepreneur, Larry Cornett is a coach who helps you leverage your existing expertise to design a self-employment business that funds the life you want. Escape the 9-to-5 grind by creating your Exit Blueprint to freedom!
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