Chapter 10 - Client Challenge--"When Will I Start to See a Difference?"
Overpromising is one of the basic mistakes of an inexperienced salesperson: to promise benefits that you will not actually be able to deliver (including speed or quality) may get a one-time sale, but will guarantee that the prospect is not happy with the service when it is delivered, and that it will be his last purchase (if he even pays the bill the first time).
He again exaggerates the difference between goods and services, in that a physical good can be inspected or demonstrated to prove its quality whereas a service is intangible and must be taken on faith. (EN: physical elements of a physical good can be inspected, but the intangible benefits the good delivers along with many of its qualities cannot be assessed by merely inspecting the artifact.)
Another fictional dialogue between a customer who feels they have not gotten what they paid for and a salesman who overpromised. Some familiar behaviors is that the salesman argues over exactly what was said, insists that anything not in writing is not guaranteed, suggests the client wait a while and the benefits will kick in later, etc.
This behavior can also be exaggerated and encouraged by the company: where salesmen are not held responsible for satisfaction after the sale, receive no commission from repeat customers, etc. then the salesmen have no incentive to ensure customers are satisfied and are rewarded for getting sales by any means. In essence, after the contract is signed, the salesman feels they've done their bit and are not interested in dealing with the client.
The author notes that the contract is a legal agreement that indicates what the company must do to justify billing the client. Satisfying the terms of a contract means the client has no grounds to sue the firm, but it does not mean that they have no right to be dissatisfied. Especially when there is a disparity between what was promised by the salesman and what is documented in the contract, the client has every right to be upset and can be expected to take their business elsewhere.
In selling services, especially when the services will be ongoing rather than once-and-done, setting accurate expectations is critical to getting repeat business and referrals.
The rewrite of the conversation demonstrates the proper way to react to a disgruntled customer: the salesman apologies, does some legwork to see what can be done to resolve the problem, explains why the problem can't be resolved, but offers some concessions that may help overcome the difficulty.