How to Change Your Strategy From Managing Customer Expectation to Gaining Agreement

Throw the popular phrase “managing expectations” into a Google search and you are greeted with a tidy 212 million entries.

Similarly, ask ten of your employees to define the phrase and you are likely to get ten different answers.

Everyone, from the Google powers that be to your own team members have ideas about what this phrase means. This is not surprising.

The issue with managing customer expectations is that doing so is akin to making a real effort to stop the wind from blowing.

Once you have accomplished that, you can set your sights on gaining a full understanding of the federal tax code.

Next up: do the world a favor and create a system to get people to stop hitting “reply all,” especially when their reply is something like, “got it.”

Yes, managing customer expectations is about as do-able as defying laws of physics. And yet, as the 212 million Google entries prove, it is a concept we remain obsessed with.

The aspect we can and should get our hands around has to do with the idea that managing expectations, by it’s very phrasing, indicates that this is something done to the customer, not with and certainly not for the customer.

We cannot affect gravity, but this we can change!

A Better Way

It is time to move away from the words, “manage expectations.”

I propose a different approach with a different phrase, something that speaks of partnership.

I suggest we start gaining agreements.

Suppose the topic is delivery date.

Managing Expectations says, “This is not a perfect science and we cannot control all elements of production. You need to know that the delivery is planned for this two-week window, but it could easily be longer.”

Gaining Agreements says, “Like you, we are committed to quality. We know you don’t want it any other way.

That is why the delivery date is quality dependent. We will get that to you as soon as we can, without sacrificing quality. I assume you are okay with that?”

Suppose the topic is warranty:

Managing Expectations says, “This is a brochure that spells out exactly what is covered and for how long.

You will want to read it very carefully so there are no disputes down the road. It is all very clear, and we do not cover what is not in the warranty.”

Gaining Agreements says, “Like you, we want everything to work perfectly. But we all know the world is not perfect. Our warranty covers the things that should work properly. And if they don’t, we are a phone call away. Read it over and you will see what we mean. Sound good to you?”

Suppose the topic is price negotiation:

Managing Expectations says, “It is our policy to not negotiate in any way at all. That’s from upper management; my hands are tied.”

Gaining Agreement says, “We offer what our customers want: fairness. It is not fair for one person to get a better deal than another, just because they ask more aggressively. You can purchase knowing that everyone gets exactly the same price, and you can sleep well knowing that the price is fair. Does that sound like the right way to do business”?

Change is Good

Take a look at the different ways the phrase managing expectations comes up in your organization.

Then ask whether a gaining agreements approach might be a better way to go, for your customer and for your company.