Pre-Exhausting Expectations

Tempering expectations about a product or a service that you are trying to market may seem counter-intuitive, but when the market is a school and customer satisfaction could lead to long-term partnership and repeat business, it does well to consider the long game.

There is a tendency to see a product as the answer to all problems (whether this be through aggressive marketing, a naivety on the part of the client, or both). This expectation of technology as a ‘cure-all’ and the inevitable disappointment that follows when it becomes apparent that this is just not the case can often be the cause of breakdown in customer relations due to rising frustration from both sides.

What can be done to try and offset this situation?

A high level of customer support is an obvious balm but even if this is in place, it’s still often a case of ‘fire fighting’ in a responsive model where the supplier is always one step behind customer expectation.

A differing approach is one taken from the world of physical training and strength support. The ‘pre-exhaustion’ technique is used when exercising (and is a well-established technique in bodybuilding). An isolated muscle is exhausted through repetitive movement then the same muscle is incorporated into a more compound exercise that includes the same muscle. Using this technique strengthens and builds the muscle at a faster rate than otherwise.

The pre-exhaustion principle can be applied to customer support in an attempt to temper expectation about the product, avoiding later frustration and promoting long-term partnership. Instead of waiting for the possible limitations of a product to slowly become apparent as time goes on, an honest and open dialogue with the customer on the subject of the things that the product cannot do, using scenarios suggested by the client themselves, can act as a building block for trust in the product, confidence in those that are selling it, and will hopefully mean that any false preconceptions about the product will be limited. By pre-empting any possible difficulties and ‘exhausting’ the foreseeable problems at an early stage, the customer relationship is strengthened and the chance of a lasting, repeat relationship increases.

The dialogue also acts as a way to garner honest feedback on a product, and can act pave the way as a catalyst for positive changes and improvements.

Unrealistic expectation can lead to a loss of business, but if these expectations are managed from the start of a relationship with a school, college or other educational institution, the benefit (for both provider and customer) can be huge.