How many times have you made a purchase, and subsequently felt so good about the store, the product, etc., that you wanted to tell your friends about your discovery?
When you’ve started a relationship with a product/service/brand on a high note, you’re more likely to forgive small transgressions in the future. You’re more apt to work with the vendor to solve those problems rather than point fingers right away.
That’s why one of the major tenets of our Agency’s account services philosophy is “Impress ‘em early.” We like to surprise our new clients with our responsiveness, with our ideas, with some early successes, with the quality & depth of our reporting. One of my all-time-favorite compliments from a new client is, “Wow, you guys are off to a fast start.”
Of course, there’s a big challenge inherent in this approach. By setting a high bar so early in the game, we set an expectation that we’ll always sustain that level of service. You can’t be a hero every day. Naturally, we try to keep it up, but invariably something will be off-the-mark. We’re human.
Some clients are sensitive to this and look for that first mis-step as evidence that we were never as good as we came across in the early days. However, the majority of clients are so pleased with our early zeal that they see that first mis-step for what it is: a mis-step; a recoverable offense.
“Underpromise, Overdeliver.” It’s a worthy mantra.
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This is important to consider. For personal brands, a first impression can either make you or break you. What you say and do can be used against you or for you. That’s why you need to make an impact early.