Your marketing should always address the first thing your prospect wants to know, which is, “What’s in it for me?” For most, that answer is, “A whole lot of great benefits.” Then the next question could very well be, “How much do I stand to lose?”
Here, prospects are calculating the idea that, if they give this unknown-to-them contractor a chance, how much will they be out if it’s not as sweet a deal as they’ve been led to believe. Your risk-reducing guarantee shows them that answer is zero.
With your guarantee, you’re telling your future customer that you are so confident they will be satisfied with your product or service that you’ll remove any risk from them and place it all on you. (As an added advantage of human nature in business, offering a strong service guarantee also steps up your service because you’re motivated to keep your promise as well as your money.)
Your guarantee should include a time length, such as a 10-year guarantee on a new system or 1-year guarantee on a repair job. Or “Cancel your Maintenance Agreement within 30 days – no questions asked – and you get to keep today’s discount.”
You should also be clear about what the guarantee covers. Parts and labor? Parts but not labor? Labor but not parts? The finer the print, the less appeal. But if you can stand up to the promise, you can go bold with an unconditional guarantee. You’ll also need to get a little legal language in here because you’ll need to add conditions, such as “when used according to manufacturer instructions.” Instead of guaranteeing that equipment can be returned, you may offer to repair or replace it for free if it doesn’t work as promised.
Essentially, be clear about the guarantee’s promise, how customers know to notify you if they’re dissatisfied and how you will make amends.