😱 DON’T surprise your clients

I have shared insights about the power of positively surprising your clients a few times (like with monthly habits and fun goals here or service delivery systems here), now I am going to provide some snippets on the power of NOT surprising clients.

This is something I don’t see other people talking about: tell people in advance when you’re going to sell to them. In fact, proactively tell people when there is any change that will affect them.

For example, last week I had to cancel all sessions last minute due to a personal incident. One of my clients, Jen, actually had to do the same thing in her business recently too due to a completely different incident.

Cancelling last minute like this is usually a nightmare situation for entrepreneurs. It is borderline unthinkable and certainly stressful for entrepreneurs who fear that clients will be angry. Jen and I have both known people to work through major physical injuries, severe burnout, bereavements, and even hospitalisation, because they were scared to take time off.

However, both of us had a similar experience when we cancelled - an experience that may even be described as positive - our clients were understanding.

Screenshot: Jen cancelled her meetings last minute. Read the full post here: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/jennifer-harrison-rwp_last-month-i-cancelled-five-days-of-meetings-activity-7305282615484252161-zmfX

None complained, none cancelled our work together. In fact, every one of my clients reached out to wish me well and told me to take my time. Many of Jen’s did the same.

So why did we manage to take that time off without concern where others fail?

It is simple but not easy: we have built incredible trust with our clients because we always clearly communicate changes.

In this instance we both followed my framework for cancellations - we let people know as soon as possible what the change is and why, we address their expected emotion, then we outline what the process is now and what (if anything) they need to do next.

The angles were covered, the next steps were clear, no surprises were forthcoming.

This works in response to an emergency because we employ the same principle of “no negative surprises” consistently throughout our business. We proactively tell people of changes. We set clear boundaries. We regularly reiterate policies. We even go as far as to tell people when they should expect us to “sell" to them.

If you’re going to sell to someone then tell them that beforehand or early on - it helps them mentally prepare. There is an art to doing this, but when done well the person arrives both excited and prepared. This works for both prospective and current clients.

Communicate the process, then summarise with ONE clear next step.

I even use this “no surprises” structure when I sell via written means (like DMs or messages) coupled with the assumptive close. I talk them through the process and what happens immediately when we start working together, including what wins they can expect and how it ties to what they're most looking forward to. This sets expectations which improves client happiness and retention, but it also helps build excitement for working together.

Surprises are great at changing people’s default emotion towards a person or company. If you give someone a positive surprise, they will start feeling good towards you by default. We can employ this by sending clients small unexpected gifts, for example Jen sends her clients a small care package with some teabags when onboarding. However, when you are known for negative surprises a person will become hostile toward you. Late delivery or cancellations are examples of negative surprises.

You can help balance the power of a negative surprise by giving a positive surprise simultaneously, the best ecommerce companies have done this for years by adding something as small as a handwritten note or a packet of sweets into packages they know will be delivered late. The positive surprise of the note/sweets helps offset the negative surprise of the late delivery and so leads to improved customer happiness and retention.

What does this all mean for you? Take some time today to identify what negative surprises your customer experiences related to your process. Do your best to minimise them, either remove the negative surprise from the process or communicate that it will happen so it doesn’t come as a surprise. It is the element of surprise which is the majority of the problem when a bad thing happens. Identify ways you can give a positive surprise, it doesn’t have to be anything big - things as simple as a kind message can go a long way.

Aim for no alarms and no surprises, please.

My “sales” reply to a prospective client who emailed me to work together (they have since bought and I am looking forward to continuing to help them)

I shared this in my Work Smart Wednesday newsletter. Want the full set of related insights? You can read them here: https://worksmartwednesday.substack.com/p/work-smart-wednesday-march-12-2025

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