Under Promise, Over Deliver

Tom Peters · 15 May 1987

Tom Peters did not write this page.

Every claim below was made in this piece, quoted word for word and numbered in the order the piece makes them, so you can read it there rather than take our word for it. The sentence above each quote is our reading of the claim, not their wording. Each quote was checked against a stored copy of the page at build time; where the two differ, the quote is the fact.

Our reading
Customers prefer slightly less aggressive promises that are honored over faster but unkept ones.

Their wordsYet customers rate low the banks that fail to keep promises (3 p.m. instead of noon) or that are vague ("We'll get back to you"); customers unfailingly prefer slightly less aggressive promises - that are honored.
Our reading
Under-promising and over-delivering helps maintain customer satisfaction and retention in uncertain times.

Their wordsWith uncertainty rising, if you "under promise, over deliver," you will not only keep the customers satisfied; you'll keep the customers.

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