Would you offer a money-back guarantee for a service?
I’ve been of two minds. I think because I’ve had two somewhat opposing voices in my head.
When I was starting out, it was Joanna Wiebe’s fiercely protective voice. “Your project isn’t an audition” (or some variant on that).
In that view, you’ve done the work, and now you’re paid. (Or ideally, you’ve already been paid, in full, in advance.)
It’s focused on your effort—the time you’ve spent that you can’t have back. And even if you’re not billing hourly, it’s still tied to input.
Nowadays, it’s Jonathan Stark’s “hourly billing is nuts” that I hear.
His coaching call money-back guarantee rocked my world. “But what if everyone asked for a refund?” or “Someone else could have taken that slot.” (And so on.)
My objections were oblivious to the value of the deliverable (to the client). To the outcome.
Not to say all guarantees and refunds should be “no questions asked.” That they shouldn’t come with explicit rules and responsibilities on both sides.
But rather, if your work is good, you’re likely able to find at least some outcome you’re willing to guarantee.
It’s not so much a threat as it is an opportunity, a challenge.
Guaranteed,
James
P.S. There’s a great episode of the Business of Authority all about designing guarantees.
P.P.S. I recently (nervously) attached a “100% Money-back guarantee” to the subscriber-only version of my (soon-to-be-renamed) Website Optimization Audit—it was thrilling to be so brazen 🙂
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