You know this person right? The person who says “let’s get together soon” but never does anything to make it happen? Or worse, the person who says you should get together and when you follow up, s(he) actually rebuffs you/comes up with an excuse/doesn’t respond at all.

In marketing communications this person is the equivalent of the false brand promise or the product that does not perform as advertised(truth in advertising).

It is something to watch out for. If you are marketer–are you blithely promising to get together and then promptly forgetting your promise? That is, are you telling prospects that your product/service  is the most effective way to XXXX, but falling somewhat short?

You know what happens when you fail your brand promise? You lose customers, and you most likely won’t be able to get them back.

Recently, I attended a business event that was billed as a goal-setting workshop. It wasn’t. Not even close. Guess what? I am not going back to that group. Same thing happened a few months ago when I attended a local communications group event on the strategic use of video…except there was no mention of strategy whatsoever.

When you fail to do what you promise to do–whether in your marketing efforts or your personal outreach–you lose business (current or potential).

Instead of saying “let’s get together soon” say “how about we meet up for coffee on Monday at 2 pm.”