Writing A Bad Product Guarantee

Copywriting students are told over and over to make sure the guarantee they write is strong.

Really strong.

So strong, the buyer is at ease so keeps flowing through the copy and without hesitation  buys the product.

Prospect knows after reading the guarantee. If the product isn’t what it says it is, their problem will be solved or their money back.

A product guarantee allows the person to rationalize their purchase is safe. So safe, customer will internally to them selves or out loud to wife, husband, mother or friend will defend.

“Look, if not happy we can return it within 30 days. No questions asked.”

“We have nothing to lose.”

Copywriters know the trick on how to make a weak guarantee stronger.  It simply is extending the return period from 30 days to 60, 90 days or a full year-365 days.

This way the guarantee works like a bug spray. Destroys nasty don’t buy negatives mulling around in the prospects head. To a positive voice in head saying…

“Oh wow, so and so product creator is looking out for me.”

“I will not get in trouble with my wife if the product is crap. Because the guarantee says I’ll get my money back. No questions asked.”

Know, no matter how strong you write your guarantee, it will fail if you don’t honor it. As personal experience shows.

Last month I’m itching to buy a product, and after reading the guarantee I was whipping out my credit card.

Hands down, it’s a beautiful written guarantee all in my favor. If a problem arose my image in my mind was…

Superman will fly out of my phone or email box fixing problem or handing back my money before I can say “thank you“.

The product sales copy glowed with bullet after bullet.  Listing everything packed in the 2 hour, must know secrets Mp3.

Price wasn’t big ticket bucks but not cheap, coming in at little under one hundred bucks. But secrets I must know coming direct from the guru’s mouth, the MP3 it was justifiable in my mind.

I was also eyeing four other products at various higher price points to be picked up a few weeks after this purchase.

In a flash the money was paid and mp3 was ready to play.

What?

It’s only 55 minutes long.

Zipped back to the sales page, still open on my computer and sure enough it list the mp3 is 1 hour 55 minutes long. Almost 2 hours.

Sadly the mp3 covered only half what was listed on the sales page.

Immediately clicked back to the download page what was still open and re-download the product. Same short results showed after download.

It was getting late, and I had other things to do so didn’t get back to the download page until the next day.

Not realizing the wrong password was typed in for the third time. I could go no further as I was barred. Just words Locked Out showed.

Thinking no problem, I will wait 5 minuets and try again.

Still locked out.

An hour goes by. Two hours and into the next day and lock out gloom grows. No notification by email stating when lock out period ends or stating is use lost password recovery it will not send you a new password if in lock out.

Grrrrrrrrrrr.

Even though frustration rushed through my veins, an email was calmly typed off to the owner and manager of product explaining my problem. Believing the guarantee will be the hero and instantly getting the correct length mp3 into my computer.

Strike 2.

After a wait, and email arrives. Even before opening the email I could see the reply in my mind, Opening with an apologize and “I’m sorry.. lets fix this strange yet simple problem…”

Nope. No words like that.

Instead confirmation. Yes I am locked out and continued into a long praise for the software saying it stops people from hacking in the website. To have password reset, the locked out person has first contact them.

Gee-whiz! Why couldn’t they have told me this 2 days ago?

Ok. Now the lock out frustration is over my eyes race forward to discover how I can get the full download.

Strike 3.

The email states they would pass my information on to the product creator, the guru. It’s a small 2 person company so naturally I’m expecting fast action. Seeing the guarantee go into live problem solving action.

Crickets.

Days go by with no superman or superwoman to the rescue.

Just a rotten guarantee stink of no action pain.

Moral of story.

Know the guarantee you write, the company will do what their guarantee says it will do for the customer if they have a problem with product.

A strong guarantee will not ring hollow on the prospect or let your prospect rot in frustration.

Do be the superman/woman bending over backwards to help solve your prospects simple problem. Either fix it or happily no questions asked give their money back in their hands as quick as possible.

If not, you will push them to your competition and they will be happy spending money with them.