Here’s a business lesson I read in a magazine back in 1988, that I’ve never forgotten and have always done my best to model. It goes like this: If you take your vehicle in for repair in the morning and the mechanic tells you it’ll be done by 5 PM – then calls at 3 PM to tell you he’s already finished, you’ll be ecstatic and think the world of the mechanic.
On the other hand, if the mechanic says it’ll be done by noon – then doesn’t bother to call in the late afternoon to tell you it’s not done yet – and has no intention of finishing it that day, or the next, or the next – then you’re pissed off and don’t think too much of the promise you were given – or the person who made the promise.
It’s a simple law of doing business. Under-promise – over-deliver.