Time to take the guarantee back from the Bro Marketeers

Let’s be honest—selling can feel uncomfortable when you’re heart-led and deeply value your clients’ experience. And the word guarantee? It can bring up an added layer of discomfort, sometimes even feeling downright “icky.”

We’ve all seen those guarantees where clients have to jump through countless hoops to even try to get their money back. Maybe providing a ton of “proof” makes trying to get your money back seem like more work than its worth, or worse, there’s endless legal fine print that makes cancelling feel just impossible.

These types of guarantees can leave clients feeling trapped rather than valued. They’re crafted with a self-protective mentality that seems to say, “We’ll only let you out if you prove your case.” This is counterproductive to one of the key reasons why we offer a guarantee - to help reduce the risk on the client when they buy from us.

Why Traditional Guarantees Create “Ick”

When we witness these kinds of guarantees, we get a sense of what our clients might feel too: sceptical, hesitant, and perhaps even a bit distrustful. They’re left wondering if their investment is safe and if their needs are really being prioritized. And we wonder - how can we implement guarantees without creating that same sense of unease?

These rigid “no-way-out” guarantees tend to:

• Erode Trust: Fine print and hoop-jumping give clients the impression that you’re hedging your bets and don’t fully believe in your own offering. For heart-led solopreneurs, this goes against everything we stand for.
• Add Pressure: If clients feel they have to justify or prove their dissatisfaction, they may hold back from expressing how they really feel, which doesn’t allow you to learn and improve.
• Diminish Autonomy: A restrictive guarantee feels controlling, as if we’re putting conditions on clients’ right to choose for themselves. This isn’t the message we want to send.

The Heart-Led Reframe: Building a Guarantee that Feels Like Service, Not Sales

For us, a guarantee doesn’t have to be another sales tactic. When done thoughtfully, a guarantee should be an extension of our values—a promise to honour the client’s choice. Here’s how we can reframe our guarantee to feel truly aligned:

1. Think of the Guarantee as a Trust Builder When a guarantee is open, clear, and genuinely client-centered, it serves as a trust builder, not a sales tactic. Clients should feel that they’re safe in choosing to work with you—and safe in choosing to leave if it doesn’t feel right.
2. Give Clients True Choice and Ease of Exit A heart-led guarantee respects the client’s autonomy by making it easy to opt-out without needing a “case” to justify their choice. This lets them feel empowered and valued, not pressured. And remember: this clarity doesn’t just benefit the client. It builds confidence for us as well—knowing we’ve designed our offer to serve wholeheartedly.
3. Put Empathy First Imagine if you were the client trying to cancel a service or ask for a refund. Would you feel frustrated, unheard, or embarrassed? Use this empathy to create a guarantee that feels seamless, maybe even something like a “no-questions-asked” policy that lets them opt out without drama or hassle.

Crafting a Client-Centric Guarantee

To build a guarantee that feels as authentic as the rest of your service, think about it as an extension of your values:

• Keep it Transparent and Genuine: Avoid complicated fine print. Make it clear that your guarantee is designed to support their journey, not just safeguard your sale.
• Use simple language: Talk to your ideal client like a human, not a trained lawyer. Keeping it conversational allows your client to build trust that you'll honour your promise.
• Be Specific, Not Restrictive: If there’s a time frame, be clear on it, but keep it client-friendly.
• Ease, Not Hoops: Simplify the process. Whether it’s a one-click cancel or a single email, ensure clients feel it’s as simple to leave as it was to join.

Serving Through Selling

At the end of the day, a guarantee isn’t just about closing a sale. It’s about building a relationship based on respect and service. By crafting a guarantee that feels client-first, we can confidently know we’re giving clients the power to choose, honouring their investment, and creating a partnership grounded in trust.

As heart-led solopreneurs, we can take the "ick" out of our guarantees by ensuring they match our values. I want my clients to be happy and if they're not, I know they won't get the results we both want them to get. That doesn't mean I can't protect my business though, I can opt to do that in a way that also fits my values!

If you’ve ever felt uneasy about guarantees, remember this: it doesn’t have to feel like a tacky sales tactic. Done right, it’s a way to serve our clients, not sell.

Here’s a CTA to tie it all together:

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