Crafting Guarantees That Boost Sales AND Customer Satisfaction

If you’ve never launched a course, chances are offering guarantees scares you.

The reason is probably the guarantee’s purpose and main conversion advantage:

Transferring the risk from the customer’s side to yours.

I get why this seems like you’re opening yourself up to being taken advantage of.

But, in reality, there's only one reason to be scared of guarantees:

Your course isn't good and won't deliver on its core promise.

Then, you’ll have so many people acting on the guarantee — it can lead to ruin. (Which is where you were probably heading anyway with a bad offer).

On the other hand, if your offer is top-notch, the number of refund requests compared to the people who will buy just because of the added safety...

Will be far worth your while, profit and credibility-wise.

As I've said, only a small number of customers intentionally take advantage of guarantees. And you don't want to optimize for those people.

Today, I want to show you how you can craft guarantees that cater to your ideal customers instead and clearly show how you take the risk...

Making it easy for them to take the plunge and give your course a shot.

Let's dive into it.

Unconditional vs. Conditional Guarantees

As the name implies, unconditional guarantees have no conditions for taking advantage of them. All customers need to do is say the word. 

The most common is a money-back guarantee where you say:

"If you don't like my course for any reason, just say the word within 30 (or more) days of your purchase, and you'll get your money back. No questions asked."

I have a similar 30-day no-questions-asked guarantee for my "Piano In 21 Days" course. And nary a few people have taken advantage of it in 8+ years. While some people straight-up told me this guarantee pushed them over the edge to sign up.

My friend Justin takes it a step further and offers a LIFETIME guarantee for his course targeted at nurse practitioners. He's gotten only 3 refunds over the years…

With the revenue (currently measured in millions) from extra buyers the guarantee attracted far overpassing the returned money.

Now, on the other hand, a conditional guarantee sets forth something that needs to be fulfilled for the customer to invoke it. For example:

“I'll give you a full refund in the first 30 days, but you have to do X, Y, and/or Z for that to happen. Where X, Y, and Z can be exercises the customer has to complete, meetings they must attend, etc. 

Usually, it's something that shows people tried their best to get the outcome your course promises.

Now, if you have just the one guarantee — it’s better to make it unconditional because that removes the risk completely. While conditional guarantees only reduce it.

But you don't have to limit yourself to one guarantee. You can stack as much as you like/need.

Let me show you how this works.

The Benefits Of Stacking Guarantees

For example, you can have the unconditional 30-day money-back guarantee…

And a conditional 1-year money-back guarantee if people can show they've completed your course yet aren't satisfied with the result.

You can also stack two unconditional guarantees like I do with my "No Brainer" Genesis course guarantee. First, people have 10 days to get a full refund, no questions asked. Second, they have a 90-day exit clause, meaning they won't get a refund for what they paid but won't be charged for all the 12 months they committed to.

Also, your guarantees don't have to be all monetary, even though that's where you should start with, IMO. You can also include what I call "Handholding Guarantees.” 

So, you can replace the one-year refund guarantee with personal coaching until they get the desired result. Or you can offer a choice between money and additional help for reaching the desired outcome.

Now, most course creators do a solid job covering the obvious risks, like the ones above. Product flaws or the fact that it just might not be the right fit for the customer.

But there's another risk element most omit at their own peril. Risk Sean D'Souza dubbed as "Hidden” in his “The Brain Audit" book.

Here’s how you can approach covering it.

Covering The Hidden Risk & The Power Of Naming Guarantees

This is usually a subconscious risk. One that's never voiced. But it's there, and if not covered, it may deter people from buying your course.

Now, this risk is called "Hidden" for a reason - you have to dig deep into the customer's psyche to unearth it. 

For example, let’s say you're selling a self-study knitting course. And the product is a bunch of video lessons with material people need to have to follow it.

But the hidden risk can be the clauses these guarantees usually come back with. 

Like that it will only be accepted if you return all the material in its original packaging. Meaning the customer is in fear that improper handling can cost them their money. Especially because they always suspect you’ll look for a reason not to approve the guarantee request.

So, you cover this risk by saying something like:

“If after 30 days you aren't satisfied with the course, you'll get all your money back even if you take a chainsaw and have a crack at all the material we've sent you. Just package up the shredded pieces, say the word, and you’ll get a full refund.”

See how that would put the customer's mind at ease? 

Look, there's always at least one hidden risk when buying any product. You just have to dig deep enough to find it.

And the more you cover, the more at ease people will feel buying from you. Which in turn leads to more sales.

Now, there's another neat way to memorably showcase all the risks your guarantee covers. And that's giving it a catchy name.

In the example course, the guarantee can be:

“The Cut It With A Chainsaw Guarantee”

This immediately catches attention and people will read to see what it’s about. So, if you've nailed the risk they are struggling with…

Chances of conversion skyrocket.

The gist is putting the hidden risk in the spotlight with the name. Don't get lazy here — ensure your name instantly shows the customer you understand their fears and doubts.

You can use this naming process for all the guarantees you stack. In fact, it's better to have a different name for each guarantee that covers a specific risk.

Conclusion

Good risk-reversal guarantees can do wonders for your sales. Show the risk transfer clearly…

And you will remove a significant conversion barrier. 

Plus, if your product can deliver on your claims — the risk you're taking on is practically nonexistent.

This means you're bumping up your conversion rates at no actual cost other than taking the time to understand the prospects’ fears & doubts when considering your offer.

Here's to quickly unearthing that understanding and turning it into a catchy guarantee that gets even the biggest doubters in your target audience to open their wallets.

I'm rooting for you.

-Jacques