This picture sure is /promising/. Thank you, Flickr user kennysarmy.
It may sound great in the moment, and you may really believe you can do it then, but making big promises under pressure can result in breaking them when under more pressure.
Promising less often sounds like you must necessarily deliver less, like it will hold back growth, improvement and possibly a business deal. But in reality it is always possible, and even desirable, to bring more positive to the table than originally agreed upon.
It's the bringing less that you really have to worry about.
The key to this is to truly think BEFORE you speak. And AFTER you've thought, have the courage to to speak up. Easier said than done. But anytime you are about to make some sort of agreement with the client, take a moment to think it over. Is this something I've been able to do effectively and completely in the past? What happens if I can't deliver on this? Then be brave enough to say no, ask for more (time, money, resources) or to modify requests (as professionally and gracefully as possible).
The pressure, excitement and anxiety of business decisions can make it hard to say "No, two weeks will be needed to complete that, not just one." But isn't that better than saying, "No, it isn't ready yet. Can you wait one more week?"
Inspiration: “Want to be Successful? Learn to Manage Expectations”
Here is an article you may like on how to write a business proposal.
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