The Flywheel / Service / 15 Commitments
Commitments
Turn a yes into a commitment both sides keep: what you will deliver, and what they give in return.
The tool for this step
The Handshake
Both sides keep their word. Turn a yes into a commitment both sides keep: what we'll deliver and when, written first, and what they give in return.
What it is
Commitments turns a yes into a commitment both sides keep: what we will deliver and when, written first, and what they give in return.
A commitment binds the company first. Payment is how a person says the service is worth it. The first moment of value comes soon after the yes, not after the paperwork.
How to run it
What you produce
The Handshake: both sides keep their word. Turn a yes into a commitment both sides keep: what we'll deliver and when, written first, and what they give in return.
Examples
Twelve letters, paid ahead
The teacher's school paid for a year of letters for three classes. The company committed to a letter by the first Friday of every month, and a free month for any letter that arrived late.
Where it goes wrong
- Calling sign-ups commitmentsA free account or a “yes, in principle” is not a promise on both sides.
- A one-sided promiseIf only the customer commits, it is a purchase. Write down what you owe them, first.
- A slow startThe longer the gap between the yes and the first moment of value, the more commitments quietly end.
- Nobody owns itA promise with no named keeper is broken by default.
What it hands on
The Pulse watches every commitment, and whether it was kept.