One of my favourite pastimes is mountain biking and when I’m not scribbling away at the office I like to don my cycling jersey and hit the rough terrain for some invigorating exercise.

What I love about mountain biking is that it’s simple good fun. You equip yourself with a bike. Helmet. Clothing. Maybe a few accessories and you’re on your way.  

Or not.

Last month I bought myself a set of high-strength, cross-country wheels after becoming increasingly frustrated with the amount of money I was spending on repairing and replacing buckled wheels.

When they arrived they were encased in a fancy cobalt blue box boasting improved radial and lateral strength, highly efficient seals that minimise chain slackening, and superior rigidity. I tore the box open to be greeted with 2 gleaming, brand-new, top-of-the-range, twin-spoked wheels. 

At this point, as you can probably imagine, I was delighted with my purchase . . . despite costing me over £500!

I fitted them to my bike that evening and I was off to test them out. After less than 2 hours on the trail my rear wheel was buckled.

To the manufacturer’s credit they repaired it under warranty in super-quick time. But after hitting the rough stuff for a second time, one of the wheels buckled again. At this point I began to feel very disappointed with my purchase. In fact, I can safely say that I will not purchase any equipment from that manufacturer again.

I have experienced ‘post-purchase dissonance’.

The reason for this story?

You can wax lyrical about your product or service in your promotion and sell something that does not fulfil these claims . . . but a consumer can only be fooled once.

In order to achieve any degree of longevity in your sales performance, you must ensure that your promotional claims and activities are appropriately suited to your product or service.

If you’re selling an apple, promote an apple, not a pear. If you are selling a mid to lower-range wheel set, promote a mid to lower-range wheel set, not a high-range set.

Be honest with your advertising and promotion, it will pay dividends in the long term.