“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me.”
That may be true, but some words can alter how one person feels about another or how a customer feels about a business.
Take this little romance story: Once upon a time there was a man and woman of a certain age who shared a deep and abiding friendship over many years. One weekend the couple got together and spent a lovely time. In the end the man turned to the woman, sighed and said “This is perfect.” However, two hours later the man confessed that, perfect though it may be, “he didn’t feel the magic.”
Although the friendship spanned many years, the words branded in the woman’s brain were the disconnect between perfection and a lack of magic. The man couldn’t help how he felt but the woman couldn’t help that all the words and actions that had gone before were erased by the “lack of magic” branded in her brain.
Now, this story is one of emotion and you may feel has no baring on business and yet if you believe that a customer/company transaction is without emotion and is limited to dollars and cents – you would be wrong.
We spend hours, days and even months perfecting our company tagline in hopes that it becomes branded in the minds of our customer. Yet, it is the words of those most closely connected with our customers that are actually remembered. And if there is a disconnect between what we stand for and what the customer experiences – the ultimate branding experience won’t have a happy ending.
Are the words branded in the minds of your customers the ones you desire or are they:
What part of “that’s not our policy” don’t you understand
The coupon expired yesterday – there’s nothing I can do
Frankly, your business isn’t that important to me
That’s not my job
I don’t care what your story is – we don’t give refunds only store credit
We don’t have any more, but maybe one of our other stores does – you’ll just have to go and check
I know it was promised today but that’s just not possible
That may be how we did it in the past but we don’t do it that way anymore
Relationships with customers are emotional. They are built on trust and if our words and actions belie that trust, the brand image the customer remembers is one of disappointment, dissatisfaction and even betrayal.
Do the words your customer hears match your tagline? What message is branded in the mind of your customers based on their actual experiences?
Let’s play a little game. I’ll name a profession.What’s the first word that comes to mind?
·Used car salesman
·Insurance sales representative
·Lawyer
·Financial advisor
·Financial investor
Did any positive words come to mind? Did the word “honest” immediately pop in your head?If so – you have found a unique individual to do business with, but chances are “honest” wasn’t the first word that came to mind.
Some professions have earned a less than favorable moniker and we tend to paint all in their field with the broad stroke of negativity based on prior experience or the experience of those we trust.
Shyster, pushy, egotistical, dishonest – were these some of the words that you thought of?I’m reminded of the original Miracle on 34th street movie.In this classic Christmas movie, Natalie Woods plays a little girl who doesn’t believe in Santa and yet by the end of the movie she comes to know and love a man, played convincingly by Edmund Gwenn, who insists he’s Santa.
On his first day of work as Santa in Macy’s Department Store, he promises a child that they will receive a gift the mother has been unable to find. As the child moves away the mother sarcastically thanks Santa for setting unachievable expectations in the mind of her son.
Macy’s doesn’t have that toy, she tells him.
Oh, I know, but you can find it this other store.
The mother is speechless.A department store typically thought of as in it for the profits is sending a customer to shop at the competition? Macy’s putting the customer’s needs in front of their own profitability?
Unheard of.
In the movie, that unselfish, honest gesture works in their favor. The press gets wind and soon everyone is shopping at Macys “the store with the true Christmas spirit.”
Being honest and upfront with your customer is the key to building a long term relationship. Here are a few key areas to keep in mind:
·Use fair and consistent pricing. Use of a loss leader to bring customers in the door is okay if the item is actually available and for the price you advertise.
·If you advertise FREE then offer it FREE without strings attached
·If you can’t make a promised deadline – let the customer know quickly. Own up to the mistake, error or reason for the delay.The customer will respect your honesty.
·If it looks bad on them – tell them
·If a customer picks out a product beyond their stated needs – tell them.Don’t sell them a Jaguar if what they want is less expensive to maintain. Educating your customer and making appropriate recommendations based on their stated needs will be appreciated and will set you apart from those just in it for the profits.If they still want the Jag – sell it to them!
Honesty is always the best policy with customers. You would certainly want someone to be honest with you, right?
NOTE: Honesty doesn’t mean cruelty. You can be honest while still being tactful.Take care in your quest to be honest that you keep in mind the customer’s feelings and reactions.If they look bad in the spandex simply suggest that the cotton might be more flattering.
Yesterday President George W. Bush held his final press conference of his presidency. It was his 47th conference in eight years. That’s about one opportunity to communicate his message every OTHER month.
In contrast, the President Elect, Barack Obama has held 16 press meetings since being elected November 4, 2008. That’s about one every four DAYS!
Times are tough. Questions from the audience are challenging. The news isn’t good.
Our natural instinct, when the news is bad, is to avoid confrontation, ignore the situation or hope someone else will take the heat. Whether the audience is the American population or one single customer – the surest way to build a relationship is to communicate early, honestly and on a regular basis.
Even when you don’t have all the answers.
I started with Pearle Vision as a store manager. We sold and made the glasses. Some prescriptions were easy to make and some were more challenging. At the time of the sale we would give a time or date when the glasses would be ready and invited the customer to return for their custom-made glasses.
On occasion, there would be a problem with the glasses – the frame wasn’t available, the lens broke in the edger or the completed product didn’t pass the final inspection; any of these occurrences would cause a delay in the product delivery.
As a new manager, I soon learned that some of the employees failed to notify the customer in the case of the delay. I don’t know if they hoped the customer would forget about the due date or if they feared a confrontational discussion but for whatever the reason – they failed to communicate to the customer.
I quickly changed that process.
Building customer relationships requires open and honest communication – ESPECIALLY when the news isn’t good. Customers are willing to understand and forgive if we keep them in the loop. So when it comes to communicating with customers:
Share the information available
If you don’t have the answers – be honest and then let them know how you are going about getting the information
If you’ve made a promise (deadline or product) that you discover you can’t keep – call immediately to let the customer know
Set realistic expectations. Customer would rather know the truth than to be told what you think they want to hear.
Under promise and over deliver
If customers are left to guess – they will think the worst so keep them regularly informed
Regardless of your political viewpoint – hopefully you can respect Obama’s desire to keep us informed rather than in the dark. Follow his example and keep your customers informed.
Did you watch Barbara Walter’s interview with the president elect and his wife on Wednesday night? YouTube has the entire event in small segments and I would recommend you watch if you haven’t.
During the first part of the interview with Michelle, (around minute 3 of the attached video) there is a tender, honest moment between Barack and Michelle.
When we think of national and world leaders we imagine people who are serious, focused and driven to success – or at least I do. We can tell ourselves they put their pants on one leg at a time, but if we try to put ourselves in their shoes to understand the magnitude of their responsibility and their impact on the world, it just becomes impossible.
They are too far above us ordinary folks. It is impossible to imagine having anything in common with them. We have a hard enough time ruling our own roost let alone having an effect on the roosts all around the country.
But in that one moment of honest tenderness between husband and wife on national television we can suddenly envision hanging out with our next president and his wife.
He reaches over to tell her she has lipstick on her tooth and she admonishes him for not listening to her when she’s talking.
What a moment.
I guess the bigger reveal for me was that this very personal moment didn’t land on the editing floor.
So how does this relate to our every day life with customers, vendors, employees and peers? I guess it says to me that we should never be so focused on business that we can’t afford to be a little human. For it is in those little human acts that we become relatable – someone you want to hang with – someone you want to have a relationship with.
Someone you want to do business with.
I wish all the best for our new first family as they transition into their new lives, facing umpteen challenges; both monumental and everyday.
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“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me.”
