He waited quietly behind the door, expecting it to bust open any minute. He braced himself.
Armed with exceptional technological and customer service skills, the anticipation of being flooded with customers was almost overwhelming. But as the hours ticked by uneventfully, the door never opened. The advertising campaign that he had put so much money into had bombed out.
I recently saw a sign for a repair and maintenance business with the motto, “Creating clients for life.” I’m sure the slogan was a testament to customer service and satisfaction so superior that lifetime business relationships based on trust was the intended outcome. But the words created a much different image in my mind. The first thing that popped into my head was, “Creating problems for life.” I envisioned the need to continually fork over more and more cash to solve the recurring problems that would result from using this repair service.
People interpret the meaning of language based on social upbringing, culture, and their past experiences. My own past experiences with this particular line of service providers had been unproductive and expensive—the problems never being fully resolved. Therefore, the thought of this business turning me into a client for life was unacceptable. I wanted someone who would not be needed again after the service call. The slogan that was intended to generate trust and security, instead created a negative connotation.
Words can create powerful images that are completely unrelated to the message we are trying to relay. When choosing our words we must use utmost caution because they often discharge with a deadly force.
Joanne
