What you say isn’t always what they hear
We get this in personal relationships. Sometimes. Everybody’s said something to a spouse or a child who heard differently.
But we often miss it in business. You think you’re showing your customers how much you care by recommending a useful service. They might just hear that you want to shake a few more bucks out of their wallet.
Vienna Teng wrote and recorded a song that’s the living embodiment of this contradiction. Give it a listen, and don’t use captions or think too hard about the words:
Thanks to Roy Williams at MondayMorningMemo.com for this music recommendation.
It’s the kind of music you could listen to right before you go out and nail that job interview or crush that sales presentation.
But then you read the words and…it’s kind of horrifying instead:
Somebody hears you. You know that. You know that
Somebody hears you. You know that inside
Someone is learning the colors of all your moods, to
(say just the right thing and) show that you’re understood
Here you’re known
Leave your life open. You don’t have. You don’t have
Leave your life open. You don’t have to hide
Someone is gathering every crumb you drop, these
(mindless decisions and) moments you long forgot
Keep them all
Let our formulas find your soul
We’ll divine your artesian source (in your mind)
Marshal feed and force (our machines will)
To design you a perfect love—
Or (better still) a perfect lust
O how glorious, glorious: a brand new need is born
Now we possess you. You’ll own that. You’ll own that
Now we possess you. You’ll own that in time
Now we will build you an endlessly upward world
(reach in your pocket) embrace you for all you’re worth
Is that wrong?
Isn’t this what you want?
Amen
Big Data wants to own your soul. Not so uplifting as the music was. Vienna Teng sang one thing and said another to send a powerful message.
In your business, are you sending a message that is…
- True to your customers?
- Speaking to their deeply felt needs?
- Consistent with how you deliver your services?
- Interesting enough to listen to?
Any “no” or “I don’t know” to those questions? Your customers might be hearing something different from what you’re saying.