Page 73 - The Voice of Authority

conversation. Selection is central to understanding and
agreement.
In fact, many customer complaints can be traced to this
one root cause—a vague word with a different meaning to
service agent and customer. The salesperson says, “We
should be able to work out a substantial discount if you
want to take the floor model.” (The salesperson has in
mind a 20 percent discount; the customer is thinking a 50
percent discount.) The supplier says, “We’ll call you in a
few days when the shipment comes in.” (The supplier is
thinking two to three weeks; the customer is thinking two
to three days.)
Neither do we fare much better with specific, precise in-
ternal communication.
For example, you ask another department to help you
with a project, and they respond that they’ll be unable to
do so because of limited resources. Are they talking about
money, time, equipment, or expertise?
The HR department tells you they’ve had a number of
calls from employees upset about the policy just an-
nounced. How many calls? 7? 17? 70? 700?
The vice president of marketing tells you that the com-
pany has had a significant increase in the number of leads
generated by a new marketing campaign. What kind of in-
crease comes to mind? 12 percent? 20 percent? 40 percent?
A client promises to call you back within a few days with
an answer about whether she intends to renew a
multimillion-dollar contract with your organization.
When do you expect an answer? Three days? A week? Two
weeks? Would it matter which client said this to you?
A strategic partner suggests that you take advantage of
some of their promotional activities as you jointly introduce
your services to a new industry. Is the partner talking about
attending trade shows? Sharing the cost for direct mail?

Is It Clear? 61