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Enough About Me, Let’s Talk About What You Think

January 3, 2007 by Liz 19 Comments

That Couldn’t Be Us Or Could It?

Customer Think Logo

I share a joke with a friend in California. It’s like a script. It goes like this.

I call him up. He answers.

I say, “Hi, Eddie, how am I?”

He replies, “Oh, you’re fine. What do you think of me?”

I tell him he’s wonderful.

Then he says, “Enough about me. Let’s talk about you. What do you think about my sweater?”

That’s when we laugh to think that we’re not like the people who actually do that.

This morning at Poynter Online something made me realize how it is to do what Eddie I joke about.

Butch Ward gave five New Year’s Resolutions. It’s number 2 that brought this thought home to me. His second resolution was talk to your readers. My thought was I do that. He offered fine advice on ways to engage in dynamic conversation. Then Mr. Ward made a suggestion for this New Year’s conversation . . .

Don’t ask him what he wants you to put in his newspaper or on his news broadcast. Instead, ask what he does. What she thinks. Then you decide how your newsroom can be more relevant to their world.

That’s when I realized it.

Those standard, customer-survey questions sound like “What do you think of my sweater? What do you think of ME?”

Sure, we need to ask how we’re doing, but those can’t be the only questions, or we’ll never know our readers.

Authentic values aren’t revealed by survey questions.

Relationships and understanding come from listening to what folks want to talk about — dreams, desires, unexpressed needs and wishes — what they find marvelous, annoying, heartwarming, concerning, breathtaking. At least, that’s my experience.

But hey, enough about me. Let’s talk about what you think.

What do find worth spending thoughts and words on?

–ME “Liz” Strauss

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Filed Under: Customer Think, Successful Blog Tagged With: bc, Customer Think, customer-relationships, listening, survey-questions

Comments

  1. Marti says

    January 3, 2007 at 1:03 PM

    Oh you stinker! (Just kidding – lol)

    But you are making me feel guilty! I just asked people to help me out with a blog meme, which seems to go very much against the grain of what you’re saying.

    (Wallowing in guilt now – lol)

    Reply
  2. ME Strauss says

    January 3, 2007 at 1:16 PM

    Hey Marti!
    No need for guilt here. Notice I said it shouldn’t be the ONLY kind of questions that we ask. 🙂

    Reply
  3. Carolyn Manning says

    January 3, 2007 at 3:04 PM

    Liz, I never noticed before that you have no trackback URL. Well, heck. We’ll just have to hope the ping works.

    Reply
  4. ME Strauss says

    January 3, 2007 at 3:06 PM

    Hi Carolyn,
    Click the title to get to the permalink/ trackback they’re the same here. 🙂

    It’s okay either way. I’ll come over and look. 🙂

    Reply
  5. Renée says

    January 3, 2007 at 7:33 PM

    Why am I feeling a little deja vu here…

    “Enough about me. Let’s talk about you. What do you think about ME?”…Paris Hilton replied to all talk show hosts!

    Okay, jokes aside. This is what I have been telling my ISP, beautician, car mechanic, … heck even the butcher guy who’s been trying to bribe me with pork so I could go out with him. Duh! I hardly eat red meat.

    Without customers, there is no business. So it is best for those customer services people to open their ears wider and shut their mouth.

    If they catch me on a bad day, I will rebuke “What’s in for me?” This is enough to shut them up for a while!

    Reply
  6. ME Strauss says

    January 3, 2007 at 7:42 PM

    Hi Renée!
    I’m so smiling! I feel the same way that you. If I’m in a bad mood, I say to a customer service person, “You must really hate your job, because you have absolutely no power to serve your customers. That would make me feel just awful coming to work every day!” 🙂

    Reply
  7. Renée says

    January 3, 2007 at 8:00 PM

    Hey Liz,

    I’m so smiling too! I wonder what it would be like if those customer service people meet both of us at the same time!

    Double dosage?

    Reply
  8. ME Strauss says

    January 3, 2007 at 8:04 PM

    That would be so fun!!!

    Reply
  9. Francie says

    January 4, 2007 at 1:06 PM

    This is a great topic! With a background in marketing, I understand the concept, but getting others to do the same isn’t always easy. Too many businesses still like to brag about who they are, what they do better than the other guy. Me, me, me – well not you, Liz – but you know what I mean 🙂

    I think it takes pretty constant awareness to tilt messages just enough so that they’re about you, but still include me.

    Reply
  10. ME Strauss says

    January 4, 2007 at 1:23 PM

    Hi Francie!
    I love marketing — marketing that’s customer friendly. 🙂

    I know about the companies you’re thinking of — the bank that cares that it’s 50 years old when I only care if it’s open on Saturday. . . .

    It takes thought to be on the side of the customer. That’s work. 🙂

    Reply
  11. Adam Kayce : Monk At Work says

    April 13, 2007 at 8:09 PM

    Hi Liz,

    Just wanted to say thanks for the re-frame — I don’t think I’ve heard that said in quite that way before.

    It’s a great reminder, no matter how entrenched in looking out for our own a__ we become, to always remember: It’s About Them.

    Thanks again!

    Reply
  12. ME Strauss says

    April 13, 2007 at 8:14 PM

    hey Adam,
    Thanks for reminding me about this post and about my friend Eddie! 🙂

    Reply
  13. Adam Kayce : Monk At Work says

    April 14, 2007 at 10:27 AM

    Ah, you’re welcome. Don’t you just love how people can pore through your archives, and re-start conversations, no matter how long ago they got started?

    How fun. 🙂

    Reply
  14. ME Strauss says

    April 14, 2007 at 11:03 AM

    Hi Adam,
    Yeah, I do, I was just talking to a friend on the phone about how you did that with this one! Thank You! 🙂

    Reply

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