Impressive Until It Isn’t
The importance of keeping the customer in mind
You’ve been there. You’re at a restaurant with friends, and the server comes around to take orders. You notice that they aren’t writing anything down. Not the entrees, side choices, extra mayo, nothing. They collect the menus and head to the kitchen, leaving you to silently wonder, “Are they going to get it right?”
One of two things will happen:
They will have gotten all of the orders right, and you will be relieved of the silent curiosity, doubt, or anxiety that you were given for no reason.
They will get the orders wrong, and you will wonder why they didn’t why they didn’t just write it down.
Accuracy matters
Sometimes standard conventions exist for a reason.
Act with the customer in mind
Writing orders down is the standard social convention because it works. People are more concerned with the mayo that was supposed to be on their sandwich than the server wanting to show off. It’s impressive right up until it isn’t.
This situation can resurface in how businesses and marketing agencies operate as well.
Are the customer experiences and marketing efforts that you provide designed to improve the customer’s experience, or are they designed to serve you?
Are you telling the customer something they need to hear or do you just feel like saying something because you’re “supposed to”?
Are you trying to be so clever that you are losing the point?
Once you notice this, you can’t unsee it. You’ll see cringey attorney billboards on the highway serving as vanity projects, empty social posts telling customers nothing, or ads that are so “creative” you don’t even know what they’re trying to sell.
In your marketing efforts, are you doing/saying what’s best for the customer? Or are you just trying to be impressive?
In short, write it down and don’t forget the mayo.
