Can You Speak The Customer’s Language

Can You Speak The Customer’s Language?

Robert M. Gignac

Taynac & Associates

Chalet Beaurmont

Ch. de Vers-chez-Cottier 4B

1807 Blonay

Switzerland

Phone: 011 41 21 943 1704

rgignac@taynac.com

www.taynac.com

I’m writing the article for this issue while sitting beside Lake Geneva in a small town called Vevey. Very quaint. Very pretty. Very Swiss.

I recently had the opportunity to visit the local branch of a Swiss chain of bookstores. Being an author myself, I tend to spend a lot of time in bookstores. When I travel it’s even more interesting because I gather new insights about books and book marketing that we tend not to see in Canada.

My other reason for being in the store was to purchase a book on basic French conversation and grammar. As my own French vocabulary is quite limited and I was going to be in this French-speaking region for a while, I thought it would be a good idea to brush up on the basics. I knew the title that I wanted and armed with that and a spirit of adventure, I was off to the store.

After navigating my way to the “languages” section – I spent about 15 minutes scouring the shelves for my title. Finally I voice behind me asked if I need any help - en Francais. Using my best French, I told her the title of the book, and showed her the written information I had, which also include the author and publisher.

I was told they don’t carry that title, which surprised me, as this book was quite popular with many of the French language instructors in the area. Even more surprising was that she didn’t need to check the shelves or a computer for the inventory. The language section was a decent size; I found it interesting that she had no need to look.

So, I figured I’d find out if they could order the book for me – and obviously my limited language skills were going to be a problem. After several back-and-forth attempts in French, a couple by me in “Frenglish”, we stood there looking frustrated with each other. In French, I then I asked if any of the other staff spoke English, apologizing for my poor vocabulary. A short, curt, “no” was clearly understandable, even to me. While I was in the process of thanking her, she simply walked away. Puzzled, I decided to look once more on the shelves.

About a minute later there was another voice behind me asking if I needed help. Resorting to my basic French, I told her that I did, but that my language skills were poor. Imagine my surprise when she smiled and said, “That’s ok, I speak English also”. Excuse me? Was I just not told two minutes earlier that there was nobody in the store who spoke English? In my astonishment as I tried to grasp what she had just said, I made eye-contact with the clerk who was helping me previously who sharply turned and walked in a different direction.

Within 30 seconds I had the book I was looking for – I had been in the wrong section all along. I was in languages, but textbooks were located elsewhere. It was also interesting to note that she wore an “apprentice” ribbon below her name badge. She told me that in order to become a full-time clerk in this chain, you must serve an 18-month apprenticeship.

After paying for the book and leaving the store, I spent some time thinking about what had transpired, wondering if it had any applicability to my own business and to that of the readers of this magazine. I suspect it does. More than we probably want to admit.

Have our clients ever asked us for information and we had no idea what they really wanted? Have we ever brushed aside a client question because it came formatted in a language we didn’t fully comprehend? Have we lost our enthusiasm and desire to serve which we were full of when we were an “apprentice”. Have we perhaps been embarrassed by being unable to respond to a client, that we said “it can’t be done”, only to have them find out it could easily be done by the next vendor they called?

After spending a significant amount of time with my new purchase I’m finding it a little easier to be understood here, and I’m building some confidence at the same time. My encouragement to you is that the next time one of your clients starts to speak in a language you don’t understand, don’t simply say “no” and walk away. Make the effort to hear it in the language of your customer; it will make all the difference in building your relationship, and their loyalty to you.

Bio:

Robert Gignac is the owner of Taynac & Associates, providing keynote presentations, seminars and workshops on personal development, motivation, and leadership. He is also the co-author of the Canadian best seller “Rich is a State of Mind” available in stores now. Reviews and a sample chapter are available at www.richisastateofmind.com. To book Robert to speak at your next event, please contact him at: rgignac@taynac.com or check their website at www.taynac.com.