Communication is more than words, sounds and visuals. Ultimately it’s about getting into another person’s head. And inviting them into yours. An intricate exchange of views, thoughts, ideas, instructions and opinions. The key to great communication is the perfect alignment of intentions, objectives, medium, message, tone, timing, context and delivery.
When you express something you believe in, you are likely to be a more effective communicator. But as a professional, you are hired to speak others’ minds. You may not always agree with the content of what they have to say, but it’s your job to help them say it well.
As a business communications professional, how do you convey something you are not entirely convinced about?
A few things help me.
Look at the situation objectively. Don’t take sides even with your client.
Play the devil’s advocate. Put yourself in the recipient’s shoes. Examine how the message comes across.
Give your client what they want but in a way that you see fit. After all, you are the expert they hired. They can tell you what to do, but you show them how it’s done.
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Over the years, I've had the chance to work on hundreds of projects with numerous clients. Some assignments are more enjoyable, rewarding and fulfilling than others. But there are some that stand out just because of how unique or unusual they were.
Many years ago, I worked with a client who manufactured and distributed large architectural columns. I was hired to help them with their website product descriptions, blog and social media. One day, I received a strange request: make one of their customers feel bad.
Here’s the email I received from my client:
Hi Rupa, I wonder if you could give me a hand reviewing or modifying the following text I have to send to a company this morning. He doesn’t really have to pay for the samples but I want him to feel bad. (If I get paid will be nice) They had giving me a $40,000 contract over the phone and then went with another company.
And the email he had written:
John*,Attached is my quote 8888* for two brackets and one louver samples.
I am well aware that these samples were part of the bidding process as I am of the fact that the job was assigned to us. I took your word as a serious business agreement between the two companies and paying for these samples should be the least I should expect from your company.
Regards,
Dave Peterson
This was a first for me. My client wanted to take his prospect on a guilt trip for not purchasing from them.
I was only a few weeks into my acquaintance with this client. I had had a lot of training and background in business communications but I had never been trained to guilt trip a potential customer in an official capacity.
I believed that the customer hadn’t done anything illegal or out of the ordinary and was well within his rights to get comparative quotes. Were the business ethcis borderline questionable since he had given a “verbal agreement” according to my client? Maybe. Did my client lose time and resources in the process? Yes. But that’s part of any business.
On the surface, I wasn’t quite convinced that the customer deserved a harshly worded email. However, it was my job to help my client communicate to his prospect and perhaps to help him recover his expense. It was up to me to figure out how best to do it with finesse and professionalism so my client’s disappointment was conveyed effectively but without a dent on their brand’s image.
This is the revised email I sent back:
Hello John,
Hope this finds you well.
I respect your decision to go with another company for your order and wish you the best with your project. However, I regret the fact that our verbal contract was broken. I am sure you will recall that you gave me confirmation over phone on <on this date, year>, essentially, assigning the job to us. Based on our phone conversation and your personal confirmation, I took your word as a serious business agreement between our companies. This would have been a $40,000 contract and as you might expect, our company's planning and projection for the quarter are affected adversely by your decision.I am hoping that out of professional courtesy and consideration for business ethics, you will pay for the samples we sent you as part of the bidding process. This will help offset some of the impact and would be much appreciated.
Please see attached my quote 8888 for the samples that included two brackets and one louver. Please let me know if you have any questions and if we can be of assistance with any of your future projects.
Regards,
Dave Peterson
I kept my client’s core message but softened the blow, made it sound more professional and respectful, explained why the contract was so important to the business, communicated the adverse financial impact, and left a door open for doing business in the future while acknowleding the customer’s decision to go a different route.
My client was pleased with my version and although I never heard back from them on whether or not they received a payment for the samples, they did end up sending several business communications projects and references my way for many years. So I am guessing it could not have gone too badly.
Communications can be tricky business. But when you build upon a foundation of authenticity and transparency, it’s hard to go wrong.
Have you had to write a tricky business email? How did you handle it?