You can't trust the ruler...

I'm not talking about a politician..."you can't trust the ruler" is a comment a customer made to me when she looked at the front page of her newsletter.

I explained that we were very careful to be sure that the top of the page was 8.5 inches wide and the bottom of the page was 8.5 inches wide also.  I showed her with the ruler that it was exactly the same at the top and bottom.  The page was cut square - but because the photo on the front of the page was at an angle, she was convinced we trimmed the newsletter at an angle as well.  That's when she told me "you can't trust the ruler"!

It seemed like an eternity passed while I tried to figure out how to respond.  I finally pointed out that our cutter could only cut a straight line and I couldn't curve the cut to match the photo.  She said she understood and was satisfied.

So how do you win an argument with a customer who says you are wrong but you can prove you are right?  You don't! 

I think there are a couple things to take away from this experience.

You may have heard the phrase the "customer is always right".  If you want someone to remain your customer, winning an argument can't be a priority.  Winning the customer should be the goal.  That's number one.  Be sure the customer understands you want them to be satisfied and you'll do whatever it takes to meet their request.  The customer needs to trust you, so make trust number one.

Number two is similar to "beauty is in the eye of the beholder".  We can't be so focused on doing our part right, that we sacrifice the entire project or product from the customers perspective.  It would have been helpful to discuss the angled photo before we printed the newsletter, or when we trimmed the first copy and saw that it looked strange. 

Our focus instead was to cut it exactly square so we could prove we did the job right.  There are times when doing it right shouldn't be the goal, but instead doing what the customer will like and need should be the focus. 

So which would have made this newsletter "excellent", cutting it exactly right, or working with the customer early on to reposition the photo? 

If growing our business is a priority, then winning the customer should be as well.  Interact often, point out pitfalls, discuss differences of opinion and develop the trust that comes with watching out for the customers best interest.