Grace Notes: Most of the time, most customer mistakes are not the fault of the customer

When I was an undergrad (Calvin College, Grand Rapids, MI), the company that makes Sunlight dish detergent mailed sample packets to homes in a direct mail campaign.

Sunlight Dish Detergent

This was circa 1984 and the retail Sunlight packaging looked something like the picture on the right.

In those days, only food came in packets; we were used to getting ketchup, mustard and salad dressings this way, and so conditioned to respond to this packaging as food.

In 1984 when the Sunlight makers conducted this campaign, they discovered that some people were putting their dish detergent on their salads.

Marketing Rule: Most of the time, most customer mistakes are not the fault of the customer, but the instruction they received.

This goes for children, students, parishioners, employees, and just about  every other analogous situation.

And what of the remainder who won’t sing the same bar no matter what you do? They need special instruction, as all of us have needed with something on some occasion.

A pouch of Kraft Salad Dressing

I know very smart adults who can’t tie their shoes (they grew up in the age of Velcro sneakers). I know very mart adults who have to think about which hand is their left or right, repeat things like “righty tighty, lefty loosey”, or don’t know their times tables.

The great American author Truman Capote (my all-time favorite) couldn't recite the alphabet.

Greatness (and plain old competence) is often graced with small faults like these.

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I personally am terrible at directions. Never ask me which way West is. I’ll have to mentally stop, turn my body North and imagine myself on a map in order to orient myself. I’ve been the butt of many jokes on account of this. I am also a horrible athlete, musician, and accountant (put a dollar sign in front of a number and my eyes glaze over).

There are plenty of people who get paid handsomely to be good athletes, musicians, and accountants. Why do I have to be one?

[2013-01-03]

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