I often see generic phrases used on websites and in advertising that has no hope in Hades of hitting a consumer nerve. So I thought I’d offer a quick lesson on how you can tranlate certain phrases that mean something to your target.

Painting:

Instead of:  We’re focused on customer service
Say: If you are unhappy with the paint job, we’ll paint until you are.

Insurance:

Instead of: We offer insurance from 15 carriers.
Say: We will find the best coverage you can get for your money.

Hearing Aids:

Instead of: We do hearing tests.
Say: We evaluate your hearing and offer a solution that works for your lifestyle and your hearing problem.

IT Services:

Instead of: Welcome to my website
Say: Get your network working right.  Don’t suffer from lost dollars due to downtime

Do you see what I’m getting at. Everyone says “we offer great customer service”. But what does that mean in your business? Does it mean efficiency, an improved look, better production or what?

If you’re a prosthodontist your goal is to offer patients a killer smile. If you’re a knee surgeon, you need to tell people you’re going to fix it to improve their quality of life or that you are going to get them back on the field performing better and in less time. Whatever your differentiating factor, it needs to be incorporated into every sentence you utter or write about your business. But it needs to be phrased in terms of what it will do for those you are trying to reach. Consumers don’t care how great you are unless you translate that into something they will benefit from.

So skip the generic phrases, quit focusing solely on yourself and interpret what it is you offer in terms the target audience can appreciate. So think about what customer service MEANS in your business in terms of what you offer that is important to your target market. Then you can write a sentence that means customer service without even saying “customer service”. Define it for them. Don’t make your target do all the work.