Are You Too Perfect For Your Customers?

February 20, 2008

Success
Image by The Lilac Breasted Roller

Does your business come across as too perfect to your customers? If so, it may put them off dealing with you.

Last month, I decided to enrol on an Arvon Foundation novel writing course. Arvon courses book up fast, so I Googled the names of the tutors to help me choose a course. And I read some great interviews and articles on fabulous and talented authors. The trouble was, some of them sounded a bit too perfect. And, in the end I decided on Alex Wheatle.

Alex didn’t have a wonderful start in life. When he was a small child, his mother left him to live with his father and she flitted off to the States. And not long afterwards, his father put him into care and took off to Jamaica.

He lived in Brixton, London during the famous 80’s riots. and he didn’t have the best of times. In fact, he finally wound up in prison for driving whilst under the influence of drugs. This was a huge turning point for Alex and he decided to get an education and do something with his life. Since then he has published six novels, including Brixton Rock and East of Acre Lane.

So, what made me choose Alex?

He didn’t come across as too perfect: Sometimes it is intimidating to do business with someone who appears to be too perfect. They appear false somehow.

Honesty: Alex was honest about his past criminal convictions. Nobody is blemish free and when someone claims to be, you have to wonder what they’re hiding.

He was successful despite adversities: Alex had a tougher childhood than many of us, but he managed to overcome this and go on to be an extremely successful novelist.

He was willing to bare all to inspire others: Alex described how going to be prison was a turning point for him. He didn’t have to tell anyone he’d gone to prison, but doing so inspires and gives hope to others who have struggled in life.

People love turnaround stories: People love to hear the success stories of ordinary people who’ve made it after major struggles or screw ups.

Can you use any of the things that Alex Wheatle has done to portray your business in a better light? Can you think of things that you’ve done that would give your business a story, rather than just advertising your products or service? And can you think of other people/business who you admire because they’ve achieved success, despite their history?

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Comments

19 Responses to “Are You Too Perfect For Your Customers?”

Nez on February 21st, 2008 1:45 am

Hi Catherine,

Quite a timely post, as I think the story of Barack Obama is resonating with people (especially young people) in the same way. His childhood was certainly not perfect or “ideal” in most people’s eyes.

It’s interesting how some people use adversity as the impetus to change their lives for the better.

Still, many others use it as an excuse to become (or remain) the dregs of society.

Nez’s last blog post..Why Shoddy Customer Service Exists
cathlawson on February 21st, 2008 1:52 am

Nez - that is so true. These people are so inspirational. And I hope their stories inspire others who have suffered difficulties to be achieve their potential, instead of using it as an excuse.
Nicole on February 21st, 2008 3:55 am

People like that are indeed very inspiring!
I love your posts, always something new to learn and something that motivates to get better
Thanks!
sterling | bizlift on February 21st, 2008 4:14 am

Thanks for sharing this one Catherine. Last month an old buddy wrote me a letter from prison. It made me thankful that 14 years ago I moved away from the violence and craziness that I grew up in.

I would’ve definitely picked Alex too. Hope to hear more about your writing class.

sterling | bizlift’s last blog post..Go Big: Free Enterprise Tools For Small Biz
Barbara on February 21st, 2008 4:18 am

Hi Catherine,

Those that project perfection often do put off customers. However, some customers prefer to associate with that type of business as they look down on others who may have spent time in jail or had a brush with the law. I don’t know if they think it’s going to rub off on them or what. Maybe, they’re just snooty.

I love hearing stories of an underdog who goes on to make it big. To me, those are true success stories. One of my favorites is Oprah. What she has done with her life is totally awesome.

BTW: Does this mean we will soon see a novel with your name on it? Sign me up for an autographed copy.
Barbara’s last blog post..Me And The Blog - Till Death Do Us Part
Ian Denny on February 21st, 2008 7:24 am

Cath,

It’s true. And if you pretend to be something else, you are living a lie as the person projecting a brand which doesn’t reflect who you are.

I do actually wonder whether that’s made a difference for us. We tend to poke fun at ourselves on our biography on the company site.

I’ve not exactly broadcast it (well, except on the personal blog!), but I’ve told many new clients up front that we went bust and told them why.

You can sleep easier at night, and be true to yourself if you’re not afraid of where you come from.

Ian Denny’s last blog post..E-Mail Marketing: Tuning Yourself To The Right Station
cathlawson on February 21st, 2008 11:54 am

Hi Nicole - thanks, I’m glad you found it motivating.

Sterling that is great - we all have choices and it looks like you made the right ones. Looking back at my past, I know I definitely wasted too much time in the company of the wrong people.

Barbara - thank you. It’s nice that you would want to read it. I totally agree on Oprah. I was reading one of her autobiographies and her parents left her with her grandmother when she was young, then she fell in with the wrong crowd.

Good point Ian. I always laugh when you say you don’t really broadcast your excellent videos. They’re on the Internet - the whole world can see them.
Walt Goshert on February 21st, 2008 5:35 pm

Cath,

Great pics!

Did you use the Flickr thing?

Yours look so great on your blog!

Kudos for you to work on your writing craft. Ceratinly, a wise choice in Alex because while not perfect, he has a story. His life is a story.

BTW… Have you read Mark Joyner’s “The Rise of The Author” ebook?

Walt Goshert’s last blog post..Think Marketing
cathlawson on February 21st, 2008 5:41 pm

Hi Walt - thank you. I love the Arvon courses. I took a starting to write fiction one a few years ago, right before I started my last business. And I’m looking forward to this one.

I did use FlickR to get the picture. There’s some talented photographers on there - it’s great.

I didn’t read Mark’s book yet but I’ve heard about it. Is it any good?
Giun Sun on February 21st, 2008 6:06 pm

Good post Catherine. Becoming imperfect is a technique in the form of anti-marketing.

Why does coming off as imperfect work?
1) Authenticity
- It makes the person become more “real” to you and perhaps someone you can relate to.
2) Unique
- As an example, Alex has had a colorful life and thus makes him stand out. Being unique makes you want to click that link or read further.
3)Simplicity
- Although Alex’s life story is complex, the truth is simple and one can see that.

Thanks for the post, good read Catherine.
Giun Sun’s last blog post..Dynamics of Viral Marketing: A Thorough Analysis of the Systematic Patterns
cathlawson on February 21st, 2008 6:09 pm

Cheers Guin. I’m glad you liked it. His uniqueness definitely stands out and that is a great point.

I loved your dynamics of viral marketing by the way. You put a heap of hard work into your posts.
RacerX on February 21st, 2008 10:53 pm

It is an interesting observation that as a society we generally enjoy when the might fall and the little one succeed!

I guess we long to see ourselves in their triumph!

RacerX’s last blog post..Personal Finance QuickTake: Fed Gloomy Forecast
John Hoff on February 22nd, 2008 2:56 am

@Barbara - I agree with you on that point that sometimes bringing up you have a prison history isn’t always the best marketing strategy. It’s a give and take - I think you’ll end up turning off some people and others will relate to the story.

I suppose maybe it’s the type of business you are in. For example, if you had your pick of stock brokers who produced about the same, would choose the one with a record or the one with a clean history?

But in this case, his experiences is what people can connect with and come to understand him better.

Like I said, it’s a give and take, in my opinion. But in marketing you at some point or another will (and probably should) alienate some customers.

I think you’re right on with what you said.

Good post Catherine and good luck!

John Hoff’s last blog post..Create Yourself A Shortcut - How To E-Mail, Blog, and Text On The Go!
cathlawson on February 22nd, 2008 6:34 am

Hi Racer - I think that is especially true when the mighty ones have a monopoly and deliver a shoddy service, isn’t it?

And that is a good point, when we see others overcome a heap of problem and do well, it gives us hope that we can also do it.

Hi John - Thanks - that is a good point - I guess it would depend on your type of business. Definitely not good if you were an Independent Financial Advisor or something.
Barbara on February 22nd, 2008 7:34 am

Hi Catherine and John,

On the subject of a past that included jail time, as an employer, that is one question that is on our employment application…. (have you ever been charged with a felony?) Although in our business it’s not a big issue if they say “yes”, we never hold that against a potential employee. In most cases they made a stupid mistake in the past, learned from it, and turn out to be fantastic employees.

My husband tells them, “I don’t care about your past, can you do the job?”

However, if someone is a felon due to a robbery, I doubt a bank would take a chance on them, and rightly so.

Barbara’s last blog post..And You Say You Are Not A Gambler
cathlawson on February 22nd, 2008 8:03 am

Hi Barbara - that is a difficult one for me. Because I’m sending people into other people’s houses, I can’t take the risk of employing a thief or anyone who has committed a violent crime.

The trouble is, many people who steal have never been caught.

I think it definitely depends on the nature of the crime and whether the person has definitely turned over a new leaf.
John Hoff on February 23rd, 2008 6:06 pm

Hello Catherine

I have a question and I apologize, it’s a little off topic.

I was wondering how you go about using Fickr images on your blog (I want to use some as well)? Is there a policy for using their photos or . . . ?

Thanks,
John

John Hoff’s last blog post..Create Yourself A Shortcut - How To E-Mail, Blog, and Text On The Go!
cathlawson on February 23rd, 2008 6:44 pm

Hi John - no problem. If you go into flickr - then choose everyone’s photos’s, then choose creative commons - those are the photos you can use. All you have to do is provide a link to the profile of the photographer underneath your pic.

I just found a plugin that makes it easier to do this on problogger. I didn’t try it out yet, but it sounds great. You can get it here: http://www.problogger.net/archives/2008/02/23/find-creative-commons-licenced-photos-from-flickr-via-your-wp-blog/
John Hoff on February 24th, 2008 2:26 pm

Perfect. Thanks Catherine.

Hey by the way, I don’t know if I have you to thank for this but a few days after you stumbled one of my posts (yesterday) it made it to the front page of del.icio.us

Needless to say I was pretty excited and I now have a bunch of new RSS subscribers and traffic - I guess now I’m under the gun!

But aren’t business owners always?

Thanks again for the info.

John Hoff’s last blog post..The Art of Persuasion (Part 1 of 3)