From: bizjournals.com

Our customers are the lifeblood of our business, right? So doesn’t it make sense to communicate with them in a way that helps them to feel good — both about themselves and us?

Sounds great — but how often do we experience the opposite?

The following took place one day while I was out of town. I decided to visit a local health club, a very nice gym.

About 10 minutes into my treadmill workout, an announcement came over the loudspeaker. The message had a somewhat — no, VERY — condescending tone. And the words weren’t much better:

“Members, please show common courtesy by not staying on the cardio machines for more than 30 minutes at a time when there are people waiting. It’s very rude to keep other members waiting.”

Now, it was obvious to my observing eyes and ears that this immediately rankled many of those in the gym. Not the least of those were the ones presently working out on the cardio machines.

A Quick Dissection

Did the club employee who made the announcement have a valid point? Sure. The 30-minute time limit is very practical and also very common. And of course, if some people were not honoring that limit, the issue needed to be addressed. A public announcement would, in fact, be quite appropriate in this case as a good reminder.

However, at the time of the announcement, the cardio machines were only at about 50 percent capacity, which made the members a bit curious about the timing. Judging by the sarcastic laughter and shaking of heads, they were also a bit perturbed as well.

Both the tone and the wording of the announcement were quite negative and insulting. It was as though the audience were a bunch of irresponsible children, not paying members who supported the operation of the facility with their consumer dollars (and could patronize other health clubs if they chose).

A Better Message

“Good morning. As always, we’re glad to have you with us, and it’s inspiring to see you working out so hard. Congratulations on your effort. A reminder, so that all of you are assured an excellent [gym name] workout experience: During those times when the cardio machines are at capacity, please be sure and keep your workout to no more than 30 minutes. This will ensure that none of you will ever have to wait too long and you can get your workout in at your convenience. Thank you for your attention, and for being a member of [gym name]. Have a great workout!”

This was a totally different frame, not only in terms of respect but in how the message shows how the rule benefits the members. This dramatically increases the odds that the message will not only be appreciated, but adhered to.

Same intent in both messages; most likely, much different results.

Frame to honor the customer, not insult them.