How our words represent us ...
We've all had
those
days when we just say something we wish we could take back. Maybe we
woke up on the wrong side of the bed, didn't have enough coffee, or just weren't feeling well.
But in the bigger picture, think about how our words represent not only
our businesses, but also our city.
Say you're mad at someone about something: if you were to speak ill of them to a friend -- not knowing anything else about that person -- your friend may form a bad opinion of that person. It is the same for your business and our city.
Talk to your employees about being mindful of the words they say around customers. If they have a complaint about their job, a co-worker, their bills, the traffic, [fill-in-the-blank] .. those things shouldn't be discussed in earshot of customers. No one wants to complaints while they are trying to enjoy shopping or eating lunch.
Who knows whether that customer is .. a tourist, trying to enjoy their weekend and will comment on social media about their experience .. a potential large employer looking for a friendly town to relocate their business .. a member of the news media whose story may be tainted by negativity .. or maybe they are your own children who are deciding whether they want to live in Rockdale once they are grown.
As my grandma used to say .. "Life's not all good -- and it's not all bad -- but we certainly don't need to air all our dirty laundry!"
WORDS HAVE POWER
-- let's speak positively -- make them words you would be proud to have represent you and your city.
