In this blog post I want to illustrate how subtle words can influence perception and behaviour when communicating with your clients. In fact, if you’re looking for a way to increase client satisfaction and sell more without costing you a penny, then read on.
I recently read a book by Nick Kolenda called “Imagine Reading This Book” and in it, he argues that people are more likely to make a decision if they can imagine the outcome, hence the name he chose for the book!
If I were to say to you “A pink elephant on roller-skates with a green bow-tie around its neck rolled across the room”, what happens? Have you created a picture (or possibly even a moving image) in your head of what I’ve just described? That’s exactly what words do – they allow us to form mental images in our heads, and the more vivid a picture we can create, the better. So what’s that got to do with how you speak to clients?
If I were to say to you “A pink elephant on roller-skates with a green bow-tie around its neck rolled across the room”, what happens? Have you created a picture (or possibly even a moving image) in your head of what I’ve just described? That’s exactly what words do – they allow us to form mental images in our heads, and the more vivid a picture we can create, the better. So what’s that got to do with how you speak to clients?
A new study by Packard & Berger, 2021 suggests that “linguistic concreteness – the tangibility, specificity, or imaginability of words employees use when speaking to customers – can shape consumer attitudes and behaviours”.
In the study, they tested whether referring to items using abstract vs concrete descriptors impacted satisfaction and buying behaviour.
In the study, they tested whether referring to items using abstract vs concrete descriptors impacted satisfaction and buying behaviour.
Abstract language are words that represent concepts rather than physical things referring to intangible qualities, ideas and concepts. These words indicate things we know only through our intellect. For example: success, love, freedom.
Concrete language refers to objects or events that are available to the senses, for example: red, apple, hot, velvet pillow.
If you ask me what I mean by the word "apple", I can pick up an "apple" and show it to you. You can feel it, smell it and taste it. It has mass and volume. However, I can’t pick up a "success" or point at a "freedom" sitting on the mantelpiece. I can’t measure a pound or a kilo of it either.
If I say the word apple to you, you'll easily be able to picture one in your head. It may be a slightly different apple than the one I see in my head (you might see a green granny smith and I might see a pink lady), but we'll both see an apple as an object. However, if I say the word "success" to you, does a clear mental image form in your mind? Probably not because "success" can mean many different things. It's not something that's tangible or easily defined.
Concrete language refers to objects or events that are available to the senses, for example: red, apple, hot, velvet pillow.
If you ask me what I mean by the word "apple", I can pick up an "apple" and show it to you. You can feel it, smell it and taste it. It has mass and volume. However, I can’t pick up a "success" or point at a "freedom" sitting on the mantelpiece. I can’t measure a pound or a kilo of it either.
If I say the word apple to you, you'll easily be able to picture one in your head. It may be a slightly different apple than the one I see in my head (you might see a green granny smith and I might see a pink lady), but we'll both see an apple as an object. However, if I say the word "success" to you, does a clear mental image form in your mind? Probably not because "success" can mean many different things. It's not something that's tangible or easily defined.
General and Specific Terms
Unlike abstract language and concrete language which are opposites of each other, general and specific terms represent each end of a range of terms. General terms refer to groups, whereas specific terms refer to individuals, and then there’s everything in between.
Let’s look at an example.
Animal is a general term. It includes many different creatures. If I ask you to form an image of an animal, it won’t be easy to do. Even if you do manage to form a distinct image in your head, what are the chances that someone else will form a similar image? Animal is a concrete term as it refers to something we can see and feel (and probably smell!), but it’s still hard to pin down its meaning because there are so many possibilities. Do you have any feelings toward animal , either positive or negative? Again, it’s hard to develop a response to such a general term.
So let’s make the group smaller and say dog. It’s still pretty general but it’s a lot easier to picture a dog than it is to picture an animal.
We can take it to another level by saying it’s a french bulldog. The picture has become a whole lot clearer now.
We can make it more and more specific. It’s a small black french bulldog called Bulldozer who drools incessantly and loves nothing more than to cuddle up on his favourite squashy brown leather chair under his red fleecey blanket. We can now get a sense of this individual dog and form a feeling about him.
Unlike abstract language and concrete language which are opposites of each other, general and specific terms represent each end of a range of terms. General terms refer to groups, whereas specific terms refer to individuals, and then there’s everything in between.
Let’s look at an example.
Animal is a general term. It includes many different creatures. If I ask you to form an image of an animal, it won’t be easy to do. Even if you do manage to form a distinct image in your head, what are the chances that someone else will form a similar image? Animal is a concrete term as it refers to something we can see and feel (and probably smell!), but it’s still hard to pin down its meaning because there are so many possibilities. Do you have any feelings toward animal , either positive or negative? Again, it’s hard to develop a response to such a general term.
So let’s make the group smaller and say dog. It’s still pretty general but it’s a lot easier to picture a dog than it is to picture an animal.
We can take it to another level by saying it’s a french bulldog. The picture has become a whole lot clearer now.
We can make it more and more specific. It’s a small black french bulldog called Bulldozer who drools incessantly and loves nothing more than to cuddle up on his favourite squashy brown leather chair under his red fleecey blanket. We can now get a sense of this individual dog and form a feeling about him.
Influencing their willingness to buy
So where am I going with this? Let’s get back to Packard & Berger’s study.
In the study, they found that customers were more likely to buy a shirt when the salesperson described the shirt in concrete terms to create a vivid picture in the customer's mind.
Example 1: “That looks great!” (very vague language and hard to imagine anything)
Example 2: “That top looks great!” (still vague but at least we know it’s some sort of top)
Example 3: “That shirt looks great!” (Ok, we can now visualise what type of top it is)
Example 4: “That green T-shirt looks great on you!” (I’m guessing you have a pretty clear picture in your mind now)
When your client can easily imagine the product, they can imagine the value it provides and the emotional reaction is stronger.
“That Walnut Folio Box would look amazing on the sideboard in your living room and just imagine being able to rotate 20 of your favourite family portraits on display.”
“That photo of you and your daughter would look fabulous in the classic black frame above your mantelpiece.”
Notice the use of the word “Imagine” too in the first example. You’re now explicitly asking them to imagine how they could use the product in their own home, creating a vivid picture in their minds, and making that emotional connection to it, thereby increasing their willingness to buy it.
In the study, they found that customers were more likely to buy a shirt when the salesperson described the shirt in concrete terms to create a vivid picture in the customer's mind.
Example 1: “That looks great!” (very vague language and hard to imagine anything)
Example 2: “That top looks great!” (still vague but at least we know it’s some sort of top)
Example 3: “That shirt looks great!” (Ok, we can now visualise what type of top it is)
Example 4: “That green T-shirt looks great on you!” (I’m guessing you have a pretty clear picture in your mind now)
When your client can easily imagine the product, they can imagine the value it provides and the emotional reaction is stronger.
“That Walnut Folio Box would look amazing on the sideboard in your living room and just imagine being able to rotate 20 of your favourite family portraits on display.”
“That photo of you and your daughter would look fabulous in the classic black frame above your mantelpiece.”
Notice the use of the word “Imagine” too in the first example. You’re now explicitly asking them to imagine how they could use the product in their own home, creating a vivid picture in their minds, and making that emotional connection to it, thereby increasing their willingness to buy it.
Take the direct route to increasing client satisfaction
According to PWC, one of life’s most common complaints revolves around customer service frustrations. Great service is the most direct route to customer satisfaction.
Satisfaction shapes consumer's behaviour and intention to purchase so it’s imperative to ensure your clients are satisfied. Consumers often feel that the people servicing them don’t really care about their needs and are really just “going through the motions”. The employee may be rattling off their usual “canned” response to a question or their general sales pitch in the salesroom without really considering who they’re talking to. In other words, they’re not really listening to the individual(s) in front of them, discovering what they really want, and responding accordingly. The key here is listening.
A client wants to feel like you understand them on an individual level, that you’re tailoring your service and/or products to their needs, and not just pitching the same old hat to every person who walks through the door.
Satisfaction shapes consumer's behaviour and intention to purchase so it’s imperative to ensure your clients are satisfied. Consumers often feel that the people servicing them don’t really care about their needs and are really just “going through the motions”. The employee may be rattling off their usual “canned” response to a question or their general sales pitch in the salesroom without really considering who they’re talking to. In other words, they’re not really listening to the individual(s) in front of them, discovering what they really want, and responding accordingly. The key here is listening.
A client wants to feel like you understand them on an individual level, that you’re tailoring your service and/or products to their needs, and not just pitching the same old hat to every person who walks through the door.
So, how do you show that you are really listening to your clients?
By using concrete language that shows you are paying attention to your client and understanding their needs. Concrete language can generate inferences about whether someone is listening, and can therefore shape social perceptions about a speaker’s attention and understanding. This has a clear implication for improving the customer experience.
According to the field data, increasing linguistic concreteness by one standard deviation improves customer satisfaction by 9% and actual spending by at least 13%. That really is a significant and substantial impact.
By using concrete language that shows you are paying attention to your client and understanding their needs. Concrete language can generate inferences about whether someone is listening, and can therefore shape social perceptions about a speaker’s attention and understanding. This has a clear implication for improving the customer experience.
According to the field data, increasing linguistic concreteness by one standard deviation improves customer satisfaction by 9% and actual spending by at least 13%. That really is a significant and substantial impact.
In one study, researchers looked at satisfaction by analysing 200 customer service calls. Customers were more satisfied when more concrete language was used. In fact, increasing concreteness by 5.5% increased satisfaction by 8.8%. They also analysed 941 customer service emails and tracked subsequent customer purchase behaviour. When employees used more concrete language, customers ended up spending 30% more.
Across a total of seven studies, Packard and Berger found that “whether dealing with a problem or searching for a product, speaking or writing more concretely increased customer satisfaction, purchase intentions, and actual buying behaviour.”
Relevancy Matters
Is there ever an instance where it doesn’t work?
Yes, when the concrete response wasn’t relevant to the needs of the customer.
Is there ever an instance where it doesn’t work?
Yes, when the concrete response wasn’t relevant to the needs of the customer.
Let’s look at some examples of how you might use it as a photographer
Vague: Is there anything else you’d like?
Concrete: Would you like to add a set of 5 Gift Prints for Grandma?
Vague: That's a great choice
Concrete: That barn wood frame is a great choice for your living room
Vague: I can’t include them in this collection, but if you went for one of the others, you could add them to that.
Concrete: I can’t include Digital Files with the Sapphire Collection, but if you go for the Diamond Collection or above, I can include the Digital Files for you.
Vague: Contact us
Concrete: Book a no obligation phone consultation with me
Vague: We can do a payment plan for you
Concrete: You can pay $500 now and then $250 per month over 12 months
Which sounds more satisfying to you?
Vague: Is there anything else you’d like?
Concrete: Would you like to add a set of 5 Gift Prints for Grandma?
Vague: That's a great choice
Concrete: That barn wood frame is a great choice for your living room
Vague: I can’t include them in this collection, but if you went for one of the others, you could add them to that.
Concrete: I can’t include Digital Files with the Sapphire Collection, but if you go for the Diamond Collection or above, I can include the Digital Files for you.
Vague: Contact us
Concrete: Book a no obligation phone consultation with me
Vague: We can do a payment plan for you
Concrete: You can pay $500 now and then $250 per month over 12 months
Which sounds more satisfying to you?
Small Changes, Significant Results
The beauty of the findings from this research is how easy it is to apply them. You don’t need to invest heaps of money or hire a whole team of sales people, you simply just need to tweak what you’re already doing to get better results. Small changes can create significant results.
So ask yourself….
How can you improve how you speak to clients on the phone, during a photoshoot, or at an ordering session?
How can you improve the language you use on your website and on your marketing materials?
The beauty of the findings from this research is how easy it is to apply them. You don’t need to invest heaps of money or hire a whole team of sales people, you simply just need to tweak what you’re already doing to get better results. Small changes can create significant results.
So ask yourself….
How can you improve how you speak to clients on the phone, during a photoshoot, or at an ordering session?
How can you improve the language you use on your website and on your marketing materials?
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