Do you know what’s so great about writing? It’s all the stuff you learn.
Like the You-attitude writing style and philosophy. Author, Kitty O. Locker, first coined the phrase in her book, Business and Administrative Communication.
Who knew? You has attitude (won’t the grammar patrol love that one?)
But the philosophy does make sense for better business communication. Below are examples of the You-attitude in action and other tips for incorporating the right you in your business writing and communication.
The Right You Attitude
You have probably read the advice to focus on you instead of I in business marketing. Well, that is the gist of Locker’s You-attitude.
- View your communication from your customer’s perspective.
- Place your customer’s interests before yours.
- And avoid blaming or lecturing your customer (respect them as intelligent human beings).
So, it is more than doing a “Find” on the word, I, and replacing it with you. But let’s start with the literal use of the word, you.
The Almighty You
The simple substitution of the word you is powerful. It changes the tone of your business communication.
Below are a few examples so you can see for yourself.
Make it Personal
Original – We require a receipt for a full refund.
You attitude – You will receive a full refund with your purchase receipt.
Original – We offer a 15 percent discount on orders over $100.
You attitude – You receive a 15 percent discount on orders over $100.
The revised language makes it more personal, doesn’t it? Simple but effective.
Respect Your Customer
Do you have a knee-jerk reaction when someone starts blaming you for something? Or when an individual starts lecturing you or talking down to you.
- Perhaps it pushes your button as it triggers childhood memories.
- Few of us care for the experience.
- So, be careful of using the word you in a manner that suggests blame or ignorance.
Original – We are unable to process the refund as you did not include the required receipt.
You attitude – Please submit your receipt for an immediate refund.
The You-Attitude is the Right Attitude.
The Right You, Too
So, you have few simple ideas for improving your business writing and communication with the word you. But if the tone is off, the words have the opposite effect of what you intend.
The Real You
You improve your business writing and communication with a second right you. The authentic you.
- Does that sound contradictory?
- Aren’t you supposed to be concentrating on your customer and not you?
Picture the following scenario.
- You walk into a store.
- A salesperson greets you right away.
- He gushes over you.
Welcome. Whatever you are looking for today, you have come to the right place. Your satisfaction is the most important part of today. You matter.
Does the thought, “Gag me,” come to mind?
But didn’t the salesperson do all the right things?
- Welcomed you
- Made it all about you
- Did you believe him?
Ah, there’s the rub. If a customer is not buying the pitch, the customer is not buying the product.
Because You Care
So, you need to keep it real and show you care about what your customers think and need. The following example is from my corporate days. It took everything I had not to laugh aloud at the attendee’s response.
The story in imagery:
The story in text:
A salesperson for a health plan asked the audience after his presentation if anyone had any questions.
A woman raised her hand and shared her frustration over having prescriptions denied by the new pharmacy benefit management company. She indicated she had been receiving a benefit for those drugs for years.
The salesperson proceeded to deliver a LENGTHY response about those darn “rich pharmaceutical companies”.
At the end of his tirade, the woman replied.
I DON’T CARE.
She wanted her longtime prescription covered. Period. Placing blame elsewhere did not help.
The right you keeps it real and shows you care about the customer’s problem.
When You Believe
If you are an owner or representative of a business, ask yourself these two questions.
- Do you believe in putting your customer first?
- And do you believe your business helps your customers?
When you believe, it shows.
- Substitute you for I in your business communication and your thinking.
- Be authentic and show the real you.
- Ensure your customers care about your business by showing you care about them.
Discover the right you in your business communication.
What tips do you have for discovering the right you?
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Note: In 2015, SSB took a year-long alphabetic journey for better business communication. Each post contained an A-to-Z topic for creating better business communication. This ‘Y’ post originally published on December 14, 2015, and this July 18, 2022 version updates it. The plan is to update each alphabetic post. Hopefully, it will not take a year to complete. 😊
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Excellent, Cathy. “You” is probably the most powerful word we can use when writing sales copy… assuming we do it the way you suggest.
Thank YOU, Anne. 😉
Your second example reminds me of the scripts that Comcast requires its employees to memorize. As I told the (last unfortunate) soul who provided me those platitudes when I called to complain that my TV reception is not 24 -7, but 2.4-7….
Doesn’t that drive you nuts, Roy? Few things worse than an insincere, mechanical response to a complaint.
Cathy:
Finding the “YOU” attitude in writing and with customers is a big lesson to understand and practice. I think you are so accurate, in that, it makes all the difference.
But, the thing is, it has to be authentic in reality (as stated) and some companies are so obvious in faking a “you ” attitude, it’s almost funny. (cable company above is a great example.)
As you allude to, saying it’s all about “you” the customer, and acting it, so they understand and feel it too, can be quite another experience altogether. Thanks for another great, and simply stated, business post.
Sue-Ann
Thank you, Sue-Ann, for your kind comment. YOU get it. 😉