When you talk to your customers, sometimes you need to decode what they’re asking for. Whether it’s a technical term that they aren’t familiar with or navigating their desire to be polite, talking to your customers can be like a lot like translating. Here are a few of the things you might hear your customers say—and what they really mean.
(And, remember, we love our customers, and we know you appreciate your customers, too. This is only for fun.)
1. What Customers Say: “I definitely need [product].”
What Customers Mean: “I’m pretty sure I need this product because I’ve used it in a similar situation before and I’m not ready to change.”
2. What Customers Say: “I want people to know that this is our brand.”
What Customers Mean: “Make the logo big.”
3. What Customers Say: “Could you make that logo a little bigger?”
What Customers Mean: “Could you make that logo a lot bigger?”
4. What Customers Say: “It’s a shame that you have to work on holidays/weekends.”
What Customers Mean: “This is probably a pain for you, but I’m really glad that you’re open because it’s the only day that I have to place this order.
5. What Customers Say: “Can you make it pop?”
What Customers Mean: “Make it shiny and colorful. Maybe add more detail. No, more colorful.”
6. What Customers Say: “I’m on a tight budget.”
What Customers Mean: “My wish list is much bigger than my budget. I’m probably going to look at your pricing quote and ask if you can adjust the pricing a bit.”
7. What Customers Say: “I like it, but…”
What Customers Mean: “I don’t actually like it at all, but I’m trying to be polite.”
What Customers Might Also Mean: “I’m realizing now that the more expensive thing you showed me before would have made me happier.”
8. What Customers Say: “I don’t have a budget in mind!”
What Customers Mean: “I’ve definitely got a budget in mind, but I haven’t put a number on it just yet.”
9. What Customers Say: “I’ll know what I want when I see it.”
What Customers Mean: “I don’t know what I want, and chances are I’ll want to see every sample you have before I know what I want.”
10. What Customers Say: “What’s the turn time on that?”
What Customers Mean: “I should have placed this order a few weeks ago, but time got away from me and now I need to get it fast.”
11. What Customers Say: “Let’s change it back to how it was before.”
What Customers Mean: “I know I had a lot of requests, but I’m starting to realize that they didn’t get this to look like I wanted it to and it’s easier not to change.”
Have you heard these customer comments? Are there others that you’ve had to decode? We’d love to see you join the conversation in the comments below.
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