Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much!
If I tell you, “I’m going to the baseball game,” it seems as though you’re likely to understand what I mean.
Of course, you won’t. When George Will goes to a baseball game, it’s a religious experience. Me, I don’t even like baseball. Or maybe it’s my nephew’s ball game (the playoffs), or maybe going to the game causes me to miss an important event, and on and on.
We label the experience with just two words, and two words can’t possibly capture the emotions and circumstance surrounding an event.
“I’ll be out of bed in five minutes,” is not a true statement because it’s a promise not meant to be kept. It actually means, “go away, I’m sleeping, I’ll say what I need to get rid of you.”
“Your call is very important to us,” is not a true statement either. The truth is self-evident.
“I promise I’ll tell the manager about this,” is of course not a real promise either. It might be uttered with good intent, or might be designed to get an annoying customer to go away, but still…
You can already guess the problem with little lies. They blur the line, and they lead (pretty quickly) to big lies. The worst kind of little lies are the ones you make to yourself. Once you’re willing to lie to yourself, you’re also willing to cheat at golf, and after that, it’s all downhill.
Companies that refuse to break small promises have a much easier time keeping big promises. And they earn a reputation, one that makes their handshake worth more.
Given that expectation and trust are just about all we have left to sell, it seems to me that little lies and small promises are at the very heart of the matter. And they’re a simple choice, nothing requiring an MBA or a spreadsheet.
It all depends on what you want to stand for.
Seth Godin
Word of mouth is generated by surprise and delight (or anger). This is a function of the difference between what you promise and what you deliver
(see clever MBA chart) Word of mouth is generated by surprise and delight (or anger).