By Guest Blogger, Mary Schmidt, Marketing Troubleshooter 

Bear with me - I'll get to a marketing point soon.

We women do tend to be more sensitive to slights than men. Perhaps because we didn't go through manly bonding rituals like being forced to wear the same pair of dirty underwear on our head for all seven days of Frat Hell Week.  Oh, Noooo, we're much more subtle - which further hones the sensitivity. (There's no worse dissing than a southern belle referring to you as "such a nice girl." Honey drips from the fangs. The tone and word speak volumes, none of them good. And, yes, southern belle-hood is still alive and well.)

But, why does anybody put up with rudeness?  We've come to accept it as the norm. If we get acceptable service - as in the company simply does the basics - we're ridiculously happy. If a company actually treats us like human beings and does just a little extra ("Oh boy, they refunded my postage for mailing back the broken product!") we'll practically have to be pried off their (virtual) ankles before we'll leave 'em. Why do companies not understand this? They're run by people, after all.   

I'm reading Talk To The Hand, The Utter Bloody Rudeness of the World Today, or Six Good Reasons to Stay Home and Bolt the Door, by Lynn Truss.  The book is very funny and if you're a certain age, you can really relate.  Here's a snip re those maddening recorded fake apologies:

..."And isn't it confusing that our biggest experience of formal politeness comes from the recorded voices on automated switchboards - who patently don't mean it? 'We are sorry we cannot connect you at this time,' says the voice.  But does it sound sorry? No, it doesn't...

An interesting rule applies here, I find: the more polite these messages, the more apoplectic and immoderate you become, as you lose twenty-five minutes from your life that could have been spent, more entertainingly, disinfecting the S-bend." 

Here's the wacky marketing idea for companies:

1. Don't say sorry unless you mean it.

2. Mean it.

Always, always  put politeness before process. (and recruit, train, compensate and empower your employees accordingly.)

Very politely yours,
The Cranky Marketer