With All Due Respect

What does the phrase, "with all due respect" really mean?

It might mean:

"But"

"You annoyed me and I'm only saying this because you are a paying customer"

"I don't respect you or your opinion at all"

"This message has nothing to do with respect"

"Now listen to my excuse"

"How dare you"

"You just don't appreciate how hard I work"

"Now I'm going to tell you why you are wrong"

"No respect is due"

Which of those do you think is most appropriate for the use in the following sentence?

"With all due respect, I have over 190+ accounts to take care of and I with all honesty try my best to give everyone special attention..."

I received an email that started with that sentence in response to my message of disappointment and request for more specific details about a promotion that this supplier had done for my service.

Couple "with all due respect" with the phrase "with all honesty" and you have a major train derailment here.

Both of those phrases are land mine phrases. They trigger questions and feelings of just of the opposite of what they might be intended to imply. Why? Because they seem out of place and a case of Shakespeare's "the lady doth protest too much".

If you're unhappy or simply asking for better service, do you care how many clients your service representative serves? How is that relevant to you?

And if the disappointing service that you received was "special attention" what would "less than special" look like?

With all due respect (oops)


George Torok

Marketing Speaker

Secrets of Power Marketing