Multnomah County Judges Teach A Valuable Word of Mouth Marketing Lesson

When the Circuit Court of the State of Oregon called me to jury duty this week, I felt trapped. I had deferred service for a year and hoped that the "powers that be" would forget about me.  Exactly one year after deferring, I was called to serve.

When I arrived at the Multnomah County Courthouse, I was shepherded into a large room with about 100 prospective jurors. I heard a lot grumbling and statements about wasted time.

The mood quickly changed when Judge Christopher Marshall addressed the jury pool. He did an excellent job thanking us for taking time out of our busy lives to fulfill our civic obligation. His gratitude seemed very authentic. He reminded us that the right to trial by jury is one of our most sacred constitutional rights. As he spoke, I looked around the room and saw the expressions on people's faces soften. Perhaps, the Fourth of July, which was only two days away, made folks more accepting about this patriotic call to duty. But, I'm guessing Judge Marshall's sincere message made the difference.

I ended up getting picked to serve on a jury for two days. The case itself was fairly uninteresting. What left a lasting impression was the  respect that Judge Jerry B. Hodson treated all jurors. From the beginning of the trial to the end, he made us feel like the most important people in the court room. Today, I received a personal note from Judge Hodson thanking me for my service. I particularly liked this passage from his letter: "the willingness of citizens like you to serve on juries, generally at great personal sacrifice or inconvenience, is the backbone of our legal system. Without the involvement of citizens like you, the justice system would quickly grind to a halt."

You might think that it's a bit odd to write about two judges in a marketing blog. But, businesses can learn some great lessons that showing respect and thanking people sincerely are two fundamental ways to build positive word of mouth.

Comments

[laurence green]

Patrick:
I remember Judge Marshall and how his comments made me feel that the minor inconvenience was nothing compared to showing up to serve.

Thanks for the reminder.