Small Business Today Magazine JUL 2014 PHENOMENAL PRODUCTS | Page 20
EDITORIALFEATURE
Avoid the Tired, Trite Terms
By Hank Moore, Corporate Strategist™
W
ords count. Put together, they reflect corporate culture. Used out
of context, words become excuses,
gibberish, and a basic waste of energy. It is important to encourage original
thought by focusing on priorities and strategy.
When people hear certain words and
expressions often enough, they parrot
them. Rather than use critical thinking to
communicate, many people often gravitate to the same old, tired catchphrases.
I sat in a meeting of highly educated
business executives. The presenter was
dropping the term “brand” into every other sentence. The word had lost its power
and came across as a fill-in-the-blank substitution for a more appropriate thought.
Many people used to do the same thing
with the word “technology,” using it far
from its reasonable definitions.
These clichés do not belong in business
dialog, in strategic planning, and in corporate
strategy. These expressions are trite and reflect a copy-cat way of talking and thinking:
• “Solutions” is a tired 1990s term taken
from technology hype. People who
use it are vendors, selling what they
have to solve your “problems” rather
than diagnosing and providing what
your company needs. It is a misnomer
to think that a quick-fix pawned off as
a “solution” will take care of a problem once and for all. Such a word
does not belong in conversation and
business strategy, let alone the name
of the company.
• “Brand” is a marketing term. Strategy, culture, and vision are many times
greater and more important.
• “So…” In the 1960s, TV sitcom writers began every scene with “So…”
After enough years of hearing it, people intersperse that dialog into corporate conversations. It is intended to
reduce the common denominator of
the discussion to that of the questioner. It is monotonous and there are
more creative ways to engage others
into conversation aside from minimizing the dialog.
• “Value proposition” is a sales term and
is one-sided toward the person offering it. It implies that the other side
must buy in without question.
• “Right now” is a vendor term for what
they’re peddling rather than what the
marketplace really needs. Expect to
render good business all of the time.
• “Customer care” means that customer service is palmed off on some call
center.
• “Customer experience” comes right
out of marketing surveys which rarely ask for real feedback or share the
findings with company decision makers. That is so wrong, as customer
service must be every business person’s responsibility. Service should not
be something that is sold but which
nurtures client relationships.
Many of these stock phrases represent
“copywriting” by people who don’t know
about corporate vision. Their words overstate, get into the media, and are accepted
by audiences as fact. Companies put too
much of their public persona in the hands
of marketers and should examine more
closely the partial images which they put
into the cyberspace. Our culture hears
18 SMALL BUSINESS TODAY MAGAZINE [ JULY 2014 ]
and believes the hype without looking beyond the obvious.
Here are some examples of the misleading and misrepresenting things one
sees and hears in the Information Age.
These terms are judgmental and should
not be used in marketing, least of all in
business strategy: easy; better; best; for all
your needs; perfection; number one; good
to go; results; world class; hearts and minds;
cool; at the end of the day; virtual; right
now; not so much; and game changer.
Street talk, misleading slogans, and terms
taken out of context do not belong in the
business vocabulary. Business planning
requires insightful thinking and language
which clearly delineates what the company mission is and how it will grow.
These are the characteristics of effective
words, phrases, and thus, company philosophy:
• Focus upon the customer.
• Honor the employees.
• Define business as a process, not a
quick fix.
• Portray their company as a contributor, not a savior.
• Clearly define their niche.
• Say things that inspire you to think.
Hank Moore has advised over 5,000 client organizations including public sector agencies, small businesses,
non-profit organizations, and 100 of the Fortune 500.
Contact Hank by phone at 713-668-0664, by email
at [email protected], or visit his website
at www.hankmoore.com.