Hey! Watch your language

Shameful. Shameful. Shameful.

The words coming out of your mouth.

“The ideas coming out of our focus groups are simply amazing.”

“We are literally training our staff every day to deliver superior service.”

“I’m excited to announce the next generation of products.”

Under no circumstances do you need to articulate yourself using unrefined expressions born of the popular culture. You don’t need to develop and convey street cred – at least not on that kind of street.

Are they your target market? Do they make the purchase decisions? Will they favor your products or services because you speak, tweet and behave like them?

Is that how you want your company perceived?

Is that how you want to be perceived?

Really?

You are above such nonsense.  How about speaking and writing clearly and concisely? Choose your words wisely and exude confidence and competence. You’ll gain the respect and trust of your peers, managers, professional colleagues and the street – the one that makes you money.

Considering what you read and hear in business, media, music, on television and the cinema screen, you can stand out using just plain proper English.

That would be literally amazing.

del.icio.us Tags: language,word choice,vocabulary,credibility

In honor of those who died to protect our freedoms

 

 

I fly the Stars and Stripes for you.

And I thank you.

del.icio.us Tags: United States Memorial Day Holiday

There’s no such thing as free marketing

I attended a Meetup earlier this week entitled, Marketing Without Dollars. I went into the assemblage loaded for bear because I abhor the idea, belief or notion that marketing can be accomplished without money.

It quickly became apparent that the presenter wasn’t purporting to possess radical ideas for moving products through various channels and into the buyer’s open arms without spending a dime driving awareness and demand.

No. He stated emphatically (well, for a kind and soft-spoken man, it was meant to be emphatic) that marketing is more a mindset than a skillset…especially for small and emerging businesses. He focused primarily on image and how business people and businesses present and conduct themselves, actively and passively, throughout each and every day.

Examples:

• Swept floors and clean restrooms
• Well manicured lawns
• Company vehicles neatly aligned in the parking lot
• Precisely organized product displays
• Crisp professional company uniforms
• Courteous and attentive receptionists
• Visible and sincere participation in civic events

He categorized all of these as free marketing activities.

The presenter was really talking about image, perception and brand management. Marketing is much broader and comprised of many complex disciplines. Company culture, public perception and brand are aspects of marketing, and quite important ones at that, but few if any businesses of any size and maturity can succeed or survive by putting most of their energy into these “marketing without dollars” activities.

It’s wise to pay attention to them, though.

But are any of them really free? I say no. Do you agree?

del.icio.us Tags: marketing,perception,image,corporate culture

You can handle the truth

Do you believe everything you read? Do you trust statistics? Do you casually accept the interpretation of surveys and those that report them as unbiased?

Me either.

Why is that? Could it be because we’ve been mislead too often; burned too many times?

I suspect so. We’ve all come to understand that individuals and groups with a particular agenda choose to dissect data or select certain portions of a study that supports their philosophy and present that information as the complete picture. Generally, what they fail to convey is the numbers are only a slice of the pie. They’ve skewed the truth in their favor.

It’s disingenuous and it fosters mistrust.

Consider the damage it does to your company and your brand when you ask a copywriter to make an unsubstantiated claim to close a gap or secure a competitive advantage. The truth will eventually emerge, and your reputation will be smeared. Customers may walk. Partners too.

So why risk your reputation? Take the high road. Win because your product or service is superior and your customer service puts your competitors to shame. You’ll protect your honor and the dignity of all, including copywriters, who are working vigorously to ensure your product and company succeeds.

Disclosure: this post was originally published on 10/20/2011

del.icio.us Tags: truth,honesty,integrity,trust

The long and winding road to overnight success

Knock, knock.
Who’s there?
Success.
Success who?
Overnight success…you started your new venture yesterday, so here I am.

No one is an overnight success.

Businesses are not an overnight success.

Success is preceded by immeasurable blood, sweat and tears over long periods of time. Individuals put their hearts and souls into something they believe in immensely in the hopes others will value their product or service. A viable business may eventually take hold for the lucky and the fortunate. Most efforts take years to achieve market acceptance and modest year-on-year growth.

Steve Martin said, “Be so good they can’t ignore you.”

It’s sage advice for businesses as well as individuals. A relentless pursuit of excellence will get you noticed. Your verve, passion and commitment will reap rewards. Success will find you.

Just don’t expect success to find you overnight.

del.icio.us Tags: overnight success,commitment to excellence,business success

I will not be ignored!

“Be so good they can’t ignore you.” 
̶  Steve Martin

This quote is making the rounds on Pinterest and blogs lately. It is attributed to the incomparable Mr. Steve Martin, actor, musician and comedian. Mr. Martin spoke these words during an interview he gave to Charlie Rose. It aired nearly four and a half years ago on December 12, 2007.

Talk about sticky, this message definitely has staying power. Perhaps Mr. Martin should have been an ad executive, or a brand manager. I have no doubt he would have been stellar in either capacity.

Perhaps the quote was Mr. Martin’s credo. He’s lived a brilliant life, excelling at most things he’s chosen to pursue. He first burst onto the scene in the 1970’s as a clever comedian, evolved into an excellent actor and later gained critical acclaim as a banjo player.

Mr. Martin didn’t remake himself. He made a conscious career and life decision to not be a one trick pony. So he committed himself to the things he loved, worked very hard and honed his skills. Mr. Martin’s work ethic paved the path to his success.

He became so good as a comic, actor and musician, that they simply couldn’t ignore him.

We all should be able to do the same with at least one professional pursuit. Agreed?

del.icio.us Tags: Steve Martin,commitment to excellence,career choice

Scoreboard!...no wait…word!…wait…forget it

I’ve never been hip to slang, street language, urban speak or other forms of non-standard language. Words from those worlds that were mainstreamed eluded me.

Example: for the longest time, I didn’t fully grasp the meaning of scoreboard! Friends used it in a vain attempt to end an argument.

“Scoreboard!” one would shout.

“Huh? What does a scoreboard have to do with a disagreement over who is the greatest rock-n-roll guitarist,” I thought to myself.

The verbal sparring continued, so my question was never answered for me.

I sort of figured it out in recent years on the softball field when opponents full of attitude would be chirping at us about their superiority while we piled on the runs. My guys didn’t jaw with them, but in the dugout I’d hear scoreboard spoken softly amongst the team.

We had substantially more runs. The team that scores the most runs wins. That’s a fact. Numbers on the scoreboard are cold hard facts. They represent the truth.

Word!

I speak the truth.

From Urban Dictionary:

"Word" is the shortened form of the phrase: "my word is my bond" which was originated by inmates in U.S. prisons. The longer phrase was shortened to "word is bond" before becoming "word," which is most commonly used. It basically means "truth." Or "to speak the truth."

And no, I didn’t understand what the heck people meant when the exclaimed “Word!”

It will be a sign of the apocalypse when I see “Scoreboard!” or “Word!”  in business communications.

del.icio.us Tags: words,street slang,urban speak,scoreboard