'Don’t Say That' - The Curmudgeon at Large

[caption id="attachment_56931" align="alignright" width="300"] Herschell Gordon Lewis, president, Lewis Enterprises[/caption] Words are our weapons. And too many self-proclaimed “wordsmiths” depend on pop-guns firing blanks instead of AK-47s and Glocks firing bullets. Want to connect on a not-for-profit level? “Millennial terminology” can miss not just the bull’s-eye but the target. Power seeps out of a message when a direct response writer either doesn’t bother or doesn’t know how to use words with muscle and settles for ... well, for just words. Just so you won’t flip this page prematurely, here’s one of the most obvious possibilities that might rescue a weakened message: Avoid this word: among. Bet you weren’t expecting that one. But now that you’ve been exposed to it as a flabby competitor, give yourself a competitive analytical edge by skipping around the dictionary or thesaurus (or in extremis the human brain), seeking strength where “among” has bestowed weakness. Obviously the first move is to decide why “among” transmits no impression of superiority or uniqueness or distinction or exclusivity or whatever the hell else might add advantage or supremacy. Even if I’m “among” the first to enjoy what you’re selling, I’m one of a mob. The very word “among” denies singular superiority. It denies uniqueness. It denies distinction, exclusivity, and ... well, you get the idea. So a suggestion you might consider: For the rest of your life, plus six months, don’t use the word “among.” Your copy will improve because it will be more positively targeted. OK, that’s a beginning. Let’s move along. More Implicitly Weak Words We won’t fall into the standard cliché-trap of listing no-no words alphabetically. But right at the elbow of “among” is another weakener — available. So what’s wrong with “available”? This: it absolutely denies uniqueness. “Available” says others exist, but we don’t have it. Compare “These are the most impressive words available” with “You just won’t find other words that can compete” and you’ll absorb a smidgen of the image-loss resulting from refusal or inability to lift a claim above all competition. Cleverness isn’t part of the mix. Word-image is. Add to the list of no-no words one that probably hasn’t quickly come to mind: Important. “Important” has lost its importance because politicians, from the president on down, have used it without justifying it. We hear in interviews and speeches, “It’s important to ...” and never get a reason or justification for the claim. It’s generic for fund raising. Why is whatever the notion or product or theme or movement or whatever important? Letting the word hang there is a cheap trick, parallel to saying “because” and then moving on to another topic. Think: “Am I a Beginner?” Each of us likes to believe that the passage of time hasn’t eliminated or even dulled our capability for personal improvement. And what do we do when we personally improve? We learn. Yes, learn. Ah, but once we leave the shelter of the grammar school classroom, learning is the result of our independent exploration or revelation. So when somebody is trying to sell us something and tries to justify the pitch by claiming, “You’ll learn ...” the circumstance itself — this guy or company has placed himself or itself into a position superior to ours — unnecessarily generates a negative reaction. Why can’t I discover whatever it is instead of being shoved into a learning-curve? Since I’m driving down this block, I’ll add the sister to “learn” — earn — to the list of unwanted words. That I’ll earn instead of get or acquire or find is enough ammunition for me to recognize that the “earn” offer puts me in a less-than-equal position. The very word “earn” is tied to the most objectionable word in the entire direct response universe: work. Hey, Mr. or Ms. Salesperson, I’m not squatting unshaven on the curb, beat-up hat in hand and hoping for a handout from somebody who hasn’t been victimized into bad luck as I have. Consider this, Buddy — you contacted me. You want love, evidenced by a dollar commitment? Don’t pity me, stroke me. Got that? Don’t pity me, stroke me. Acceptable word usage should come to mind immediately. A prime example: The boss who is more concerned with being a boss than with establishing and maintaining a mutually satisfactory relationship says, “Do this:” — a flat command, clarifying instantly who’s in charge. An easy rewrite to “Why you should...” replaces the dictator with a coach, and that alone also replaces resentment with acceptance. (Exception: A situation may call for a hard-driving demand. The softer that other suggestions have been, the more powerful this exception becomes.) No more space available here, so a semi-final imperative for testing until more examples appear in this column: If you’re a contact person or a “fund raising workshop” guru, or for that matter a CEO, consider the relationship you control. Your targets aren’t beginners. They aren’t vassals or slaves. Supposedly, they have their jobs as communicators because they have shown some aptness or maybe talent related to that job. Are you more effective leading them to improvement rather than wiping them out? We all know the answer. That’s why you haven’t dumped this column into your intellectual wastebasket.

Performance Marketing

'Don’t Say That' - The Curmudgeon at Large

Herschell Gordon Lewis

About

Subscriptions

Events

Publications

WORK SMARTER - LEARN, GROW AND BE INSPIRED.

Subscribe today!

Herschell Gordon Lewis