Filter Out the Fluff

Consultants sell the intangible.  It's our expertise, our past experience, our training that makes us valuable.  And how do we communicate all of that value to our clients?

Not very well, usually!  The problem is the words we choose. Often, consultants describe their services with dull, worn-out clichés—“leading edge,” “state of the art,” “innovative,” even that bloated loser “synergistic.” Yuck! This kind of language--which I call "marketing fluff"--produces messages that are vague and not the least bit persuasive. 

However, it’s never too late to improve. And the potential payback is huge. Research indicates that sending your prospects clear, concise, and persuasive e-mails, letters, and proposals can shorten your sales cycles by more than a third. 

Here’s an example of “marketing fluff”—grandiose claims that don’t actually say anything: 

Our firm is uniquely qualified to deliver world-class results. We offer best-of-breed approaches and customer-focused service to produce seamless solutions. Our commitment to partnering with our customers produces innovative yet user-friendly applications.  

Sound impressive? No, not really. In fact, this paragraph is likely to start the client’s built-in B.S. detector clanging like a fire alarm. 

Why doesn’t it work? What makes this writing sound weak and phony?

The problem comes from making big claims unsupported by even a sliver of proof. World-class results? Says who? Best-of-breed products? By what standards? Seamless? So what does that mean, anyway?

The answer is to substantiate your claims with details. Suppose the sentences were written as follows:

Our firm has successfully installed advanced imaging systems in more than 500 financial institutions in North America, more than any other firm in the industry. We offer the latest technology, including digital scanning, and back our systems with a one-year, unconditional guarantee and a service department that is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. As a result, by choosing us you achieve three important outcomes: First, you are in full compliance with all Federal and state regulations. Second, you eliminate more than 70% of the paper routinely generated in the course of business.  And third, your total cost of operations goes down due to reduced information storage costs. On average, our customers saved more than $275,000 annually over the past three years. 

Now you’d be a bit more impressed, right? It’s all in the details. 

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Tom Sant

is the author of Persuasive Business Proposals and the forthcoming Learning to Sell: The Four Ideas that Revolutionized Selling, both published by AMACOM. Contact him at tsant@hydeparkpartnerscal.com or visit his Web site at www.hydeparkpartnerscal.com.

Comments

[Andrea Harris]

So true! I always thought "best-of-breed" sounded so canine. A Google search of the term brings up only one or two dog-related sites on the first page. The other references are to things like best-of-breed software, best-of-breed index, and best-of-breed staff retention. Maybe they're loyal and fetch well, too.