"Sometimes a Cigar is Just a Cigar"

Spend more than five minutes talking with a business owner or marketer and chances are good you'll learn about what makes them different from the competition. 

Standing out is good.  Carving out a niche is important.  But good writers and strategists recognize that there is a fine line between being different and being unintelligible.

Don't get me wrong - I love differentiation as much as the next gal.  But I think Freud was right - at least on this count: "Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar."

Perhaps a story will illustrate my point:  A few months ago I attended a lovely networking luncheon.  A client of mine happened to be speaking and the room was filled with intelligent, successful, collaborative people.  As I made my way around the room, I was introduced to a woman I'd never met before.    She asked what I did and I told her that I am a writer and marketing consultant.  When I asked the same of her, with a look of utter seriousness and sincerity, this is what she said:

 "I create transformative experiences."

"Oh," I replied, trying to be polite while I blinked and tried to imagine what it was she REALLY did for a living.   What sort of experiences qualify as transformative?, I wondered, and how exactly did she create them?  Heck, is that even legal?!

As it usually does, curiosity got the better of me, and a few questions later I arrived at the basic answer about this woman's business. 

Wait - first, let's do a little exercise: grab a Post-It note or your kid's latest art project and jot down what you believe to be her profession.

Go ahead, I'll wait.

Ready?  Really?  Okay, here goes:

She sells candles.  Really lovely, high-end candles.  And she makes a great living doing so. 

Why, I wondered, did she feel compelled to give such a confusing, mystifying answer to people she was meeting for the first time?  I think the answer is that business culture has taught us that being unique and creative trumps all else.  But that's a fib.  Surely this woman had true points of differentiation - like quality, range of scents, or duration - that could have set her apart from any other candle-sellers.

While this woman sets an extreme example, I see clients struggling with this issue routinely.  There are two times when business people are tempted to go overboard with uniqueness:

1. When what they sell or do is common and thoroughly understood.

2. When what they sell or do is extremely rare and/or misunderstood.

In the first case, we tend to worry that our product or service lacks that "wow" factor.  We're one of millions, and we struggle to stand out in our messaging.

In the second, we worry over the large gap in knowledge, searching for terms that convey all the nuances of our trade to help people "get it" right away.

So what's the solution?  Here are my tips for giving your message true meaning:

1. Call a spade a spade.

Sometimes there's a legitimate reason a word is overused: because it's accurate and meaningful.  A recipe is a recipe - not a "concoction order".  Don't disregard valuable words just because they're common.

2. Look for concrete selling points.

Invest your energy in pointing out the quality or value of your offering, instead of looking for (or making up) new words to describe the status quo.   If you're at a loss, put yourself in your audience's shoes and ask, "What's in it for me?"

3. Be concise.

Too many words is a good indicator that you've "gone to the dark side."  People appreciate honest, straightforward descriptions.

4. Test it.

Ask an honest friend, colleague, or adviser - even a stranger on the street.  Give them your line and ask them what it means.  If they get it wrong - you got it wrong.

5. Plain dress, fabulous shoes.

Sometimes the trick to creating a sexy message is to pair plain, no-nonsense terms with words that are a bit more showy.  Perhaps the woman in our example sells "artisanal candles" or is a "candle connoisseur".   However...

6. Nix the super-trendy.

Sometimes otherwise useful words lose their meaning because of inappropriate use or simple popularity.  Currently, words like "maven" or "guru" are on my watch list.   "Expert" is classic and never goes out of style.

7. Grab a lifeline.

When in doubt, hire a professional to handle your messaging, and let them walk that tightrope for you.  For some reason, this is always my best piece of advice. 

So - put that in your "cylindrical tobacco conduit" and smoke it!

Comments

[eRiC]

I will keep this advice close to me. As one who leans towards the abstract...I'll make sure I keep a life line with me.

"So - put that in your "cylindrical tobacco conduit" and smoke it!"

Nice....

[Carla]

Priceless information! Sometimes less is more. I hate watching a "cute" commercial on TV, only to discovr that I had no idea what they were trying to sell. After all, the idea is to get your product noticed, so why disguise it?
I'll bookmark this post for future reference.

[Australia UGG]

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