reynoldswriting.com Blog

I revisited the film version of Anthony Burgess’ A Clockwork Orange recently, and a certain famous sequence got me thinking about marketing in general and a current marketing trend in particular.

If you’ve seen the movie you’ll remember how Alex, the teen delinquent who undergoes an experimental treatment to remove his attraction to violence, is forced to watch film clips of various atrocities while a drug induces nausea. Unfortunately, the treatment has an unintended side effect. While Alex is watching footage of Nazi soldiers, he notices that the background music being played is none other than his beloved Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. From this point forward, listening to the “Ode to Joy” will cause the same feelings of sickness and dread as participating in a brutal act against society. The doctor notes this but shrugs it off: “Can’t be helped.”

I wonder how many businesses are sabotaging their own marketing campaigns in much the same way. These days it seems as if every time I hear a business owner give a presentation, every time I catch a radio or TV spot, every time I glance at a direct mail piece, the first phrase invariably includes something like “In these challenging economic times…” or “Times are tough, so…” or some other lethal phrase that sucks all the joy out of the room, assuming there was any joy there to begin with. Suddenly your customer can’t hear the rest of your pitch with its brilliant solution and inspiring call to action; they’ve already associated you with depression and fear, just like Alex’s retching to Beethoven despite himself.

I know it’s a common technique in marketing to “present the pain and then relieve it,” and of course you want to relate to your customers and show that you care. In a generally positive environment, this technique works beautifully. But if there’s already a dominant negative mood in the air, starting with pain will bring people down so low that you’re lucky if you can even bring them back up to ground level. And ground level never sold anything.

When I hear “troubled times” launching a sales pitch I get depressed just like everyone else, and now the seller has to work a near-miracle to pull me out of my gloom. What gets my attention in “troubled times?” A 180-degree attitude adjustment, or what the NLP experts call a “pattern interrupt.” I want someone to tell me how I can be bigger, better, and more successful than ever RIGHT NOW! I want permission to buck the trend with outrageous optimism. Unrealistic? Who cares! It’s the unrealistic optimists who have the energy to get things done — and that positivity is contagious. People want to do business with Mr. Lookahead, not Captain Bringdown.

And now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go listen to the “Ode to Joy.”

Are you or your colleagues suffering from “-ese?”

You know what I mean. Legalese, medicalese, technicalese. Jargon. Industry talk. Insider lingo.

Language is a remarkably flexible tool. It can hold vistas of ambiguity or it can focus on details with laser-like precision. In many fields precision claims top priority; a legal contract, for instance, has to have every ounce of ambiguity drained out of it, leaving only cold hard detail. before it’s safe for either party to sign on the dotted line. An article for a chemistry journal must describe scientific processes and results using the terms most fit to describe them to trained chemists. You may well be in such a profession.

But what happens when you’re at a party and Joe Q. Public says, “So, what do you do?” If you were to launch into a description of your latest molecular biology experiment or a legal argument stuffed with Latin phrases, your conversation wouldn’t last very long. And you realize that, of course, so you speak like a regular human being instead, and the other guy’s eyes light up and he says “Oh, now I get it!” You have now communicated.

It’s the same with writing. You must ask yourself who your reader is before adopting a flowery or cautious or casual or technical tone. It’s an easy thing to forget if you’re surrounded in your daily work by others who communicate in fluent industry-speak. But if you’re writing for a general audience you may suddenly find yourself up against a brick wall of non-comprehension. Don’t fall into the trap of talking to yourself or your colleagues — talk to the reader!

Just remember: When writing for a non-specialist, “-Ese” never eases anything.

This has been a friendly reminder from the Anti-jargon Squad.

If you’re new to the whole work-at-home thing, Arnelle O’Neill at Microsoft offers some good basic information on setting up a home or remote office, including some very valuable “Tips for Staying Focused” which I agree with wholeheartedly.

Self-discipline, in particular, can be a killer for the uninitiated. Suddenly there’s no boss looking over your shoulder or dictating your schedule. It’s all on you; put in the work or go broke, period. It’s a frightening concept, but you don’t have to let it drive you back into the 9 to 5 world or push you into a frenzy of overwork. A time management coach can help you control your time with some simple but powerful scheduling techniques that’ll allow you to get the work done and have a life too. I recommend Scott Carley at Growth Dynamic. Scott is a skilled time management coach who offers a range of classes and phone consultations to business owners and sales managers.

Personally, I also go mobile whenever I can. Sitting in a cafe with my laptop and cell phone feels a bit less like work, somehow. Frankly, I’m surprised at how little time I actually spend at home due to my rounds of networking meeting, client consultations, one-to-one chats with colleagues…

Come to think of it — I haven’t been out of the house today. Catch you later!