What You Say Matters More Than What You Do

By Aaron Taylor

Behind every successful business is a seduction of words. Without the persuasive powers of carefully-chosen words nobody would even know about your firm or buy your services. I would even argue that the words we choose — the messages we craft — matter more than services we perform.

You see, most professional services firms are extraordinarily difficult to differentiate from their competitors. That's because meaningful differences between most firms in the same industry are difficult to find, if they exist at all. In fact, most professional services are commodities — until they are elevated to a higher plane and endowed with greater significance … using words.

It's the words and sentences we build around our services that create perceived value. And when words are combined with a solid strategy, they can become powerful indeed. (Of course, words alone won't cut it. If you habitually say one thing then do another, you're in for a whole lot of pain.)

So if the way we talk about our companies and services is critically important, why do so many firms treat their messaging so shabbily? Why do they write and talk about themselves in tired, commonplace terms — or worse, fill their website with incomprehensible jargon-speak?

I believe this behavior stems from one of two sources: 1) laziness and 2) the fear of taking a stand. It's far easier to imitate the words and voice of a successful competitor than to frame your business afresh. And any time a firm talks openly about its differences, it risks alienating one or more potential sources of business. It's this exclusiveness, however, that gives a firm advantage in the marketplace.

It gives them — and their customers — something to talk about.