Quote of the Day: Plato

"Wise men talk because they have something to say...Fools talk because they have to say something."


Like most subcultures, I have found that the business world creates their own lingo to include and exclude people from the group. In other words, you have to talk the talk to prove you can play with the big boys. If you don't use the right words it means you're a hick, a rube, definitely not somebody worth talking to about big important stuff.

For instance: you say, "Reach out to me" instead of "call me,'' "baked-in" instead of "included in the price," "take-aways" instead of "main points." When I want to ask a prospect if we can find out if they are buying what I am selling, I write,"I was wondering if we could schedule a 15-minute conference call to determine whether or not my company’s functionalities line up with any of your strategic initiatives for 2010?" No one ever tells me "no." They just tell me my "company's offerings are not a good fit."

Sometimes, the English Major in me is annoyed at these these self-important attempts at obfuscation but most the time I just amuse myself by self-righteously pointing them out in my head. Still, it was refreshing to talk to an executive at a major insurance company who didn't mince words.

He said, "You're just plain wrong."

I tried to throw some numbers at him about the issue by saying, "Most of our Fortune 1000 customers are experiencing..."

"Sounds like something marketing cooked up to justify your product."

Even though he was wrong, I did have to admire him for being a "straight-shooter." (Yes, I am using that term ironically.)