What’s the magic word?

We’ve seen how business strap lines can become part of mainstream culture.

How about words?

Hoover, Xerox and Google all went from brand names to generic English terms.

Can we give our brands a similar boost?

Word Up

In almost every book he writes, Seth Godin either invents or takes control of another term, from permission marketing to purple cow to linchpin.

These terms have helped cement his place as a global thought leader.

Should we, as businesspeople, do likewise?

Liferal

I’ve been trying to get liferal in the dictionary for years.

It wasn’t doing much, until it featured on national radio this month.

The ABC kindly agreed to add an Empire link and suddenly I’m getting more traffic from here than anywhere else.

Having the nation’s broadcaster pointing at my site should boost its search engine ranking.

Will this translate into business? Probably not immediately or directly.

But it should add to my long term momentum.

Swagger

Our Mike Boyle is also on a word quest.

As a sales specialist, he’s been trying to find (or create) the perfect word to encapsulate the quality of a great salesperson.

Here’s what Mike says about his term, swagger:

Sales people aren’t born; they’re trained. High performance sales comes from developing through four stages:

1. Build a sales PROCESS.
2. Conduct ACTIVITY around that process.
3. From your wins and good losses build SWAGGER.
4. Through refinement create sales EFFECTIVENESS and efficiency.

Of these, swagger is the key enabler of rock-star sales people.

We’ve racked our brains to find a different word, because swagger doesn’t quite cut it.

Poor sales people are arrogant and pushy. Great sales people have a certain rare vibe/force/thing about them that makes them stand out. A calm urgency, coolness with persuasion, confidence with empathy and directness with rapport.

These behaviours, seemingly at odds, perfectly describe swagger. The trouble is, swagger can also mean pompous.

So I’ve also toyed with sales essence, but it’s still not right.

If your readers have a better word, I’d love to hear it!

Say the Word

The best I can come up with is elan (energy, style and enthusiasm).

Mike doesn’t think this beats swagger. He’s still searching.

If he succeeds, the world will know him as the bloke who invented the magic word.

Can you suggest a better term than swagger, sales essence or elan?

Failing that, do you have a special word you’d like to promote?

If not, what’s your favourite made-up (or appropriated) word and who owns it?

What good has it done them?

This forum is open,

sesame!

Paul Hassing, Founder & Senior Writer, The Feisty Empire

Blink and you may miss it.

Here’s a business tip I learnt the hard way:

If you get a gig, job, order, project, piece of work or commission, do it NOW.

If you don’t, it may not be there tomorrow.

For several reasons.

Unkind Cut

A large IT firm gave me 100 recruitment ads to critique.

I toiled for much of Easter, getting 50 done.

Then I rewarded myself with a couple of days off.

When my client returned to work, he found his budget slashed by overseas corporate masters.

He was forced to cancel the project.

He paid me for what I’d done, which was half of what I could’ve done, had I pressed on.

As this happened when I was just starting out, I felt the revenue loss keenly.

Mind Altering

I was asked to source radio jingles for an automotive firm.

I offered the job to Adam, who quoted $3000.

The client approved the quote and Adam pulled several all-nighters to write, perform and record some rippers in double-quick time.

But before I could send them to the client, she abruptly changed her mind and tried to cancel the project.

Fortunately, I still had her email approval, so we had her cold.

Had Adam waited a few days, he’d have missed out on a lucrative gig.

Off Balance

Of course, this hot-iron-striking advice flies in the face of all our warm fuzzies about taking care of ourselves in business.

We’ve had wonderful suggestions about negotiating realistic deadlines, operating within our limits, maintaining work-life balance and so on.

But as GFC II threatens, I wonder if we can afford to dawdle on such shifting sands.

Vexed issues are best handled by the fine minds that inhabit this space.

And so I put it to you.

Your View

When you get a piece of business, do you:

a)    Luxuriate in the prospect and do it as, and when, you see fit.

b)    Seize it as if it were your last meal on earth and devour it on the spot.

c)    Attend to it fairly smartly, but without unseemly haste.

d)    Handle it some other way (please describe).

?

The clock’s ticking.

Let’s get to work!

…

No?

…

How about later?

…

…

Never mind.

Paul Hassing, Founder & Senior Writer, The Feisty Empire

                                                The writing’s on the wall.

When it comes to good English, there are two schools:

1. It’s a load of useless nit picking.
2. It’s utterly vital.

When it comes to good English in business, I have one thought:

• Get it right, or else.

It’s not just me who thinks this. Check these quotes:

I’m not going to apply for a company that can’t spell.

Job applicant. From the guide: Optimising Your Job Ad Writing on SEEK.

If a mistake isn’t mine, but my name is on it, I have the offender shot.

Winston Marsh. Business consultant and conference speaker.

Well spotted. / Great catch! / Thanks so much for picking that up.

Three of the world’s most powerful bloggers, whose errors I’ve flagged.

So where do you stand?

All Sorts

I ask because many people don’t think good English is necessary in commerce.

In recent years, I’ve heard a disturbing number of business owners articulate a common theme:

Errors make me look human. I leave (or even put!) them in so I don’t alienate my readers.

I find this philosophy gobsmacking, and not just because I’m a copywriter.

When I was a human resources manager, poorly spelt resumes went straight in the bin.

Not due to some elitist ethic. But because poor attention to communication (just like dirty shoes and blood-test cannabinoids) reliably indicated disorganised thinking and slack attitudes.

Voice in the Wilderness

When I switched from HR to copywriting:

• The ‘Three Rs’ were a faded memory of our education system.
• Software spell checkers had (apparently) removed the need for brains.
• TXT communic8ions introducd a brutl shrt& dat mNE usrs cldn’t differenti8 frm nrmL Eng.

I envisioned a golden age in which I, the modern scribe, would make a fortune perfecting communications for those who’d lost the power.

Unfortunately, plummeting literacy meant those writing bodgy comms were unaware of their errors.

Like most of their readers.

I had to scramble to the high end of the market, or lose my mind (and shirt).

It Only Takes One

I concede that in many day-to-day interactions, you can get away with poor English.

But if you run a business, there will come a day you need to:

• Write a watertight contract.
• Attract a brilliant team member.
• Secure a fat grant.
• Win a pivotal tender.
• Impress a lucrative prospect.
• Outperform an arch competitor.
• Issue a public statement.
• Avert a court case.

And though there may be just one nit-picker per hundred thousand citizens, you can bet your bottom post-GFC dollar that person will be a critical link in your food chain.

Therefore my questions to you are:

1. Why risk botching your messages with unforced errors in a fragile economy?
2. Do you really prefer dealing with those who can’t tell write from wrong?

I wrmly w31com UR vwz.

Kthxbye!

(LOL, ROFL, LMFAO, Hahahahahahahaha etc.)

Paul Hassing, Founder & Senior Writer, The Feisty Empire

                                Radio ads are cheaper than you may think.

Radio ads are so cheap and effective, I’m amazed clients don’t use them more often.

They’re particularly useful when your audience is remote, passive or oblivious to your existence.

Radio is great fun to do. And because people choose to listen, it really gets them where they live.

Here are my radio learnings, in case you’d like to have a go.

Types of Radio Ad

There are two main types of radio ad: ‘straight read’ and ‘theatre of the mind’.

The former is cheaper (and more common, in my experience).

The latter uses music, sound effects and characters to create a story. This naturally leaves less time to convey information.

Straight Read

In a straight read, you usually have 30 seconds.

This is enough to speak about 90 words without rushing. I always avoid the frenzied garble you hear at the end of political announcements.

You need to time yourself reading your ad several times to ensure it’s viable. This also flags phrases that are difficult to speak.

Since all you have is a single voice, you must make the cadence good – even lyrical. The words need to be clear and engaging, as well as informative.

This is difficult if you want your ad to convey a lot of information, so you need to weigh every word to ensure it deserves its place in the script.

You also need to examine each word to see if a shorter synonym can replace it.

Rather than give long lists of products, locations, opening times etc, I recommend you opt for a single point of inquiry (e.g. a website) from which listeners can obtain detailed information.

It’s tricky when key details (like phone numbers or awkward web addresses) need to be repeated to give people time to write them down. These can account for 15% of the total time.

When branding is important, the rule of thumb is to name your product or business three times in the ad to ensure it sticks in the mind.

You’ll need to decide whether your target audience requires any special treatment (e.g. age, ethnicity). If in doubt, write your ad so every listener aged six and over can understand you.

You can suggest a voice (e.g. middle-aged ‘blokey’ Australian – like Bill Hunter) but most straight reads are cheaply produced at the radio station with in-house talent.

Theatre of the Mind

Theatre of the mind radio ads are wonderful to invent, but much harder to pull off. You need confident talent, a good studio, an accomplished technician and a BIG sound effects library.

Some radio stations have highly experienced teams. I’ve seen them banging ads out like sausages, with nary a second take.

If using one of these, however, have a listen to their previous work first. There are a couple of cheesy producers and intensely irritating voices out there that make even the finest products sound like nappy wash.

Another thing to avoid is ‘home grown’ talent. If you or loved ones fancy a stint in the limelight, don’t do it. Even acting students freeze when the red globe goes on, as I’ve learned to my cost.

Samples

Here are some straight read radio ads (with my analyses). Click the link and arrows to play:

• Government House Open Day. OK effort, with appropriate voice and music.
• New Cardiac Units.  A simple, serious read, as you’d expect for this topic.
• Riverslide Skate Park.  One of my faves. Great voice, music and SFX. Tight production.
• Indigenous Sport Development. Clear and simple, with an appropriate voice.
• Driver Recruitment.  Serviceable treatment of an OK idea.

I wrote all these ads, but a lot can change between writing and performance. It’s rare for my vision to translate perfectly into reality.

Theatre of the mind ads are even harder to get from page to play. So hard, in fact, I don’t have any samples I’m completely happy with.

So, I guess the message is keep it simple unless you really know what you’re doing.

Well, the lines are open.

We warmly welcome your calls.

Paul Hassing, Founder & Senior Writer, The Feisty Empire

                                     Not all recruitment firms are the same.

                                                          Yeah right!

Speaking of recruitment agencies, when Andrew told me his was ‘different’, I took it with a shovel of salt.

Having dealt extensively with job consultants as a client, supplier and candidate, I’d formed the strong view that in this field:

                                                                Confidence    
                                                                  Expertise   =  Infinity

But when Andrew decided to prove his difference by asking me to optimise his email sign-off, I was pleasantly surprised.

Before

The ‘before’ shot of this sign-off is so boring, I put it at the end of this post. Otherwise I’d lose you for sure.

It’s so familiar, you don’t even need to read it.

Suffice to say it was 188 words of pompous, alienating, deathly-boring drivel that Andrew and his staff sent to their clients with every email.

During

Andrew wanted to create a point of difference – albeit small – from his competitors.

This was totally in keeping with my oft-stated philosophy that ‘every communication builds or erodes your brand’.

I was excited.

After

I gave Andrew’s sign-off The Treatment, which entailed running the copy through dozens of filters.

I sieved out long words, jargon, passive language, legalese, clichés (and much much more).

After a bit of back and forth, here’s what we ended up with:

This email (and attachments) is just for you. If it has reached you in error, please tell us and delete it now. It belongs to us, is private and comes under our trade terms. If you or anyone use, reveal or issue it without our consent, we’ll seek payment for loss. We check for viruses, but suggest you do too as we’re not liable for virus damage. Emails aren’t secure: treat ours with respect and we’ll do the same. As Mark Twain said: ‘Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest’.

Better

At 95 words, this was half the length of the old one.

It was clearer and more concise, yet just as comprehensive.

It even had humanity and humour.

We dug it.

Results

Andrew had long been peeved at how most people think all agencies are the same, when there are actually salient differences.

He’d found it hard to convince (especially HR) people that agencies can be a legitimate business-building partner.

While we weren’t talking sheep stations, this new sign-off was the first shot in a campaign to differentiate Blyss from the mob.

It didn’t take long for clients and candidates to notice and comment. Feedback was overwhelmingly positive.

Small Mercies

By starting small, we tackled a manageable task while laying the foundations for a friendly-yet-professional corporate style that now pervades every communication Blyss Personnel puts out.

I consider this initiative a success (enough to table it here as a case study).

We often hear that in business, ‘little things mean a lot’.

I think they do.

Do you?

WARNING!  Boring Bit.  Enter at Own Risk.

Internet email is not a secure communication medium, and we advise that you observe this lack of security when emailing us. Notwithstanding, this email is for the use of the intended recipient(s) only. Any opinion or advice it contains is subject to our terms and conditions of business. If you have received it in error, please notify the sender immediately and then delete the message. If you are not the intended recipient you must not use, disclose, or distribute this email without the author’s prior permission. We have taken precautions to minimise the risk of transmitting software viruses, but we advise that you carry out your own virus checks on an attachment to this message. We cannot accept liability for any loss or damage caused by software viruses. The information contained in this e-mail and its attachments is private and confidential and remains the property of Blyss Personnel Pty Ltd. Use of this information by the recipient or third parties for personal or professional gain will result in charges being applied by Blyss Personnel to the value of any loss or damage incurred by Blyss Personnel Pty Ltd.

Paul Hassing, Founder & Senior Writer, The Feisty Empire

                                                   Artist’s impression.

This is my 100^th Small Business Owner blog post. (Yay!)

Shouldn’t I have a book deal by now?

That other bloke only did 100 tweets. Yet he has a book AND a TV show!

And all he did was write down what his father said!

What am I doing wrong?

Options

It’s easier to self-publish than ever.

Yet there’s something exhilarating about a global juggernaut doing all your legal, technical, editorial and promotional leg work.

At least, I imagine there is. (Most nights, actually.)

I could bundle my posts in a print-on-demand trice at www.lulu.com

But where would be the fun in that?

I could follow my Dad and back myself with a cash investment.

But would it sell? And stay for sale? And would I have to pay through the nose for more copies?

If all else fails, I could park my pre-loved content in some penny-pinching aggregation site.

But that would be too desperate.

Everyone has one

The web’s awash with books of every kind.

Many are free.

A disturbing proportion can be obtained by the mere act of following someone on Twitter.

My conclusion from sampling these offerings is this:

Just cause you can, don’t mean you should.

Write moves

Yet many pundits say a ‘product’ is the best way to supercharge your:

• Professional credibility.
• Passive income.
• Profile.

My short ebook has shown scant evidence of any of this. (And yes, I know I haven’t ZINGED it yet.)

So, would a longer bbook do more for me?

Write stuff

We’re fortunate to have some heavy hitters in our readership.

I know some of them have released books.

And I suspect others would like to.

So let’s club together and chat about:

Books: Should We? Why? How?

It’s bound to be a ripping debate.

(Let’s give it a hiding.)

The End.

Paul Hassing, Founder & Senior Writer, The Feisty Empire

Like Paul, myBRC and the Small Business Owner blog don’t endorse or have a relationship with SEEK.

The advice in Part 1 was fantastic, and Paul’s advice in Part 2 is just as good! Naomi.

Job duties

What the successful applicant will actually do.

If the job description is non-existent or dry as dust, ask the client (or yourself) what’s special & exciting about the job.

Then start with something like:

Working on a stimulating suite of projects, you’ll:

And list the duties in order of interest to the reader.

Use present, infinitive verbs to keep it short & punchy for passive, time-poor job seekers, e.g.:

• Scope (projects, assignments, capital works).
• Build (relationships, business cases, networks).
• Deliver (service, advice, results, support, campaigns).
• Coordinate (teams, resources, junior staff).

Selection criteria

What the reader must have.

Concentrate on mandatories & only add desirables if you expect a big response & need filters.

Start with something like:

You have a relevant degree plus:

And try to cover:

• Experience (some, significant, substantial).
• Expertise (6 Sigma, air conditioning, hedge funds).
• Exposure (dust extraction, consulting environments, large projects, ‘Big 5’ firms).
• Software (MS Office, 3D, AutoCAD, MicroPay).
• Skills (leadership, negotiation, budgeting, networking, mentoring).
• Traits (concern for environment, results orientation, preference for teams).
• Attributes (initiative, ambition, energy, versatility, resilience, tenacity).

Call to action

Insert the job title into a standard summary para (that will vary according to your business). Try to use a third permutation (e.g. electrical engineering) to improve keyword search results.

End with something like:

Inquire or apply in confidence by DD/MM/YY to info@company.com or call 1300 000 000.

Things to avoid

These all-too-common mistakes can impair even the best message:

• Lack of data (especially benefits) that are interesting & relevant to the reader.
• Incorrect & inconsistent use of ‘K’ (e.g. ‘$80 k’ rather than ‘$80K’).
• Redundant words (e.g. ‘Nth Sydney location’).
• Closed (i.e. yes/no) questions (e.g. ‘Do you have …?’, ‘Are you interested …?’, ‘Would you like …?’).
• Padding (e.g. ‘overall’, ‘to succeed in this role …’).
• Worn-out words (e.g. ‘dynamic’, ‘self-starter’, ‘outside the box’).
• Passive language (e.g. ‘your flair will be rewarded …’, ‘you will be responsible for …’).
• Long words (e.g. ‘utilisation’ rather than ‘use’).
• UNNECESSARY & inconsistent CAPITALS.
• Unfriendly tone (e.g. ‘the future incumbent’ rather than ‘you’).
• Illogical flow (e.g. ‘fire, train, hire’ rather than ‘hire, train, fire’).
• Ads that tell rather than show (e.g. ‘fantastic company’: EXACTLY HOW is it ‘fantastic’?).
• ‘Shouting at the crowd’ rather than ‘speaking to one person’.

Ta da!

Well, there you have it: all I know about writing SEEK ads.

May you use this advice for fun & profit.

If you have more (or different) ideas, I’d love to hear them.

And if you taste success (or failure) from reading this post, please let us know.

We’d love to hog your pearls.

Paul Hassing, Founder & Senior Writer, The Feisty Empire

Like Paul, myBRC and the Small Business Owner blog don’t endorse or have a relationship with SEEK.

Paul’s advice in this post is extremely useful – happy reading!

Some of my clients are starting to recruit again.

Just in case you are too, I’ve decided to reveal my methodology for writing killer SEEK ads.

This two-part guide summarises my learnings over several years & many, many successful ads.

You’ll see I’m using ampersands (&) instead of ‘and’.

When recruiting online, it pays to cut to the chase.

Summary

You have 150 characters, including spaces. Try to use them all, so you inspire readers to click through.

Include job title, focus & status (contract/perm/temp), specific location, money (salary or hourly rate) & benefits & something positive about the role or firm.

Bullets

Use exactly 3 to cover at least the following:

• Something positive about the role.
• Money (salary or hourly rate) & benefits.
• Specific location. Job status (contract/perm/temp).

You can add more good things to a bullet, so long as it stays on one line. Familiar abbreviations (e.g. ‘&’, ‘pkg’, ‘neg’) free space for interesting content.

Be as specific & explicit as you can. If the salary is bad, find & flag other benefits.

Title

If the job title in the summary is a composite (e.g. Engineer – Electrical) reverse it here (e.g. Electrical Engineer).

Subtitle

An optional place to summarise the job in a creative way (e.g. Galvanise your career!). Don’t exceed 8 words.

Avoid hype, bad puns & clichés & only do it if you’re confident. If in doubt, leave it out.

Ad body

Talk to the reader as one person. Be friendly but professional. Address them as you would on the phone or in an interview.

Start with a line that relates the job to the reader, i.e. what it involves & what it (& the firm) will do for them & their career.

Then briefly describe the firm & what’s good about it. Awards & major projects impress more than detailed staff, location & revenue stats.

Try to give a sense & summary of the firm without boring readers or taking the focus off them.

How much you say here depends on how much content you have below. The idea is to make each ad fill a single page in this format. If one section is thin, go thick on another (or do more research!).

Rewards

What’s in it for the reader. This is where you live or die, so badger the client (which may be you!) for data.

Specifics talk much louder than generalisations. Try to cover: 

• Conditions & benefits (generous, flexible, packaged).
• Projects (big, exciting, cutting edge).
• Career options (many, varied, global).
• Teams (expert, friendly, helpful, fun).
• Travel (lots, exotic, all expenses paid).
• Professional & personal development (generous, tailored, lateral).
• Anything else that’s good, especially if it’s rare.

Stay Tuned!

Part 2 covers job duties, selection criteria, call to action & things to watch out for.

So don’t touch that dial!

How’m I doing so far?

Comments?

Questions?

Stories?

Your frank feedback is

SOUGHT.

Paul Hassing, Founder & Senior Writer, The Feisty Empire

It’s pizza, Giacomo, but not as we know it.

We get heaps of pizza fliers in our letterbox.

I seldom read them, let alone use them.

Last night, however, saw a rare aligning of Venus and Mercury. I was ready to try the latest pizza parlour to letter-drop us.

Unfortunately, their flier was too clever by half.

First Quarter 

It started well.

A nice red brochure, with a top-ten newspaper ranking and an address comfortingly close to ours.

Overleaf, however, we hit a biroldo^.

Second Quarter

The headline read: cotta nel forno a legna.

My best guess was: we’re happy to do quarters and we deliver on foot.

Underneath were pizzas con (with):

• Bufala (meat lover).
• Tonno (family-sized).
• Primavera (only one left, and that’s the truth).
• Carciofi (pick-up only).

Nowhere could we spot the Aussie.

Third Quarter

The right column listed more promising Tradizionale (fair dinkum) pizzas.

Unfortunately, even the Hawaiian had ‘Pom’ which, by studying the whole brochure, we surmised was Pomodoro.

Whatever that is.

Feeling very uncouth, we decided to trust the gods and take an each-way bet on the melanzane^† and the acciughe^†.

Then I found one of the flier’s few English phrases: No halves on pizzas.

This seemed downright un-Australian!

Fourth Quarter

My father was an immigrant. I’d travelled Europe. I’d studied Latin for six years. Still I felt alienated.

So I checked my suburb’s profile.

Abbotsford residents are 68% Australian born. Of those from overseas, Vietnam tops the list at 9% and China is last with 2%.

Italy doesn’t crack a mention.

Extra Time

I understand pizza is an Italian dish. As I expect a bit of French on Fon’s fragrances, I get that a pinch of lingo adds flavour.

But this flier completely fried my brain.

Exhausted by our interpretative dance, we binned the brochure and made penne Bolognese for $6.

Our putative pizza place lost a $25 sale and perhaps a lifetime customer.

Time Off

Tonight’s lesson is simple.

Write for your readers.

Not yourself.

Capiche?

* I don’t understand.

^ Snag.

^† Buggered if I know.

Paul Hassing, Founder & Senior Writer, The Feisty Empire

Would you buy a pfoofer valve from this man?

As with large wooden beads, most business owners can string a sentence.

Due to this, many don’t feel they need a professional writer to optimise their communications.

Now and then I get a reminder of my redundancy, like this striking missive from Dirt Cheap Pfoofer Valves* (DCPV):

Error Legend:  [ ] Minor.   [ ] Major.  [ ] Fatal.

Hello Dear Customer
We Are open 10am-6pm on Easter Saturday ,Easter Sunday and Easter Monday .

There has been alot of new pfoofer valves that have just arrived to the warehouses.

Over the three days we will be given a free $5 valve of your choice to anybody that visits the warehouses .

There is no obligation to buy anything ,sounds to good to be true but thats the deal .

We are running this promotion in the herald Sun on Easter Sunday ,so we suggest u come on the Saturday to surly avoid the masses that will arrive to claim the offer .

Offer is valid    3RD 4TH AND 5TH OF APRIL 2010

Happy Shopping .

MR Dirt Cheap Pfoofer Valves

When I stumbled on DCPV’s website, their atrocious writing didn’t stop me visiting their store. In fact I bought quite a few valves over several visits.

Their last promotion, however, was deeply disappointing. The TV-touted $1 valves turned out to be useless for all but the simplest applications.

I did not, therefore, take up this Easter offer.

It may be vain or spurious to suggest poor communications indicate poor business practices.

Yet next time I see an offer this badly worded, I’ll surly avoid it.

Many judge people by their appearance.

I judge firms by their writing.

Is this fair?

Do you care? 

* I used ‘pfoofer valves’ because: 

1. I don’t wish to harm the business concerned.
2. ‘Widget’ now means more than an abstract production unit.
3. Wikipedia deleted my pfoofer valve entry with, I believe, undue haste.

Paul Hassing, Founder & Senior Writer, The Feisty Empire