In tough times all economic sectors survive in one form or another, but at least some of the insider jargon, self-important obfuscation, and outright bull vanishes from advertising, and with it, mercifully, some of its slingers.
But we aren't in a downturn quite yet, judging from the amount of stupidity and silliness that are still very much present in today's real estate and automobile marketing.
For instance, I was leafing through the local paper and scanning the listings of homes for sale through a very large and vastly experienced firm.
One home is super-plain, really no more than a painted box, and an ugly one at that, but here is how it is characterized in the ad:
"4br, 3bs home w/integrity & flawless design style."
What on this good earth is a home with INTEGRITY?
Let's consult the Merrium-Webster Dictionary, shall we? The synonym M-W provides for integrity is "honesty."
Can there be such a thing as a house that LIES?
In a world of adjectives, nouns, and adverbs, why would one choose to characterize a house with the term, integrity?
But let's continue. The listing agent boasts about the abode's "flawless design style." It has no style, so how can a non-style even be critiqued?
Nothing may be wrong with it, technically, but nothing is there to commend it, either.
A Realtor could genuinely say, for instance, a Spanish-Mediterranean home is a great example of its type, with inlaid tiles, a fountain in the front courtyard, and beautiful balconies overlooking a lavish vista of fruit trees and foliage.
That's a florid, but accurate and somewhat appealing description.
But we don't have to resort to PERSONIFYING the house, imbuing it with human qualities, such as integrity, sincerity, loyalty, and so on.
In fairness, Realtors aren't the exclusive purveyors of this pulp.
Car manufacturers that brag about the ROAD MANNERS of their vehicles are equally pretentious and silly.
When was the last time your vehicle actually decided, all by itself, to yield the right of way, permitting another car to cut into traffic or to proceed first at a 4-way stop? Does your car display KINDNESS, which is one of the synonyms M-W offers for "manners?"
The late Theodore Levitt of Harvard said a certain amount of "fluff" is necessary to sell anything.
Thankfully, hard times thin this stuff substantially, so instead of being knee-deep in it, our shoes are the only things sullied, along with our sensibilities.
Contact us, if you're looking for a top speaker or great seminar in Negotiation, Customer Service, Sales or Telemarketing.
Dr. Gary S. Goodman is a top trainer, conference and convention speaker, and sales, customer service, and negotiation consultant. A frequent expert commentator on radio and TV, he is also the best-selling author of 12 books, more than 1,000 articles and several popular audio and video programs. His seminars are sponsored internationally and he is a faculty member at more than 40 universities, including UC Berkeley and UCLA. Gary's sales, management and consulting experience is combined with impressive academic credentials: A Ph.D. from USC, an MBA from the Peter F. Drucker School of Management, and a J.D. degree from Loyola Law School, his clients include several Fortune 1000 companies
His web site is: http://www.customersatisfaction.com and he can be reached at: gary@customersatisfaction.com His blogs include: YOUR CUSTOMER SERVICE SUCKS! and ALWAYS COLD CALL! at: http://www.alwayscoldcall.blogspot.com
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