Buzzwords are flying around as frequently as spy balloons.
We see them in emails from friends and colleagues. We see them in e-spam and text-spam. We hear them in meetings, during webinars, and even TV commercials.
Here are buzzwords I’m tired of hearing:
- Pivot: To what? It’s an overused buzzword that reappeared during the pandemic. It even earned LinkedIn’s 2020 “Word of the Year.” More impactful to say, “Adopting a New Strategy.”
- Alignment: Sounds like a really nice idea, but I doubt it will ever happen.
- Value-added: I have no idea what this means. Each customer makes that determination for herself.
- Circle back: let’s not. Instead of taking twice as long to do this task, let’s do it right the first time.
- Totally: This is not a math exercise, but modern slang.
- Literally: As opposed to what?
- Awesome: overused since we were college sweethearts sharing the bleacher seats at Fenway Park instead of attending class. Unless someone reminds you your kids are awesome.
- “I’d love to meet up with you”: I bet you would, but I have no idea who you are.
- To be honest. Why don’t you just say, “I’ve been lying to you up ‘til now.” Your prospect will wonder what the real truth is; no sale.
- Give 110%: impossible. We only have 100%.
- Crushing quota: Quota is either achieved, or not. You crush grapes.
- Rock Star: This Super Bowl commercial cracked me up.
- Reinvent the wheel: what? We use this frequently to remind ourselves someone else has thought this through and we should not be overthinking. To be honest, reinventing the wheel should not be done. The wheel is an awesome invention.
- Synergy: Sales and marketing will never work together. Herding cats is easier than achieving both more volume and more profits.
- Passion: make it stop. My bio states a passion for sales and a passion for helping seniors. I’ll have to work on this one.
- Woke, Dope, and Lit: My millennial aged kids can’t even explain these to me.
Hope is not a strategy: Hope we get the order. Hope the meeting is productive. Hope we have awesome synergy. However, it is good to be hopeful. - Full transparency: Should not be an issue in private sector as honesty is the best policy. Government agencies claiming this have a long way to go to earn our trust.
- New normal: after Covid and an E3 tornado in Naperville, normal is nonexistent.
Which buzzwords are you sick of hearing and why? I admit that I’ve been using some of these words. I’m going to stop right now. How about you?
As review, to be honest, stop using buzzwords, be a rock star, Heat Up Your Sales and crush quota. Now, who’s wicked awesome?
