A picture can paint a thousand words but the right words can paint a thousand pictures.  The spoken and written word can have incredible power to emotionally move people into action. Yet ill chosen language can produce the opposite effect of immovablility.  So, what is the secret to effective word choice?

Sales people and advertisers have much in common; they both desire to connect with their audience to inspire a positive buying decision, and they are both in the business of proactive customer focused communication.   So just what is it that causes some communication to work towards achieving positive buying decisions while some fails dismally?  First and foremost, our communications must be customer focused, but there’s more.  Legendary advertising man, Leo Burnet, set out to define what made some ads successful and what caused others to fail.  According to Burnet “Dull and exaggerated ad copy is due to the excess use of adjectives.” To prove it, he asked his staff to compare the number of adjectives in 62 ads that failed to the number of adjectives in Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, and other age-old classics.

Here’s what Leo Burnet discovered:

Of the 12,758 words in the 62 failed ads, 24.1% were adjectives. By direct comparison, Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address contains only 35 adjectives out of 268 immortal words – only 13.1% adjective-to-total-word ratio. Winston Churchill’s famous “Blood, Sweat and Tears” speech rates even lower and has a 12.1% adjective ratio (81 adjectives from 667 words).

Mr. Burnett found that similar ratios applied to great works such as The Lord’s Prayer, the Ten Commandments and the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution. Conclusion: Use more verbs, not adjectives. Verbs increase the pulling-power and believability of ad copy, sales letters and sales conversations.

Keep this 108- POWER VERB CHEAT-SHEET close-by.

Abolish Accelerate Achieve Act Adopt Align Anticipate Apply Assess Avoid

Boost Break Bridge Build Burn

Capture Change Choose Clarify Comprehend Confront Connect Conquer Convert Create Cross

Decide Define Defuse Deliver Deploy Design Develop Diagnose Discover Drive

Eliminate Ensure Establish Evaluate Exploit Explore

Filter Finalize Find Focus Foresee

Gain Gather Generate Grasp

Identify Ignite Illuminate Implement Improve Increase Innovate Inspire Intensify

Lead Learn Leverage

Manage Master Maximize Measure Mobilize Motivate

Overcome Penetrate Persuade Plan Position Prepare Prevent Profit

Raise Realize Reconsider Reduce Refresh Replace Resist Respond Retain

Save Scan Segment Shatter Shave-off Sidestep Simplify Solve Stimulate Stop Stretch Succeed Supplement

Take Train Transfer Transform Understand Unleash Use Whittle-down Win

Sales people can learn a lot from effective advertising. Whenever you begin to draft your next ad, sales letter, website, email campaign or discuss your features and benefits, use verbs from the list above.  Remember, your customer wants to know “What Will It Do For Me” and these verbs are proven to put the pulling action into it.

Good Karma

Do you want a Life of High Output Sales Success and Abundance?

Here is what The Dalai Lama has had to say about the keys to a happy life. These keys are applicable to all spheres of your business and your personal life and if you apply them, you will find success.  I find these nuggets of wisdom to be completely in line with my personal Christian values and I encourage you to reflect upon them and not to keep this message just for yourself.  It’s the Law of the Universe, whatever you put out is what will resonate back you.  I beleive this is true for all of us – regardless of your religious belief or Faith….

Instructions For Life

1. Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
2. When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.
3. Follow the three R’s:
   • Respect for self
   • Respect for others
   • Responsibility for all your actions
4. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck. (A blessing in disguise)
5. Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.
6. Don’t let a little dispute injure a great relationship.
7. When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
8. Spend some time alone everyday.
9. Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values.
10. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
11. Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you’ll be able to enjoy it a second time.
12. A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.
13. In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don’t bring up the past.
14. Share your knowledge. It is a way to achieve immortality.
15. Be gentle with the earth.
16. Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before.
17. Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.
18. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.
19. Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon.

Do not keep this message all to yourself. Tell a friend, pass on this link and let this mantra leave your hands; begin to experience the Law of the Universe for yourself.

You can download a full color PDF version of this document here.  Go ahead, pass it along!

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