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.

Last 5 posts by Howard Olsen

• Technology Turn Offs - September 21st, 2008
• Conversational One Liners That Build Trust - October 30th, 2007
• What Your Customers Want - June 13th, 2007
• The Perfect Follow Up - May 20th, 2007
• Prospecting - How Much is Enough? - February 27th, 2007