Things you DON’T want to say
The 12 Most Overused Business Buzzwords
Does anyone actually like business
jargon, or is it just a bad habit? Found in corporate offices, startups
and resumes alike, business buzzwords and phrases like “think outside
the box” are so overused at this point that they no longer convey any
actual information. Although sometimes a word or phrase might feel
appropriate for a business situation, more often than not, there are
clearer ways to explain yourself.With this in mind, I asked a
group of 12 founders which pieces of business jargon they wish fellow
entrepreneurs and startups would stop using.Here are their top choices:
1. Hit the ground running
I
hear this phrase come up at the end of almost every meeting that I’m
in. Whether it comes from somebody on my team or from a client, it’s
become a cliché. The goal is always to have positive progress with any
new initiative. This phrase is unnecessary and redundant.2. Visionary
Entrepreneurs
and startups should never refer to themselves as an expert, guru,
visionary or any similar term in the first person. That moniker is
typically reserved as a bold statement recognized about you by others.
It is not something you should have to declare to the world.3. Think outside the box
I’m
so tired of hearing this in all capacities in the business world. Yes,
it has an important meaning — but please “think outside the box” and
find a new way to say this! Differentiate yourself from every other
person who read one business book and now thinks they are Jack Welch or
Mark Zuckerberg.4. Innovate
The
way that really strong words like innovation are being turned into
nothing more than marketing jargon is not good for the business world.
Products, services and companies should earn the right to be deemed
innovative.5. Influencers
Many
brands want to get their products in front of “influencers,” and events
these days always advertise they’re going to be full of “influencers.”
This term used to mean individuals who had a high amount of influence
over a certain market or fan base. However, these days it’s just a jazzy
way of saying, “We’re having a party. Invite all your friends as long
as they have jobs and aren’t crazy.”6. Pivot
Pivot
has become the glamorous way of saying that you changed something that
wasn’t working. Call it what it is. Admit that you made a mistake or a
subpar product/service and that you found a way to adjust it. I have
much more respect for calling it like it is than trying to put a pretty
bow on something to try and save face.7. Paradigm shift
OK,
the term “paradigm shift” is technically a valid way to describe
changing how you do something and the model you use. But it has been so
overused in the business world as to be redundant — now we’ve got
paradigms shifting paradigms of paradigms. I even saw Kevin Spacey use
it in a GQ interview a while back. Come on people, think of a new
expression! Spacey particularly. I don’t think Frank Underwood would
approve.8. Engagement
A
common and discreditable practice among startups and marketers alike is
using the buzz word “engagement” as a real measure of evaluation. It
dilutes the success of your efforts with a vague statement that
generalizes all of the resulting actions, when in reality each action
should be weighed separately and with corresponding degrees of value.
Engagement is a fluff word in a world of increasingly improving
measurement and evaluation tools. It has no place here.9. Value add
I’m
providing a service or product or good that is useful to you. That is
the value add. There’s nothing more to add to it. It works or it
doesn’t. It has valuable characteristics or not. I just don’t like terms
that suggest that something is or should be more than itself.10. Pre-revenue
I
hate when founders use the term pre-revenue to describe their
“game-changing” startups. With few exceptions, businesses exist to make
money. If you’re in the third year of your startup and you’re still
pre-revenue, chances are you have an expensive hobby, NOT a company. Go
back to the drawing board and come up with a business model that works.11. Growth hacking
A
growth hacker is what lazy people call an expert marketer. It’s also a
trendy phrase among wantrepreneurs. Some people argue that growth
hacking is something new, when really it’s just a fancy way of saying
business development or marketing. I believe people come up with new
phrases for old ideas and they catch on. Not to sound cynical, but
speaking as a marketer, the phrase growth hacking is really just
marketers marketing marketing (themselves). After all, if it’s new,
fewer people understand it and it then commands a higher premium as far
as monetary or equity compensation. The reality is that the skill set
growth hackers are pulling from is the same one used by other marketers
for the last century. So let’s be honest and call it what it is:
marketing.12. Game changer
I
have seen numerous people describing their latest product or service as
game-changing or a game changer. This usually turns out to be mainly
hype. For one thing, this expression doesn’t really have a precise
meaning. To me, something is only a game changer if it’s truly
revolutionary and changes the way things are done. Some examples include
the automobile, personal computer and smartphone. How many products
fall into this category? When you say something is a game changer, you
then have to live up to your own hype and reveal something outstanding.
Most of the time, it’s better to tone down your rhetoric and be more
realistic about what you’re offering.
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