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(Note: Larry Rice, Director of Business Development, for Rodman & Rodman, P.C. authored this topic. We thought PR Pointer readers would enjoy it.)
OK, it is January. This is when we rid ourselves of old baggage and begin again. What is that phrase – “Out with the old and in with the new?”
Well I am going to focus on getting rid of the old this month. Specifically, I would like to propose my list of seven business clichés that need to get kicked to the curb. If you see any that you use, don’t feel guilty. I use nearly all of these phrases myself. But it needs to be stopped, for a variety of reasons:
They sound pretentious; They don’t really mean anything; They no longer mean what they were originally intended to mean; and They’re annoying as hell.
I won’t bother putting these in some sort of order or ranking. Take them for what they are: Overused clichés that need to take a two decade vacation, or longer.
#1 “Solution” – Everything everyone does these days is a solution, but is it really? When someone provides you a solution, does it end up being the correct answer? That is what I think a solution is; it is an answer. Time for ‘solution’ to go.
#2 “Re-invented” – You cannot re-invent anything. See, I am already annoyed. Only one person or group gets to invent something. Everyone else is either changing that invention or improving it.
#3 “Just my 2 cents” – This one simply needs to be adjusted for inflation. We should at least be up to a buck and a quarter by now.
#4 “Organic growth” – Am I the only one who gets visions of unsightly molds when they hear this cliché used? I get so distracted by the visual I don’t hear a single thing said after that phrase is uttered. We cannot have that. Good bye.
#5 “At the end of the day” – This one has British roots I believe, but so does the English language so I am not blaming anyone from the United Kingdom for this one. All I know is that at the end of the day, you go home and that is what one should focus on – Heading home to your reason for working and building a business in the first place: Your family.
#6 “Thinking outside of the box” – I am sure someone knows the etymology of this phrase, and I admit I use this phrase a lot, but I am going to stop. Largely because I think there is a better word we should use more: Creativity. Just saying the word beckons more open thinking to me. Boxes? They should be recycled – end of story.
#7 “Throw him under the bus” – Last but not least is this classic. You can thank me later – but some day you are going to be talking with someone important to your business that has actually had a loved one hit by a bus. You will be so thankful that “THUTB” was out of your cliché repertoire when you do.
So there they are. You have your own I am sure. Think about the phrases you say a lot, maybe too much. Then find a new way of saying it. If you catch me using these, confront me. I’ll appreciate it I assure you.
Footnote:
Larry Rice, Director of Business Development, for Rodman & Rodman. The company was founded in 1961, Rodman & Rodman, P.C. provides accounting, tax and business services to small and medium-sized companies throughout New England. With a focus on strategic planning, Rodman & Rodman goes beyond traditional accounting services and takes a proactive approach when serving clients to increase, preserve and sustain clients’ financial net worth. For more details, please see www.Rodmancpa.com.
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