BrainFuel

I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody. – Bill Cosby

“Nothing succeeds like mediocrity because everyone understands it so well.” – Unknown

“Don’t tell me you want a bridge, show me the canyon!” – Guiseppe Delena, Ford Motor Co.

Has anyone upgraded to Photoshop CS2? I know the new version has been out for several weeks and I personally haven’t seen a reason to rush out and upgrade. I can’t see any new features for web designers. Anybody?

Quick link: listen to this wav file of a guidance missile “how it works” description. It’s going to be a classic.

Why do people think they need to write business documents, cover letters, resumes, and emails in a “business-speak”?? It comes across entirely impersonal. Has no life to it, and frankly isn’t fun to read. Phrases like “enclosed you will find an overview of our business services package” or, “we believe that our team can provide you with the best solution in your budget.”

Ugh. It’s just awful.

There was this one client who will go unnamed who asked us to change their slogan to this:

“Quality products at budget friendly prices.”

Isn’t that bad? It just reeks of cheep products which is not their intention. It’s sad. It also says nothing about their product which is a big industry. They have a bunch of retail stores in Arizona.

My main point is that good copywriters don’t just write for you, they can also help your business have a voice and actually say something meaningful.

So next time you are tempted to write something along these lines:

“This strategic partnership is specifically tailored to meet such a need.”

Ask yourself if you should hire a copywriter, or at the very least think about whether you yourself would read such a lifeless statement. And by the way, all of these examples were sent to me this week.

This is the perfect time to introduce you to Chris’ Rule #2 (the first rule is coming next week):

Chris’ Rule: Would you read it? I didn’t think so.

It’s that time again! Come up with a clever caption for this photo and post it in the comments. Everyone is welcome. Please keep it clean.

Are you a talk radio kind of person or music person? What do you listen to in your car?