“Wimpy Words” Awards: And the Winners are….

Now that the Academy Awards are behind us, let’s turn our attention an event that is no less noteworthy.

Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the first annual Interior Design Meaningless Marketing Awards.

Here we recognize the design industry marketing words, phrases and strategies that are most likely to cause your business to bomb.

We salute those terms and techniques with the greatest potential to make your prospects, clients, fans and followers tune out and turn off your message.

The first category: Tired Terms: Cliches in website copy, social networking sites, and bios.

Our nominees are:

1/ “Attention to detail”

2/ “Flair for color”

3/ “Functional spaces”

4/ “(I)listen to my customers”

5/  (I turn) dreams into reality”

And the winner is: (I turn) dreams into reality!”

We love the way this “dream” thing is so way, way overdone.

Our next category: Senseless Statements.

Our nominees:

1/ “She graduated ____ University (Design School, etc.) in   ….    (If the year is recent, she sounds too inexperienced; if the year is long ago, she sounds out of touch.)

2/ Sentences including “but”     (as in: “We’re not the largest design firm in the area, but we’re the only one specializing in vacation homes.”)

3/ “We work with any budget.”   (Hear that, Walmart shoppers?)

4/ “No project is too small.”  (Sure, we’ll drive 82 miles and spend seven hours discussing your pillows.)

And the Oscar goes to….

Sentences including “but.”

Only powerful promoters banish their “but’s,”delete their deficits and accentuate their positives.

Our final category: Stupid Stuff

Only two nominees here:

1/ “How to Work with an Interior Designer”

2/ “Our Philosophy”

May I have the envelope please…

“Our Philosophy!” is the winner.

Do you care that the two words that best describe our philosophy are “Contrast” and “Texture?”

Didn’t think so.

Fred Berns is a marketing and sales coach and trainer for the interior design industry worldwide.