My friends at Manta.com, the small business website, often come up with interesting ideas that extend beyond retail into other business endeavors and the living of life itself.
A recent tip for restaurateurs started by asking, “Would you rather order chicken soup or all-natural chicken soup with a delicately seasoned broth, homemade egg noodles and organic vegetables?” The answer is obvious. We eat with our eyes, which makes presentation important. But we also “eat” before eating. We eat in imagination, our imagination fueled by description.
Whether you’re writing about puffy-light gougères, accented with a sprinkling of parmagiano reggiano or a piece of networking equipment, you can build a sense of anticipation and engagement by choosing the right words. Would you rather, for example, buy a switch that’s a reliable workhorse or one described as “lightning fast and performance-tested?”
And when you think about your personal life, would you be more likely to contact the guy whose dating site profile describes him as “fun-loving but serious at all the right moments” or “an attorney with 25 years of estate-planning experience?” Ah, thought so.
Such is the power of words. Let’s all think about how we’ve used them in the past and how we’d like to use them from now on.
Leave a Comment