Marketing Speak: Toss Your Annoying Business Jargon

We all do it. Sometimes we do it without realizing it. Sometimes we don’t know how to not do it. Either way, we all succumb to annoying business jargon and marketing-speak in our proposals.

It’s not the worst thing you can do, of course.

Architects in particular have a curious habit of using acronyms for everything. I’m pretty sure I’ve heard entire conversations held in acronyms around the office. Lucky for me, I know what *most* of them are.

Unfortunately, not all of our potential clients know what they are. If you’re using annoying business jargon in your proposals, it’s time to cut it out.

Here are a few quick tips to toss your annoying business jargon:

  1. Ask someone outside your profession to look at your proposal. If they don’t know what “schematics” or “AHJ’s” are, find a way to make it clear.
  2. Spell out your acronyms. Yes, it takes up space. Just write it all out once, put the acronym in parentheses, and then you can use the acronym for the rest of the section.
  3. Break down technical concepts. More technical-speak does not make you sound more qualified. It’s just the opposite, actually. Being able to break down technical terms into digestible content is associated with higher comprehension of a subject. So the more you can explain it to a non-professional, the more qualified you sound.

Know that your proposal is probably being reviewed by people who do understand your business jargon, and people who don’t. Find a balance between the two.

During your first proposal review, take a look at each section and see where you’re adding in the most technical terms. Is there a reason you have more in a particular section? Can you break it down?

The technical approach is most often where I see the bulk of a company’s annoying business jargon. It’s also the number one place to strike that jargon (see point three above). The more you can break down your project plan for every reviewer in the room (from the facilities manager to volunteer community members, doctors, principals, etc.) the more widely accepted your approach will be.