“To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day
To the last syllable of recorded time,
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more: it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.”

Macbeth, Act 5, Scene 5

Within the sound and fury of business communication, there’s a particular sort of mystification caused by the use and abuse of buzzwords. Whether you’re selling technical solutions, or something seemingly mundane, it’s easy to get caught up in the buzzwords that catch our ears at any given moment. There is a certain “buzzwords cycle” that occurs.

I’m labeling this the Cycle of Buzzword Oblivion:

• A new concept, business model, creation, notion, etc. takes form.
• Someone, maybe you, labels it with a snazzy phrase.
• If it’s catchy and timely, others begin to use it and it generates ‘Buzz’.
• As other players in your space claim their product or service has “It”, the meaning of “It” begins to morph.
• If enough different sorts or players claim to have “It”, the original meaning can be obfuscated to the point of oblivion. 

The question I pose to you is does your use of buzzwords actually hurt your message and leave your prospects in a fog? For example, “Cloud Computing”. I’m beginning to hate this nebulous phrase, because it obscures some very important details. If you’re speaking to a salesman and they’re touting Cloud Computing, there’s a good chance they’re blowing sunshine up your bum. It’s no longer USEFUL information. The term Cloud Computing has been bastardized to the point that some folks even use it to sell internal systems. (Keeping in mind the Cloud was presumed to be somewhere on the Internet physically separate from your business.)

How often do your marketing materials and proposals describe the effects of your product or service on the prospects business, rather than use buzzwords to fill up space or pass a litmus test. When buzzwords are abused in business, it causes prospect confusion and tempts the decision maker to play “Buzzword Bingo” instead of measuring each option against a list of goals.

For example, why might you need a “Cloud Computing” solution?

• Are you looking for global access from any browser? Then say so.
• Would you like to avoid an up-front investment in server hardware? Cloud Computing isn’t the only way to go, but in most CC solutions someone else owns the hardware.
• Do you need Virtualization of your servers?

The last option is a trick question and here’s why: If you’re outsourcing server management, virtualization may come into play. However, your evaluation should be focused on items that impact your business, such as cost and level of service. Virtualization is gee whiz cool, but in most cases it should only be considered based on how it affects the real criteria.

Ultimately, your conversations with either vendors or clients must communicate needs, cost, and value. Make sure you’re using words that explain rather than confuse. Otherwise, you’ve allowed yourself and your prospect and clients to play in the “Cycle of Buzzword Oblivion,” and no one has been done any favors.

To speak to software developers who speak business instead of buzzwords, give us a call.