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No More Secrets!
Published on 8 Aug 2007 at 2:51 pm.
2 Comments.
Filed under Attraction,Business Development,Feature Articles,Personal Development Strategies.
I just received this article in an ezine written by Isabel Parlett who is a master communicator. For many business people, putting your point across in ways that attract customers, clients, and colleagues can be a challenge.
To support you in your business success and personal development, I have included Isabel’s article. I hope you enjoy it! 
(psst -Â leave a comment!)
Read on…..
No More Secrets! By Isabel Parlett
For a long time, the word “secret” has been one of the magic words of copy writing. We are used to seeing The Seven Secrets of Slim People, or being promised “the secret to good health.” The thinking has been that if you describe your information, tips, and recommendations as “secrets,” they’re seen as more valuable, more intriguing. And, studies will show that it works. That words like “secret” make people curious and more likely to buy. But, as our world and our language evolves, this kind of communication is going to have less and less appeal.
The problem with positioning your work as “secret” is that the payoff rarely matches the promise. Like anyone else, I get all excited at the mysteries about to be revealed to me, only to find that it’s the same-old stuff I’ve heard before. A recent article in a business publication, for example, promised to share “The 5 Secrets Strategies of Successful Businesses.” The “secrets” included picking a niche, developing information products, and speaking at industry events. Good, sound recommendations. Yes. But secrets? Hardly.
At its core, a secret means a mystery, something little known or understood, or knowledge reserved for a select group. While it’s acquired the more mundane meaning of “a method for acquiring something”, the power of the word comes from that promise that in learning a secret we are being included in that select group that knows something that is not available to the world at large. When we peddle our solid, but hardly esoteric, concepts, strategies, and systems as “secrets,” we do the word, and our audience, a disservice. In a way, I think we actually devalue what we offer, believing it will sell only if we dress it up as something its not.
In this post-Information age, there are very few real secrets. For most of us, it’s not information that we are looking for. We are looking for guidance, support, and structure to help us make the most of what we do know. We are looking for insight that changes the way we see the world. We are looking for transformation – to change our fundamental way of being so we can live more fully, with more meaning and purpose than ever before.
As business owners, if we have the courage to tell a different story, to describe what we offer without the window dressing, and take a little more time to paint a picture of what is possible for people to do feel, or experience, we open up the possibility of connecting with our audience from a place of resonating deeply to the same values and concepts, rather than by triggering a gut response by making sexy promises.
As our audience grows more sophisticated, they’ll increasingly resist teachers, leaders, and service providers who come from that energy of seduction. I know that when I’m offered (yet again) “the secret of success” I’m not drawn to learn more, I feel like laying my head down on my keyboard and taking a snooze.
So how can you describe your work as we move into the future? Instead of “a secret” you can look at your ideas and information as “keys,” or “insights” or “steps.” You can use descriptive adjectives to highlight what makes it special. Say “five skills for attention-grabbing presentations” or “the key to sustainable success.” If you feel like your information truly is different and out of the ordinary, try “new,” “little-known,” “less obvious,” or “unexpected”. Offer “The 5 Surprising Strategies for More Happiness” or “the Less Obvious Step to Writing Good Copy.”
Language is always on the move. If we stay stuck in traditional forms, we risk missing our audience and muddling our message. And as we explore the range of less-traveled language, we reawaken our own excitement and energy, and deepen our understanding of what we are here to do.
© 2007. Isabel Parlett. Isabel Parlett is a communication expert who helps innovative professionals to create simple, emotional language to express the ideas they are most passionate about. Get a free e-mail mini-course “The Secret Language of the New Economy” at http://www.parlancetraining.com.
Lyman Reed on 9 Aug 2007 at 7:13 am: 1
It’s so true… one of the biggest complaints you hear about the movie “The Secret” is that what it’s subject (The Law of Attraction) is *far* from a secret. As a matter of fact, I just ran across Earl Nightingale’s “The Strangest Secret”, which was recorded years ago. Guess what the “Strangest Secret” is?
“You become what you think about”
Sound familiar?
Thanks for posting this, Lorraine. I’m glad I’m subscribed to your blog.
lorraine on 9 Aug 2007 at 7:24 am: 2
So true Lyman
So many of the “Secrets” being expressed today have been around for hundreds of years (or more!). Wisdom spans centuries. But we don’t all grasp concepts at the same time. Thank goodness we have many opportunities to “get it!”
To your comment about becoming what you think, I would add becoming what you feel. I believe our feeling gives power to our thoughts and what we manifest.
Thanks for stopping by Lyman. Your comments are always so thoughtful!