Glamour Words
Dumb down is not glamorous.
This is a post from Paperdolls.Today, under the section “Sales Techniques.” The intent of this section is to help people, particularly the vulnerable such as sexual assault survivors, to understand if and when they might be manipulated by sales techniques. If you wish to unsubscribe or subscribe to any sections of Paperdolls.Today, please follow Substack’s instructions.
I bristle when I read the sales training that state that professional sales people need to dumb down their language, in order to be evoke emotion in their prospects and help the prospect feel comfortable. Prospects are not going to buy if they feel dumb or they don’t understand. The foundation of all sales is that people buy emotionally and defend their decision with logic.
I flinch because our country was founded on the idea of a well-educated society. Jefferson knew that the public’s education was critical to self-governance and the bulwark against tyranny. A well educated society is essential for the democratic republic's longevity.1
The average reading level in the US is a fifth grade level.2 Instead of encouraging people to learn more, develop higher levels of reading comprehension and learn to think critically, we have a slew of trained sales people intentionally dumb down3 their language to evoke emotion in order to make a sale.
And, what is the term that trained sales people use to dumb down their language?
Glamour Words
As the sales king himself states: “What makes a word glamorous? It has a freshness that sticks in the mind, yet it’s common enough to be understood by your listeners. The last part is vital. If you dust off some of the fancy words that only the aficionados of esoteric utterances will understand, your listeners will switch their filtering devices on for sure.” (emphasis added)4
Glamour words, really? Now, those being trained in sales are getting those words to evoke emotions. Instead of saying, “You need to get on their level in order to make a sale.” It’s glamour words. I don’t buy it. Dumb down is not glamorous.
I don’t feel much better about changing my language to evoke emotion to make a sale.
I know, I know, sales are important. Commerce in our society is critical. But, really, with this one, I can’t abide. I cannot dumb down my language to just make a sale. Maybe that’s why I intentionally sold higher end financial products. I couldn’t feed the beast of ignorance.
Now, how does my rant help you? Well, first off, please know that anyone trying to sell you anything is going to try to make you more comfortable and use words that they believe will evoke emotion. The goal is to get you emotionally involved.
Being aware is key. Simply be aware if you are being sold to—or manipulated—is what this is all about5. And, as always, if you feel like you are being pressured to buy something you don’t really want, take a break. There is nothing that demands you to buy right now. And, all that talk about “limited time offer.” Yeah, that’s all just a sales technique. If you want to buy when the product or service is on sale, please go ahead. If you aren’t sure, wait, it’s better to pay more than to be locked into something you don’t want or need.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dumbing_down
Hopkins, How to Master the Art of Selling, p 266-267
And, my own personal beliefs that reading can help everyone, critical thinking is important and a well education society will help fight tyranny.