Advertising
Puffery
Puffery is an exaggerated or extravagant statement
made for the purpose of attracting buyers to a particular product or services. It
is commonly used in connection with advertising and promotional sales
testimonials. It is assumed that most consumers would recognize puffery as an
opinion that cannot be verified.
Eg. “Colgate is the toothpaste which cleans teeth
best” you are puffering. There is no measurable factor to prove or otherwise
negate this fact.
Puffery is a form of advertising in which a product
or services is praised as being superior to all other like it, without any
evidence to back up the claim. This is done for the sole purpose of attracting
buyers that might not otherwise give the product or service any attention.
Puffery can normally be found in advertising or
promotional materials about a specific product or service, though it often
employed by politicians and other people attempting to give favour.
Puffery is not illegal and it is common method used
in advertising.
Advertising puffery is defined as advertising or promotional material that makes
broad exaggerated or boastful statements about a product or service that are
subjective (or a matter of opinion), rather than objective (something that is
measurable), and that which no reasonable person would presume to be literally
true. Puffery does not create any express warranty or guarantee for the
consumer.
Sometimes
there is a thin line between puffery, which is legal, and false advertising,
which is illegal.
An
example of puffery being litigated in the judicial system can be found in the
case Castrol Inc. v. Pennzoil Co. (1992).
Here, the Pennzoil Company developed a series of five television commercials
that featured professional athletes and race car drivers. The company claimed,
in these commercials, that their brand “outperforms any leading motor oil
against viscosity breakdown.” Castrol complained that “this claim of product
superiority is false,”
Weasel Claim
The Weasel claim uses weasel words
to take what could be a solid claim and make it worthless by
weakening any bold assertion with words such as helps, probably, refreshes,
fights, strengthens, virtually, like, almost and so on.
Sales
deals are won and lost with words.
Weasel
words are used when the speaker wants to make it seem like they've given a
clear answer to a question or made a direct statement, when actually they've
said something inconclusive or vague. Fortunately, weasel words are easy to
spot.
Eg.
Colgate fight with germs for 12 hours
Low-cost
auto insurance.
Kellogg’s
– Now help support your child’s immunity.
11
Weasel Word Examples and Why You Shouldn't Say Them
1) "Well … "
When buyers ask you questions, give them straightforward
answers. Starting your answer with a word commonly associated with equivocation
automatically weakens your answers and makes you sound less sure of yourself.
2) "Research shows … " or "Experts
say … "
Sales reps use these phrases to back up their claims about
product usage, business pain, and expected ROI. But you can stick these phrases
in front of literally any claim -- for example, "Experts say chewing sugarless gum increases
concentration" -- to make it sound more legitimate.
Instead of alluding to faceless, nameless sources, cite your sources if you
want to be truly persuasive.
3) "I would say that … "
Many weasel words are only weaselly in context. For
example, if a buyer asks, "What’s
the best way to do X?" and you have a few options to
choose from, you’re well within your rights to qualify your response by
indicating it’s your own opinion.
But when you’re being asked a more specific question or one
that’s related to your product, steer clear from qualifying phrases, which make
it sound like you’re waffling. Answer questions like "Can your product do X?" or
"I’m trying to do Y project. How can your product help me with this?" with
strong, active language.
4) "Often"
Like #2, vague descriptors like "often" raise
questions in buyers’ minds. Always be as specific as possible -- "40% of our customer base," or
"Almost every prospect in your industry I’ve spoken with in the last quarter",
for example.
5) "Probably" or "Possibly"
It’s okay if you don’t know the answer to something. For
example, if your buyer will require a highly customized implementation or is a
very unusual use case (yes, you should know the answers to common prospect
questions cold), you might not have encountered their specific set of needs
before.
Just be honest about it. And don’t leave it at, "I don’t know." Explain
why: "I haven’t encountered
your exact question before, and I want to make sure I give you a complete
answer before I promise anything. Based on what I’ve seen before, [your
prediction], but again, I want to confirm that before I give you a definitive
answer."
6) "Some" or "Many"
These two words are a bad choice for the same reason you
should steer clear of "often." They
don’t add much legitimacy to your statements, and raise more questions than
they answer.
When we call upon social proof as an answer, it’s usually
because we’re trying to convince people to do something. Instead of
saying, "Many of our prospects do
X," explain why they did it, what results they saw, and
how that connects to your prospect. Here’s what that sounds like in a real
sales conversation:
"You mentioned that you want to see X
results. A customer I worked with a few months ago was facing similar
challenges. We helped them implement Y and Z projects together and they saw
[results]. Given [similarities], I think you would see benefits from this
strategy as well. What do you think?"
7) "Could be"
Another phrase used to waffle out of giving a direct
answer, "could be" makes
you sound especially uninformed if you’re trying to explain why something works
the way it does or why an event occurred. Take a similar strategy to #5 --
provide as much context as you can, then promise to follow up once you have a
more concrete answer.
8) "The user" or "The person"
One of the hallmarks of weasel words and phrases is that
they create distance between the speaker and the listener so the speaker can
remove him or herself from the situation, therefore abdicating responsibility
for less-than-desirable results (think politicians’ apology speeches).
Sales reps who use detached language create a sense of
distance between their product and the buyer. Always speak directly to the
prospect about their situation -- "When
you use [product] to do [project], you’ll do X, Y, and Z." This
creates a subconscious sense that the product is already part of a prospect’s
world, and is a more engaging way to speak to buyers.
9) "Leading" or "Cutting-edge"
You might think that describe your product this way is a
selling point. The thinking goes that if your product is the newest or most
advanced, surely it's the best. But words like "cutting-edge" have become so ambiguous
as to become meaningless. Many products have differentiators that could be
described as somehow advanced or innovative.
Instead, focus the conversation on why it helps the
prospect. It only matters if features are innovative if that newness provides
value to your prospect they wouldn't otherwise have. Buyers will quickly lose
interest if you ramble on about "cutting-edge" features
that add nothing to their lives.
10) "That being said"
This sounds like you're giving yourself an easy out. For
instance, you might say, "Our
product has gone through several rounds of quality testing to ensure its
error-free. That being said ... "
It's obvious what's coming next -- a statement like "We can never guarantee zero flaws,"
"It's possible an issue was overlooked," and so on.
You sound slippery. So, steer clear.
11) "With all due respect ... "
This phrase makes it clear you're about to argue with
whatever your prospect has just said. While you can and should push back when
appropriate, introducing your counterpoint like this will make you seem disingenuous
and quickly raise the buyer's hackles. Instead, acknowledge their point of view
with "I see where you're coming
from." Then ask their permission to speak honestly: "Can I offer a different opinion?"
Once
you've gotten their buy in (in a respectful way), they'll be likelier to change
their mind.
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