Spot the “Too” in What You Do

Sadly, one of the signals of a wannabe is that they try too hard. Somehow, they manage to do what doesn’t work or doesn’t matter, while failing to do what’s critical. Being too eager manages to come across as desperate or needy. It pushes people away—the very opposite of what was intended.

That lack of confidence makes people uneasy, so they respond by losing whatever interest they might have had. Trying even harder just makes the situation worse.

Lurching between too little and too much shows up in a variety of forms that can best be described as “too muchness.” The tip-off is in the word “too,” as in overdone, excessive, or offensive. Until you locate your own comfortable equilibrium be sensitive for signs of “too muchness.”

They’re counter-productive. Hitting upon finding its own comfortable balance point between trying too hard and not hard enough is a turning point for any business.

Lurching Between Too Little and Too Much

Too Much has a companion, Not Enough. Their presence indicate imbalance, and flip-flopping between them is much more draining on you than maintaining an even keel. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with doing any of the things described here. But you must avoid the heavy-handed overuse that comes across as inappropriate or insensitive.

People who aren’t confident about what they’re doing are likely to display a lot of different “too muchnesses.” Let’s call that too much “too muchness.” The solution is likely to be found through increased awareness and moderation. These are simply “wake up” signals, reminders to ease up a bit.

Too muchness can creep in anywhere throughout the routine business activities, and in the way it treats the public. Such heavy handedness pushes customers away, like the old maid, whose desperation for marriage scares all possible suitors away.

Too Muchness Is a Sign of Not Being Confident or Successful

• Too many conflicting, perplexing, or half-baked signals (foggy thinking)
• Too much hype or sales pressure—too good to be true
• Too heavy handed or pushy about anything where the public is concerned
• Too cutesy or quirky, which doesn’t express the nature of the business
• Spending too much—using money unwisely
• Too many disharmonious visual images or components
• Too needy or desperate for business
• Too many jolting experiences for customers throughout the operation
• Too careless, inefficient, or disorganized
• Too slow, tardy, or erratic about following up

Banish Too Muchness in the Way Information is Presented

Communications Count when Running a Business - Whether It’s Spoken or Written

• It doesn’t matter whether you provide a service or a product, whether you’re white collar or blue collar, or whether you’re an owner or employee, you must speak and write in a way that makes you believable and in a way your customer can understand.
• Pay attention to your communication style.
• Sound sincere and honest
• Strive to be personal and personable—use “you” or “your” often
• Highlight the benefits the person will receive—that’s what they care about
• Sound upbeat and energetic
• Use positive words rather than negative ones—don’t criticize competitors
• Be clear—make your point with easy-to-understand words and short sentences
• When writing, have several people check for spelling, grammar, punctuation, and meaning
• Eliminate any inconsistencies or inaccuracies in what you say
• Keep customers and clients informed about what effects them

Don't Be Too Wordy

Get to the point. Make sure it’s clear and concise. If you don’t, what you have to say is likely to be boring.

Language that should be used carefully or sparingly

• Slang—“Mama done tole me”
• Idioms—peculiar phrases specific to a language
• Clichés—“last but not least”
• Euphemisms—“gone away” instead of “died”
• Company-specific or industry-specific phrases like Form J-7 or the McKinzee Clause that nobody else would know
• Religious or Biblical references while at work—it’s not businesslike
• Abbreviations—unless they’re common, like St. for street or Mt. for mountain, or else not everyone will get it
• Allusions—referring to something that appears to be unrelated except in a conceptual way, “I guess we’re not in Kansas anymore” or “Where’s the beef?”

Avoid Too Much Jargon

Jargon is the specialized vocabulary that initiated insiders use to talk among themselves, whether it’s about computers, office equipment, saddles, legal services, dog training, pool cleaning, or whatever.

The unfamiliar words are baffling and intimidating to all but the initiated. Everyone else feels left out since the words are inherently exclusive.

You need to be able to speak the language with suppliers and colleagues, but be on the alert that you and your staff don’t slip into jargon with people who aren’t comfortable speaking it. What customers want from you is a translation of the obscure terms into words that make sense to them, without them feeling dumb. That's the best way to display your expertise.