Do you speak in your prospect's language? Do you use words that they use and understand? Hubspot's Website Grader will tell you whether you write at the college level or elementary school level (like my blog). Are you smart enough to communicate in such a way that more people understand? Are you humble enough to use your prospect's everyday words?

Do you use error or mistake? smart or intelligent? recession or economic downturn? sales or business development? trait or characteristic? marketing or sales? Are each of these pairs truly interchangable in all situations with all people?

Do you use abbreviations? I was recently playing cards and drinking with 7 others. A nurse (one of the seven) suggested (I don't remember why.) that an "MI was the best way to go." Most of the people at the table (college educated adults) didn't know that MI meant "myocardial infarction". Nor did they know that a myocarial infarction was a "heart attack". Do you use any abbreviations in your sales or networking activity? Are you sure that everybody understands them the same way you do? Going back to the mi example, myo-whatever doesn't even make the first page of Google. Speaking of misunderstanding abbreviations, check out the third link on the Google page. I thought "DNR" stood for "Do Not Resuscitate". (Couldn't that have meant, "Do Not Revive"?)

I hope that you found this article useful and interesting. It's my way of saying,

"Happy Birthday, Hubspot!"