Ford Saeks at Prime Concepts and I were discussing all the noise on the internet: the cacophony of emails, social media, blogs, spam, YouTube, et al. The internet has made marketing easier to do and harder to do effectively. What can be done easily isn’t always done well. Legitimate and important ideas can easily get lost in the din or faux information.

Which leads me to suggest that quiet may well be the antidote to all the noise. I don’t mean silence–that’s different. That’s the strategy of the cynic who gives up hope that his or her marketing will do any good.

By quiet, I mean softly spoken. When you try to talk to a large crowd, you have to shout. When you have a conversation with one or two people, you don’t have to yell. Quiet marketing means being specific rather than general; it is “me-marketing” rather than mass marketing.

Quiet also suggests wisdom. Some of the smartest people I know are also the lowest key. You listen carefully to what they have to say because they always seem to have good ideas.

Really good ideas don’t need to be hyped. The great ideas stand out on their own merit. Rather than trying to convince me that your product or service is good by shouting about it, show me through compelling communication and persuasive proof.

Don’t give up trying to be heard. Instead, re-evaluate how you go about doing it. I can’t make an iron-clad guarantee here, but quiet may well be your best marketing weapon in a noisy world.

While editing a promotional piece for a friend’s new book, I was reminded of how hard it is to get attention. The copy had a liberal sprinkling of words like “secrets,” “inspirational” and “profound” and phrases like “life-changing” and “don’t miss.” It also used many exclamation points.

I empathize with the difficulty of writing things that get read. Unfortunately having something worthwhile to say isn’t enough if you can’t cut through the clutter and get the reader’s or listener’s attention.

Here’s the problem: we add to the clutter trying to cut through the clutter.

When you emphasize everything you emphasize nothing. Exclamation points lose their impact!

We live in the age of hyperbole. As someone once said, everything squared equals nothing squared.

We are deluged with so much information that we tend to pay attention only to the perceived exception. Another sales book? Ho hum. Secret Persuaders: How to Morally Use the Immoral Techniques of Bernie Madoff to Get What You Want. Wow–I’ve got to check that out!

Or consider endorsements. “This is a truly thought provoking book and beautifully written.” So? “This book contains information previously hidden from mankind. Reading it will change your life, raise your IQ,  improve your health, help you lose weight and make you infinitely desirable to members of the opposite sex.” Now that might be worth reading…

Regrettably only the exceptions get noted. That means that marketers, advertisers, writers, et al are attempting to make everything an exception, whether or not it truly is.

I have a new guideline I use. I offer it for your consideration: take exception to the exceptions.

While I think most of us are increasingly skeptical of over-the-top claims, we might forget that the hot copy or enticing wording is often nothing more than repackaged sameness. We have to work harder than ever before to do our due diligence. When something seems hyperobolic, it probably is. Let the exclamation points direct you to more closely scrutinize the claims being made.

I just read (or more acurately skimmed) a bestselling business book that was purported to be truly ground breaking. Sorry. The ground had been plowed many times before by many others and plowed better, but this author had the advantage of a huge social media network and a few hyperbolic endorsers. (I’m getting fewer requests to endorse since I actually want to see the book in question and am unwilling to say anything about a book I couldn’t defend to a purchaser.)

Taking exception to the exception challenges me not only as a consumer but as a creator. How do I balance intellectual honesty against marketplace demands? Writing a book, staging an event, giving a speech or rallying a cause are relatively easy compared to getting noticed. What claims are we willing to make in the pursuit of getting attention?

I don’t know. I’m asking more questions than I’m providing answers.

Hyperbole has always been a communication pitfall, but our networked world and interconnected social networks have leveraged the amount and audacity of hyperbole exponentially.

Everything is exclamations! Really! It’s true!

While having lunch in Manhattan today, four identical red “off road” vehicles (odd juxtaposition) pulled up in front of the restaurant to repair one of the vehicles. There were many sponsor logos but prominent was DONNAVVENTURA. What is that I wondered? I studied the vehicles and identically dressed people occupying them. I couldn’t figure it out nor could anyone I asked.  The only thing that was clear: several companies had paid lots of money to be associated with this bright assembly of equipment and people.

Back at my hotel I found the website after much Googling. I’m still not sure what the whole thing is about, but it has something to do with young women and adventure. Seriously, it is pretty murky despite the big money behind it.

For anyone who communicates, markets or sells, there is a critical message here: make sure people don’t have to work to figure out what you offer. Make your case clear and your point easy to understand.

I just happened to be researching a youth organization website as well today and while the landing page is colorful! loud! exciting!…I can’t get the straight story about what the organization does either (but the LOG IN box is front and center which suggests I’m an outsider since I don’t have log in inf0).

Advertising and marketing has always been prone to style over substance, but in today’s communicated and cluttered world, the worst thing your customer, prospect or colleague should be wondering is…

“And your point is?”

My trees are out of control. Some are growing into the deck, one is lop-sided and several need trimming.

I called four tree trimmers found online. One never called back. Three returned my call. Two got my address, came by and left a quote.

But one guy wouldn’t do that. “Don’t you want to know who’ll be doing the work on your trees? he  asked.

Ah, well…didn’t seem critically important to me, but he made me pause so consider. I agreed to meet with him.

Mark Mortenson showed up exactly on time (good start). We walked around the property. He explained things to me. He made notes. Great…now all I needed was a quote.

Not so fast.

“Is there a place we can sit and talk?” We located on the patio and he pulled out a three ring binder. He explained that he was an arborist (were the other tree trimmers?) He explained how one got that certification and flipped to the pages in his binder that contained his scores and certification.

Next he showed me the proper licenses needed to operate in my county.

Then it was on to the copious photos of work he’d done (before and after). He also had a bunch of current thank you and testimonial letters.

In the process I got a crash course in trees. It was quite interesting, actually.

At the end he gave me his bid. It tied with another guy for the highest of the three.

He got the business. It is one thing to be good, another to claim to be better than the competition and yet a third to be able to prove you’re better. Mark did just that.

Did I try to negotiate? No. Instead I shared my philosophy: “I could ask you for a better price, but you strike me as an honest person. You might take less but when you come to do the work, I want you to do the best job possible. You’ll know I didn’t nickel and dime you and my hope is that will be an incentive to do an even better job.”

By the way, Mark is a Gypsy Jazz musician. I wasn’t familiar with that type of music until I went online and listened to his band. Its good stuff.