persuasion There are other words advertisers employ, which are known as "weasel words." These words confuse their audience and don't allow you to put an exact number on the advertiser's claim. They let you justify and believe what you want. They are called "weasel words" because weasels are notorious for breaking into the chicken coop and sucking out the inside of the eggs without breaking the shell. The eggs look fine but in reality are hollow and empty, just like these words. Watch out for these words: m Helps я May в Possibly в Improved в Up to я Almost 4. About 5. Approximately Probably the biggest challenge with word choice in marketing comes when billiondollar corporations want to translate just the right English word into the perfect equivalent in another language. The most famous marketing fiasco based on translation was the Chevy Nova. Translated into Spanish, Nova meant "Doesn't Go." "Come Alive, You're the Pepsi Generation" translated into Chinese means, "Pepsi, Bring Your Ancestors Back from the Grave." When American Airlines wanted to advertise its new, leather, firstclass seats in the Mexican market, it translated its "Fly In Leather" campaign literally, which meant "Fly Naked" (vuela en ciiero) in Spanish! Coors put its slogan, "Turn It Loose," into Spanish, where it was read as "Suffer from Diarrhea." The Dairy Association's huge success with the "Got Milk?" campaign prompted them to expand advertising into Mexico. It was soon brought to their attention that the Spanish translation read, "Are you lactating?" Frank Perdue's chicken slogan, "It takes a strong man to make a tender chicken" was translated into Spanish as "It takes an aroused man to make a chicken affectionate." The CocaCola name in China was first read as "Kekoukela," meaning "bite the wax tadpole" or "female horse stuffed with wax," depending on the dialect. Scandinavian vacuum manufacturer, Elec trolux, used the following in an American campaign: "Nothing sucks like an Electrolux." The Use of Silence Sometimes the right word is no word. On occasion we need to remain silent and let the other person talk. We have heard in sales that the first one to talk after the close loses. After the persuasion process and the final decision is ready to be made, make your proposal and shut up. The silence is nerve wracking, but it's a critical time to let the prospect make the decision without you rambling on and on about the product or service. How often have you noticed a sales rep overselling a product? You were ready to make the purchase by handing over your credit card. The sales rep felt you needed to know everything about the product and he started to fill you in. This caused doubt to creep into your mind and you ended up leaving, telling the salesman you would think about it. When someone has been persuaded and convinced, there is no reason to say any more. Strike when the iron is hot! More communication is not necessarily better persuasion. persuasion