Damning with Faint Praise: Positive (Not!) Prose
Are any of these phrases on your website? Do any of the feedbacks or testimonials on your site contain any of these phrases? Do you use any when describing your services, your products…yourself?
Most of the phrases below contain not one but two negative words: no, cannot, hesitation, doubt, hesitate, wrong, nothing, etc. It’s like a one-two punch, and, buddy, you’re down for the count.
The last negative phrase, “You can’t go wrong,” I just this second pulled off an internationally known speaker’s website (believe me, if I said her name, you’d know her!).
Be positive, and don’t damn yourself or others with faint praise. Take a look:
I have no hesitation in recommending…
We cannot recommend her more highly…
I have no doubt…
I don’t doubt…
I wouldn’t hesitate to…
I have nothing less than…
I can’t say enough…
You won’t be disappointed…
You can’t go wrong…
Other negative phrases:
No exception
My services aren’t expensive
Never fails
BETTER:
I heartily endorse
I wholeheartedly support
I enthusiastically recommend
See the difference?
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