Language and Politics: TeaParty calls Dems Nazi's in Wisconsin

“Language is the house of Being. In its home man dwells.”

“It is language that tells us about the nature of a thing, provided that we respect language’s own nature….

Man acts as though he were the shaper and master of language, while in fact language remains the master of man.

… Among all the appeals that we human beings, on our part, can help to be voiced, language is the highest and everywhere the first.”
Martin Heidegger.

I want to stop the misuse and abuse of language. Especially the “words that work” of the Tea Party and Republicans who are trying only to throw out our President. They still are just a “party of no”: and lest you hate me and send me nasty notes: I am a life-long Republican. Now, recovering, I am a proud Obama republican.

Let me digress and offer a brief explanation, if I might. My love is and has been Literature, philosophy, the classics and structural analysis &criticism (my Comparative Literature background) and teaching. With only a few regrets, I spent 30 some years in “Business” & Consulting. While in my business career I both had a modicum of success in marketing, sales, and consulting, I was also afforded quite a bit of time delivering training or other seminars. In doing so, I confess that I was not always careful with language. I want to write about language and its use, and maybe whatever else strikes my fancy.

But again: Why the insistence that we attend to language? I can only reply with a question, or two, and a suggestion. Have you turned on the news? Have you heard the lies, the distortion of facts, coming out of Fox News? Whom can you trust? Haven’t we reached a time when it now is vital for us to silence the furor and to listen with authenticity?

If you read Thomas Pynchon, you might simply remind individuals that a cure is available: they merely need to enroll themselves in a Tubal-detox program: cure themselves of “Tubeitis” that illness that permeates American life. It isn’t just on TV and Cable; it’s everywhere They can buy the placement of Their fear-mongering, society-splintering, destructive messages: all “no!. You have Rush L., Glenn Beck, and of course, WTMJ’s very own Charlie Sykes, who believe that if they use “words that work” often enough you will gladly, lemming-like allow yourselves to become victims of a Plutocratic Oligarchy. But hey! Who cares? Right? If the talking heads create enough noise pollution backed by the Koch brothers and other fear-mongerers such as the current lot of TeaParty-ites and Republicans pool of candidates, it will be perfectly alright with you?

And, let me add that yesterday I noticed someone say that Democrats are the same as Nazi’s to be defeated by the Tea Party. OMG! (As my 15, 13, and 10 year might say, but probably not). I felt compelled to add some “local color” if I might and stir the pot, but without language that is so blatantly outrageous and maybe even add a few words, as an Obama Republican, for our current Commander in Chief.
As my continuation I want to add, and expand upon, a blog I wrote in part nearly 2 years ago concerning how language was destroying our ability to talk about food. The problems, as it relates to language tearing apart the fabric of our national tapestry, has become worse.

Language, that which has the power to “create worlds”, apparently has been purchased, by what now is called the Tea Party and the Republicans. A paid “pundit” for the past few years has been publicly creating verbal playbooks for politicians to manipulate, to distort, to instill fear and mistrust, and to conceal. A lifelong Republican I confess to cringing at the lies. I also quickly found myself a proud Obama Republican. I want to use this blog to talk about language and to examine with others this current phenomenon of media: noise pollution designed only to un-elect a sitting president.

Language is the most powerful and under utilized tool at our disposal, individually, severally, and collectively. Sadly, in business, politics, and virtually all walks of life, certain powers with greater reach are broadcasting rancor during a time when this nation needs healing, a coming together, and the stimulus of growth.

Originally what got me riled up was the realization that we need more conscious use of language. At the time Food and Agribusiness were in the news. in business was the finger-pointing and railing against the machine concerning food: genetics, modified seeds, chemicals, food production, food safety, food labeling, etc.

Nearly two years ago, I found myself becoming increasingly angry over the public debate, the “national palaver” to quote Carlyle. I was heavily involved with agribusiness. I had been blessed , or cursed – if you must – to have been able to work with the leaders of that field: Dow AgroSciences, Bayer, Monsanto, Case/IH, AGCO – and so on. The industry was under attack. The “blogosphere” was filled with anger, misinformation, and a lot of noise. The anger was over mistakes made by certain executives in the past; and, as so often happens in the world, one person’s errors become to some the entirety of the company.

Like many of us, I am deeply bothered by the current public debate about food, food production and safety. The traditional, and newer "social" medias have taken this very, very complex issue and lumped together factoids about "feeding the world", "clean air", "global warming", "genetically modified crops", and the very sustainability of our planet.

Doing so only made things worse and certainly more confusing for most listeners. A great deal of positioning; a good deal of shouting; not much listening and working together going on there, so far, in this public debate. Agribusiness cannot allow itself to be dragged into a public brawl such as the one we've recently watched - and still are watching - about Health Care Reform and The Public Option.

Now, 18 months later, we have suffered through months of partisan paralysis. "Debt ceiling" debates became fodder for TeaParty radicals to stop progress and civility. The issues surrounding agribusiness and farmers, are among the most important topics of today because we all are involved in food and clothing and environmental issues. Yet, journalists such as Michael Pollan, Paul Roberts, and notable world citizens, such as Vandana Shiva, are inciting their audiences and special interest groups, mostly through fear and "adjustment" of the facts.

In contrast to these divisive voices, Peter Senge, of Fifth Discipline fame, offers a much more tempered approach, deeper and more thoughtful and quite a bit more challenging to each of us in his newest book, The Necessary Revolution. Today, however, the debate about Food seems not to be among the top 10 topics on the World News Tonight (whichever of the networks you follow). Instead, that same rancorous discord, those same outrageous, divisive language has been turned to again divide our nation. Radical claims concerning the future of our nation are fueling fear; causing the paralysis of recovery; the death of job creation; and, shutting down much of our hope for recovery in the near term.

The United States has become a country of Haves and Have-not's. Jobs have been taken away, sent overseas, leaving Americans unable to be fully engaged – all for the sake of the Plutocrats now hoarding their cash and chanting “No!”. The problem is how quickly the widening of the gap is becoming; and, that widening is not slowing down. Instead of using language, political power, and spending power to recreate a stronger America, distinguished by its equality and sense of inclusion for all, our media and those political talking heads, paid for by the ultra-wealthy, the Plutocrats, is fracturing the nation even further. We need that to stop.

We need authentic listening. We need to silence the lies, distortion of facts, and to begin using Language in order to create the sustainable future world we all desire. Not a world that excludes those the TeaParty doesn’t understand and are being taught to fear. Certainly the majority of us do not want an America for just the few who have control of all the wealth. 1/2 of 1% controls 80% of the wealth.

They cannot control the Language and ideas, however, or our nation will suffer tragic consequences. The issues we face in government are more complex, more divisive, and at a quantum level greater than the battle over food. Crafting a sustainable solution - just to guide the public debate - can, and will, not result from singularly slanted, or otherwise distorted preaching. These interrelated problems can only be corrected through a creative learning process. Rather than creating an atmosphere in which a true long-lasting solution can be crafted, these activists see only one-way: their own.

Instead we need to work together. Education and communications will play a huge role in shaping the outcome for many of us. It will take hard work. We lose all chance to shape the future, however, if we allow ourselves to be controlled by the puppeteers speaking into the ear-pieces of the TeaParty backed candidates and their media talking heads (or in the case of agribusiness: those outside agribusiness) to shape the public debate. Certainly we do not want to engage them at their level and try to yell over them: god help us if we try to do that – it’s just a waste of more money that could have been put into the economy to add value and thus would have been relevant to all citizens.


We need to listen. We need to look for the clearing. We need to listen for what has been concealed to become un-concealed. We need to practice what Stephen Covey suggests: "seek first to understand, then to be understood". We also need to build a dictionary that guides this conversation and mutual learning. All of us need to shape the language and use words that work and metaphors that reach across the gap between sides, pulling them into our conversation.

Keep this truism on a Post-It: "...those who define the debate will determine the outcome" (c.f., Frank Luntz, What Americans really want ... really). It's time to re-tell, or to tell anew, the story of farming, of how the world is fed and clothed - and what it will require when there are 9 Billion people on earth. It is time for us to educate the rest of the world about farming, agriculture, tillage practices, land and water conservation, seeds and chemicals. If we shape the conversation, without rancor and with a complete and easy-to-comprehend story, which helps reveal the truth in its complexity, everyone will come out ahead. Then we can move ahead proud of our stewardship and assured of a sustainable future.

But remember, "It's not what you say; it's what they hear" that matters We need business leaders and politicians to stop paying for words that work, words that distort and hide the truth. Our agribusiness leaders have worked exceedingly hard to being to address these same sometimes-difficult-and-admittedly- complex subjects through education and communication - the ones the extremists have distortedly made visible - so that our fellow citizens of the planet can help better understand the reality, the rancorous, drama can subside; constructive conversation, dialogue and trust can be built; and, we can craft a sustainable future together. We need that self-same commitment to renewal of our nation, as one of inclusion. We need to stop the fear mongering. We need to use language to un-conceal and to make the world we all want. The few that want to be the few can afford to go buy their own island: I suggest that they do just that. For the rest of us, let us co-create a sustainable future for America. That future will renew the social contract. Then we can walk our talk proudly. - old consultant adage, however: easy to say, harder to accomplish.

Unterwegs zur: Diagnostics, Facilitation, and Coaching for the B2B CRM & CEM Strategists

On the way to ....
As I walked in this morning, I saw a large horse fly resting on the sidewalk. Huge, not particularly attractive: it couldn’t possibly fly. When She (sic!) created flying creatures, people asked what God had been thinking to design the horse fly or the bumblebee. After all we know that God has a grand design and all creation fits into the plan according to Her design. In truth, however, God’s design of bumblebees and horse flies has come under question for centuries. As in: what was She thinking? Or, nothing designed that way can fly. Yet, we know that both creatures do fly and do so well. What works so easily for God does not work as well for humans when it comes to successful planning on how to get to there from here.

Getting from here-to-there is always on everybody’s minds; and, getting from here-to- there is always already a clearly visible destination. Truth is, however: often we get lost on the way. [And, no! I really do not just mean driving directions]. I’m thinking more along the lines of the transformation the US now faces as the Tea Party tries to hold the nation hostage and take its citizens back to the 1787-9 period; or, a lot more simple to solve, how to transform a business into a customer-centered, customer-based business.
The challenges are so immense as to risk hyperbole. The missteps made happen so frequently and predictably that there must be a better way.

We no longer can afford missteps in today’s hyper-competitive, always-on, flat world. No, what we need is a way to assure breakthrough performance and to assure creation of a roadmap that outlines our best chance to arrive at the destination, the desired end-state.
And it really is quite simple to effect best-planning and execution of these crucial transformations. The keys are diagnostics, facilitation, and coaching.

Plans, lucid, readable and comprehensible roadmaps are important, nay vital to success: whether it is a “simple” exercise, such as taking your family of 5 to [you fill-in-the-blanks] for a mini-summer vacation, or (more) complex such as planning for your 24 year old daughter’s dream wedding, or compound-complex as in establishing your firm’s new customer centered and customer focused strategy. (Thinking of plans as a type of sentence construction may be a helpful metaphor).

Distractions, unanticipated events, setbacks, life: all these “things” happen and so our best laid plans somehow end up producing horse flies rather than hummingbirds. Problem is our horse flies don’t fly. Our “success” at planning, unfortunately, does not translate into successful implementation and operational effectiveness.

And, so what?! What now? How can your B2B CRM & CEM strategy be implemented successfully, without a hitch? How do we plan for life to happen and keep on the path. As I began to write this paragraph these 2 phrases surfaced: “Seek first to understand.” “Start with the end in mind.” And, yes, both pieces of advice are apropos of this discussion. Do they give a way to find planning and implementation success? I think they do. And, I think they do because they un-conceal what has been hidden or that which may distract.

What is needed is diagnostics, facilitation, and coaching. The process will clearly define 3 critical areas: 1. Where you are starting from: the point of departure or your “Current State”; 2., Where you intend to end up: your destination or “Desired End-State”; and, 3., the stuff that has to be done, accomplished, solved, etc. so that you can, in fact, get from here to there: “the bridging tasks”.

Unterwegs zur…

on the way to language

When the salesman starts talking do your eyes glaze over; do your ears close a little; do you begin to daydream about your kids or... ? What happens when you listen, or watch, the news? Do you change channels; perhaps watch Veggie Tales with your kids, or even better: turn off the TV? Is Language alive. Do metaphors enhance our lives? Does Language reveal or hide? Persuade or do damage? Or , as always is the answer "It depends"?

My concern here, though, is the language of daily living.

I confess that I may have been pulling my own Rip Van Winkle. Driven to learn, to make money, to nurture my children, and to find balance, I find that i wasn't fully engaged with the world. Particularly the way in which we of the world communicate, use language to shape our world.

Never in my lifetime has the use of language emerged with such singular and dramatic force: a force for change; a force to bring about unification; a force for getting truth out to everyone; a force for lies, distortion, and manipulation.


Over the past two years, I've noticed that the level of disinformation and actual yelling has increased if one listens to cable and other news' outlets. The business of government has been forced to a sluggish, muddied, grimy cesspool more like paralyzed sewage rather than a fountain of living inspiration and truth.

I've gone back to school to work on a PhD - across a number of disciplines: literature, philosophy, and business (or, history & business). I wanted to build on my business acumen and successes while improving my own ability to create, think, learn, and lead. I have read quite a bit of Heidegger. There is so much more to read, digest, and absorb before I can begin to try to share it.

I have found out that Language is one part of what makes us human. I have learned that there is something called "Fixed English" another version called "Free English" and that there is a still newer version called "Words that Work".

I've tried to remain silent and listen over these last few months. I haven't wanted to pollute the public discussion by yelling, which in today's world seems to have emerged as the WAY by which communicators get their message across.

One thing I have come to realize is that Language is the key to unlock the potentiality of the world again. Language creates world. Language allows the unhiddenness of truth to become unconcealed. In order for Language to retain and have the full force of its power to create world, we must engage in authentic listening. Not something we American are good at.

Which takes me back to the salesman whose elevator speech has just made my eyes glaze over and my head to nod.

I really do wish I had answers. I know that I believe that I do - at least in the world of B2B CRM strategy, sales, marketing, and a few other areas try some authentic listening for myself and for all of us. We then can use Language to create world.

Alice through the looking glass: words that work or not?

The last few pieces I've posted have dealt with finding "words that work". There can be no more important time to make sure you are using words that work than when speaking to a customer or prospect. Here's an interesting example of such an exchange: between "the customer" and "the company". A passage from Lewis Carroll's Alice Through the Looking-Glass serves as the example.

'Humpty-Dumpty said: "There's glory for you."

"I don't know what you mean by 'glory'," Alice said.

Humpty-Dumpty smiled contemptuously. "Of course you don't till I tell you. I meant, 'There's a nice knock-down argument for you!'"

But 'glory' doesn't mean 'a nice knock-down argument'," Alice objected.

"When I use a word," Humpty-Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, "it means just what I choose it to mean, neither more nor less."

"The question is," said Alice, "whether you can make words mean so many different things."

"The question is," said Humpty Dumpty, "which is to be Master - that's all."

Perhaps the example is a stretch, but each of us can remember an encounter similar I am sure.

Remember: It is not what you say that matters; it is what they hear. More importantly, if they have no idea what you mean by what you say, you can rest assured that what you hear will create a disconnect rather than a deeper connection with your customer.

Finding "Words that work" for your customer-facing roles

"English...tends to ambiguity and obscurity of expression in any but the most careful writing."

Robert Graves, the great English poet, mythographer and translator, wrote these words in his 1943 book, The Use and Abuse of the English Language. I can only imagine how Graves might react to the language of 21^st century sales, marketing, and customer service efforts. If our written language is imperfect, what indeed can be said about our verbal skills?

For Customer Experience Management and CRM proponents, our message is this:

- there is a vital connection between your company and your customers that is forged at, and across, each touch point with them, as they move from suspect, to prospect, to trial user, to customer, and finally either to loyal customer advocate or to the position of terrorist, whose attitude threatens your reputation.

It is clear that we - each of us in those roles - must take more care, be more clear, be more precise, and more completely understandable as the company providing the service, products, solutions, and answers than our customers need be. Our front-line personnel can often feel besieged, if the customer is upset. Emotions can get in the way. In those "moments of truth", to borrow Percy Barneveld's phrase, when our frontline personnel are telling the product story, resolving an issue, or trying to sort through a complaint, the reputation and image of your company are put at risk.

Most of us understand this reality. Many of you have tried to communicate, train, and monitor your front-line people. Yet, all too often, it is the linguistic part of the interaction that causes the breakdown. I am not advocating scripting. I've never really liked the idea of any customer-facing representative having a script. I do advocate, however, guidance and planning: training, role-playing, on-going communications, and (perhaps even) a company-specific, conversational "dictionary" as actionable tools that each front-line, customer-facing individual can absorb and personalize.

In today's economy, our customers are looking for openness, resolution, and consistency. While words alone will not save or protect your reputation, words alone can sink your Customer Experience Management Efforts.

The Integrated model - the essence of best practices CRM

The Integrated Model is a Gold Mine: it’s the essence of successful CRM.

In business-to-business marketing, the integrated direct marketing model is a gold mine for the marketing group that wants to build sustainable relationships with the right customers. The Integrated Direct model is the foundation of best practices Customer Relationship Management and Customer Experience Management. The economics of the Integrated Direct model come from two primary facts:

1. Marketers have come to realize that they cannot afford to invest in all customers and prospects equally. In fact, acquisition efforts should be segregated out from cultivation, retention, and “win-back” efforts. Integrated Direct Marketing – that is the integration of your “market coverage efforts (sales, marketing and service) - allows us to do that. This delivers the promise of CRM.

2. More expensive contact types, such as face-to-face or special events, can be leveraged with tremendous effectiveness by lower contact types, such as the Internet, social media, E-mail, print, snail-mail, and phone.

Here’s what the integrated direct marketing process can do for you:

1. Reduce the expense to revenue ratio by at least 15%

2. Increase the number and frequency of value-based contacts to the right prospect or customer

3. Increase the perceived service level at the point of contact

4. Increase product penetration

5. Increase customer loyalty

Additionally, in support of particular product lines, Integrated Direct Marketing ensures:

1. Faster Introduction

2. Higher amplitude of sales

3. Segmented and sustained market position

4. More control when migrating customers to newer models, products and services.

Quoting Bob Stone, long the venerable guru of American direct marketing, a definition of direct marketing must include three phrases: “interactive system,” “using one or more contact media,” and as must all direct marketing “effect a measurable response or transaction.”

Integrated Direct Marketing is not direct mail; it is not telemarketing; it is not transaction focused. The integrated direct marketing model is data-based and loyalty focused. Integrated Direct Marketing is highly targeted marketing that uses an integrated, organized, planned system of contacts by which we make offers to individuals using a variety of media. This system of building sustainable loyalty with our customers and prospects creates an on-going civil dialogue. It is accomplished by integrating communication across all contact media - print, the Internet, E-mail, mail, phone, field events and face-to-face visits from the field force. It’s defining characteristic is the delivery of relevant value. The value is defined for us by our customers and prospects. It provides for the delivery of relevant value-based information at the right time, in the desired delivery system, to the right individual that ensures interdependent relationships built over time.

This “Market Coverage” model makes use of the marketing database as the repository of corporate memory, storing the results of all interactions with customers and prospects.

In addition to simple facts such as demographics and product usage, today’s sophisticated marketers are building database systems that capture the complexity of buyers’ needs and purchasing behavior along with relevant complaint and/or satisfaction issues. The information then is available for product design groups, marketing, sales, research and other corporate functions. The database becomes the springboard for the organization’s need to be responsive, flexible, and dedicated to learning. Through the technology of our database, we are able to store response data by individual contact within an account. Moreover, we are able to measure our effectiveness relative to cost and to results. The measurability tracks profits, investments, expenses, account penetration (or, “share of wallet”), problems, issues, complaints and satisfaction.

Integrated Direct Marketing is a systematic method of getting close to our customers. Using this tool we can integrate our channel contacts and media efforts through a common database, which is focused on our target universe. Through testing we can validate results and expand our program and processes with great certainty.

The marketing database is mind of the IDM organization. It is serviced by a proactive outbound call center (or telemarketing unit), which becomes both a listening post to customers and the dealer channel as well as a way to leverage the field organization in building relationships and selling products. In the Integrated model the marketing database is shared with the field organization, your channel partners, and all internal departments.

The essence of a successful Integrated process is the ability to capture, centrally, information about our customers and prospects at all points of contact – and then to transform that information in actionable knowledge that is shared across and between those functional areas inside your firm that touch the customer or your channel partners. The key to success then is how well the marketer can segment within a given target audience. It is critical in the B2B arena to segment on similar sets of unfulfilled needs and purchasing behavior. This allows us to understand our customers’ need and how they buy and then to market our products and services to these identified niches.

Once the segments have been identified (keeping in mind that the entire target universe may emerge as one large segment), the next step to take is to grade accounts within segments to ensure that the investment made is the least amount of money to strengthen the relationship with the particular account.

The grading model is a valuation model. In the Business-to-Business world, the grading model no longer should be the simplistic A-B-C model. Instead, it should allow enough granularity to understand the profitability and penetration potential of each cohort or segment. I suggest 5 grades, although in certain cases, I believe 7 to be the optimal number of grades.

Grading (or, “valuation”) is the economic modeling of the Integrated Direct effort based upon an investment decision, which takes into, account the historical (actual) revenue and potential revenue from a particular segment of accounts. In other words, grading serves the marketer as an economic and analytical tool, which requires that we invest in the major segments we have created proportional to their economic history and potential.

Integrated direct marketing works both as a stealth defensive weapon, as well as a highly leverageable marketing tool. The competitive advantage it affords the skilled executioner is proprietary and affords increasing , not decreasing, economic returns. The fundamental concepts we use in loyalty-focused customer relationship management include:

1. Market to individuals … not to corporations

2. Address the unique set of needs of that buyer group (or application)

3. Individuals are clustered (i.e., segmented) around common sets of needs which define a market niche

4. All contacts with an individual, whether a customer or a prospect, must be of value as defined by them

5. The technology we use is transparent

6. Planning is critical

7. Testing is mandatory

8. Integration is the process used to ensure that the higher cost contacts are leveraged

9. Properly executed the integrated model creates a continuous improvement process that profitably drives business strategy by creating a sustainable atmosphere of cooperation and coordination across, and between, your company’s various functional areas.

10. The investment made is proportional to the level of commitment to us, to the expected return from this customer.

If "It's what people hear"...?

How often do you listen well? How well do you listen to your customers and prospects? Better yet: How well do you hear yourself?

If you are in sales, marketing, customer service, or another "customer-facing" role, what could word-choice and your use of language have to do with your success; with your customer acquisition and loyalty efforts; or, with the entire concept of customer relationship and customer experience management? Any? None? My guess is most of us never think deeply about it? Perhaps we should.

Preparation, research, scripting, and rehearsal are important parts of our pre-call planning, before meeting, or talking, with customers and prospects. If you’re in AG, you know the facts: "stuff" such as, acreage, crops planted, inputs and equipment: heck, you many even know the dog’s name. Does it matter in some way, when you talk with these customers, if you’re waging a “campaign” or having a “conversation” or developing a relationship?