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“We are the market leader, earning our clients’ loyalty by providing exemplary service and value. We value honesty, innovation and our employees most of all.”

If your mission statement resembles that, shame on you.

Weasel words. At McLellan Marketing Group, we use that term for the buzzwords people use when they really don’t know what to say. It’s almost like a magician’s sleight of hand. If I use these words, you won’t recognize that I’m not really saying anything.

Many times, weasel words crop up when a committee is involved. Words like empowerment, paradigm and innovation are clues that you’ve entered into the weasel word danger zone.

Contrast those weasel words with this simple but meaning-packed sentence. It comes from the values statement of one of our clients (they wrote it themselves, so we’re not patting ourselves on the back.) “Fun provides energy for success.” I not only understood every word, but the statement gives me a sense of who they are. And what they’d be like to work with.

I think people use weasel words because they are at a loss. They think they need to fill space or deflect our attention. Or they think that somehow we won’t believe they’re legit if they talk like regular people. They’re afraid they won’t measure up.

The truth of the matter is – we know they’re not perfect. And we like them better when they don’t pontificate or wax on.

Basically, they have a brand inferiority complex. Keep a sharp eye on your own writing and your company’s cornerstone documents. At the first sign of weasel words, grab that red pen.

Drew McLellan is Top Dog at McLellan Marketing Group and blogs at www.drewsmarketingminute.com. He can be reached at Drew@MclellanMarketing.com. © 2009 Drew McLellan