“The difference between the almost right word and the right word is the difference between the lightning- bug and the lightning.”      

                                                                                    Mark Twain

 Selecting the proper word when conveying information is an important part of effective communication.  Unfortunately, some words begin losing their meaning over time due to misuse or lack of use.  We might think this happens only in the worlds of teenagers who often change the meanings of words on a whim.  Yet I find that words in the business world often take on skewed or variant meanings as well. 

Here are a few of the most often confused terms I encounter. 

Strategic vs. Tactical:  Both are terms originally coined by the military but no respectable officer would ever confuse their meaning. 

Webster defines Strategy as: “The science of planning and directing large scale military operations, specifically of maneuvering forces into the most advantageous position prior to actual engagement with the enemy.” 

Conversely, Webster defines Tactics as: “The military science that deals with securing objectives set by strategy, especially the technique of deploying and directing military assets in effective maneuvers while engaged with an enemy.”  

Therefore, strategy is primarily a planning exercise and tactics are primarily putting into action the plans that have been devised. 

Marketing vs. Sales: Though these two business disciplines are related and complementary, they are distinctly different.  Yet many have lumped these two terms together as if there is no distinction between them.  Pick up the classified ads of virtually any newspaper and you’ll see what I’m talking about. 

Marketing is the strategic function of understanding internal and external strengths and weaknesses, developing relationships with customers and alliance partners, discovering customer passions, wants and needs, and segmenting customers of like passions into groups so that meaningful messages can be defined for each group.  Marketing is about the big picture, pricing strategies and development of profitable revenue and market-share based on a planned approach. 

Sales, on the other hand, is more tactical in nature.  It is the execution of the plan that marketing has developed prior to the sales initiative.  Sales is detail oriented and is most effective when focused on meeting the needs of one customer at a time.  Sales seeks to identify the decision-makers and present a compelling case for one’s product or service based on matching the product’s features and benefits to a specific customer’s needs. 

Vision vs. Mission:  When referencing business documents, more and more companies are combining “vision/mission statements” rather than developing two separate statements.   In most cases this amalgamation is the result of a misunderstanding of the distinct nature of the two concepts.

 A mission statement should be crafted that clearly defines the activities (actions/work/methods) of your organization.  For example the Unicorn Assistance Organization might have a mission statement that reads something like: “We will aid and defend all Unicorns in North America by providing veterinary care, habitat protection and safe breeding areas in close proximity to each Unicorn or Unicorn community wherever they are found.” 

A vision statement is a higher level document that should be designed to articulate the expected outcome of the activities of your organization.  The Unicorn Assistance Organization might then develop a vision statement like: “Through our actions and the alliances we form with others, we envision the North American Continent as a safe place and inviting habitat for Unicorn communities that will exist in harmony with their educated and accepting human neighbors.” 

So, in all your business communication, remember that important-sounding words alone are not enough.  A common understanding of the meaning behind the words is necessary for efficacious communication to take place and for your enterprise to thrive.

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