That word “solutions”!

Have you ever found yourself sitting behind a truck on a clogged up motorway and idly wondered just exactly what service they’re advertising splashed across the rear doors? You’ve been looking at the slogan for the last half hour, but you’re none the wiser as to what they’re actually offering. What a waste that slogan is for that business.

There’s a very strong possibility that you’ve been flummoxed by the word “solutions”. It’s one of the most overused words in industry. It’s used to sell entire businesses or individual products and services. Business solutions, global solutions, rapid solutions, end-to-end solutions, total solutions … But what is the point of the word, and how does it help tell people what a business is actually selling?

Take “printing solutions”. Can this business design and print the business cards and letterheads you know you need? Or does it sell inkjets and laser printers? Or is it a printing plant for newspapers and magazines? Or is it the local photocopying shop? Will you bother to take their phone number or url and find out?

The moral is - if you’re setting up a business, or naming a new product, think hard about what you are actually offering to your potential customers. Who are the people you want to attract? What is the benefit you can provide for them? And make the few words you have available really work for you. Avoid the word “solutions” and you’ll have to work much harder to describe what you do - but you’ll make life a lot easier for your audience. And by the way, that goes for the word “systems” too.