As a messaging expert, one of my biggest pet peeves is that B2B businesses are all doing and saying the same things in their marketing. So much so, that Paul Cupcutt, a LinkedIn expert shared that there are 10 words that he is removing from client profiles. These 10 words are so over-used that they simply allow the person to blend right in with all other professionals who are doing the same job on LinkedIn.
What are these words and what do you replace them with?

1. Passionate-As opposed to dead-fish? I’d rather see that you share, blog and interact about the subject you’re passionate about.
2. Creative-Remember the ‘show, not tell’ adage? Use videos, add a funny 1-liner to your bio, add a creative presentation you’ve done.
3. Experienced-Why not let your swank resume show off your age and wisdom?
4. Strategic-Show them how strategic you really are by talking about your results in your bio or your CV.
5. Focused-Stop telling people you’re a jack of all trades. Make sure your profile talks about one or two specific things your career has been focused on.
6. Specialized-Again, if your bio, CV and videos are always talking about the same expertise, you don’t ever have to say that you’re specialized. Show them.
7. Leadership-Find one single aspect of leadership that you’re focused, specialized and an expert in. See how I used all 3 overused words here? Instead, demonstrate which specific area of leadership you’re good at in the stories you tell with your content.
8. Expert-You can only be an expert if you live, breathe and bleed the same subject. Make sure your profile and posts are always talking about that one thing.
9. Certified-It’s almost better from a marketing stand point to be certifiable to stand out. Instead of using the word itself, use the logos of the certifications and join the association LinkedIn groups instead of using up profile real estate to tell people that you’re certified.
10. Excellent-Isn’t that really a bit subjective? One man’s excellent is another’s mediocre. Why not show metrics and key performance indicators as proof of your excellence in your profile? List awards, media mentions and accolades, even if they’re from your Mom!

So, do the business world and LinkedIn a huge favour and stop saying the same things in your profile (and marketing!) as everyone else.
Want to reposition your messaging to grow your leads? Follow me on Twitter, friend me on Facebook, watch me on YouTube or connect with me on LinkedIn –and let’s talk.