I’m away next week so I decided to plan a recap of some of the more popular #WordNerdWednesday posts while I’m gone. Of course, that made me wonder why we call it a “recap.” (I’m not joking. This is how my brain works.) “Recap” is a shortened version of “recapitulate,” which means to sum up … Read more
Word Nerd Wednesday – RECAP
Word Nerd Wednesday – ETIQUETTE
How do you politely leave the conversation at a networking event? What do I wear to a client meeting when their dress code is business casual? Who orders first at a business dinner? When (if ever) is it okay to use emojis in professional emails? I’ve been working for 25+ years and still struggle with … Read more
Word Nerd Wednesday – DEPENDENCE
As I talk to leaders about the the ebb and flow of trust in their relationship with vendors, one question I love to ask is why they stick with providers they don’t trust. The top answer by far is dependence. Trapped customers would love to go elsewhere but don’t for one of two reasons: âž¾ … Read more
Word Nerd Wednesday – ONBOARDING
The onboarding journey sets the tone for new customer relationships. Unfortunately, many organizations don’t think or talk about it from the customer’s perspective. People don’t want to be “onboarded.” They want to start using your product or service to accomplish their goals. If that takes 90 days, fine. If it takes 90 minutes, even better. … Read more
Word Nerd Wednesday – WI-FI
#WordNerdWednesday I had to double check this week’s WNW entry with multiple sources before I would believe it. Apparently “Wi-Fi” doesn’t stand for “wireless fidelity.” It doesn’t officially stand for anything. Brand agency Interbrand came up with Wi-Fi to promote a then-new wireless connection technology called “IEEE 802.11” to non-techies. The public wasn’t likely to … Read more
Word Nerd Wednesday – PARTNER
“How do we get customers to see us as a strategic partner, not just a vendor?” I get this question all the time. My answer is simple, if not easy – to gain trusted partner status with your customers, START ACTING LIKE ONE. I don’t mean that to sound snarky. It’s the B2B equivalent of … Read more
Word Nerd Wednesday – BENEVOLENT CONCERN
#WordNerdWednesday Organizations need to balance competing stakeholder needs. Consider these common situations: ⇨ Acknowledging a product’s limitations might mean you lose the sale. Do you tell prospects anyway? ⇨ Keeping prices low might hurt profit margin. Raising them might cost you sales. What do you do? ⇨ A customer’s order arrived damaged. Do you make … Read more
Word Nerd Wednesday – WEDNESDAY
When I found an article on how the days of the week got their names, I had to share it with you, my #WordNerdWednesday crew! A link to the full piece is in the first comment, but here’s a sneak peak with my color commentary below: “Wednesday, the fourth day of the week, was named … Read more
Word Nerd Wednesday – SPELLING ALPHABET
#WordNerdWednesday If you have a unique or frequently misspelled name, you’re probably an expert “spelling alphabet” user. To avoid getting an extra H or EA added to my name I use some variation of the following – “M as in Mary, E as in Elizabeth, G as in Girl, A as in Apple, N as … Read more
Word Nerd Wednesday – WASTE
#WordNerdWednesday You may not know this, but I lead a quarterly book club that draws on insights from other domains to help customer-focused leaders find creative solutions to perennial problems. Our Q2 2025 book selection is “Reset” by Dan Heath, and I wanted to float one of the definitions from the book by this community … Read more
