The Language of Trust: Selling Ideas in a World of Skeptics

by Michael Maslansky, Scott West, Gary DeMoss, David Saylor

Overview

What to Say, How to Say It, Why It Matters

If you're trying to sell something-whether it's a product, a service, or an idea-you are facing a new era of consumers who listen less and question more. The Language of Trust is for anyone who must sell ideas, products, services, or even themselves to a public that just doesn't want to hear it.

Based on pioneering consumer research, The Language of Trust shows you how to regain the confidence of your clients and customers and communicate with them on their terms. You'll learn what words to use, what words to lose, and how to structure your message to overcome skepticism and build and keep the trust of your audience.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780735204560
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	05/03/2011
Pages:	288
Sales rank:	438,167
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.20(h) x 0.90(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Michael Maslansky is one of corporate America’s leading communications and research strategists. As CEO of Maslansky, Luntz & Partners, the firm that produced the New York Times best-seller Words That Work, he advises leading organizations, such as PepsiCo, eBay, Microsoft, and Pfizer on what to say, how to say it, and most important, why it matters. He has conducted hundreds of research projects in over twenty countries using his firm’s proprietary polling and focus group methodology, cited by the New York Times, Washington Post, New Yorker, 60 Minutes, Nightline, and PBS’ Frontline, among others.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments vii

Welcome to the World of Skeptics ix

Part 1 The New Language of Trust 1

1 America's Post-Trust Era 3

2 It All Starts with Words 25

Part 2 The Four Principles of Credible Communication 53

3 Be Personal 57

4 Be Plainspoken 71

5 Be Positive 89

6 Be Plausible 111

Part 3 The New Word Order 127

7 Getting to Listen: Engagement Before Discussion 133

8 It's Not About You: Putting Their Interests Before Yours 159

9 That's Not What I Meant: Context Before Specifics 181

Part 4 The Medium and the Message 209

10 The Language of Trust in a Digital World 213

11 The Anti-Trust Laws: Twenty Banned Phrases 231

Epilogue: Building a New Age of Trust 243

Endnotes 249

Index 253

What People are Saying About This

Suzanne Coulter

There are many books on effective communication, but this book is unique in the way it recognizes the importance of language and messaging as ways to build trust when talking to customers, partners, or employees. The Language of Trust will help any executive who must communicate with strength and credibility. (Suzanne Coulter, president of Polo Retail Corporation)

Frank Luntz

Trust has never been more important in the corporate world—because there's so little of it. For years, people have tried to figure out how to communicate trust. Now, finally, Michael Maslansky has unlocked the DNA of trust. Anyone who cares about their employees, their customers, or their reputation has to read this book. (Dr. Frank Luntz, author of Words That Work and What Americans Really Want . . . Really)

Philip K. Howard

Today's polarized discourse makes it hard to understand problems, much less fix them. The Language of Trust provides the core principles needed for moving forward. (Philip K. Howard, founder of Common Good and author of The Death of Common Sense and Life Without Lawyers)

Cathy Weatherford

Marketers, financial advisors, and communicators of all types should take note of the lessons in this book. ...More than most, Michael understands the enormous challenges we face, and this book provides an essential set of tools and practical approaches for reconnecting with customers who may have lost faith in what we offer. It isn't enough for us to have a good story to tell; we must also be able to tell a good—and credible—story. The Language of Trust will help any communicator who must win over a skeptical audience. (Cathy Weatherford, CEO of Insured Retirement Institute)

From the Publisher

"Trust has never been more important in the corporate world-because there's so little of it. For years, people have tried to figure out how to communicate trust. Now, finally, Michael Maslansky has unlocked the DNA of trust. Anyone who cares about their employees, their customers, or their reputation has to read this book."
-Dr. Frank Luntz, author of Words That Work and What Americans Really Want...Really

"To successfully earn trust in face-to-face or Facebook communication, embrace the proven concepts in The Language of Trust—they're as important to your life as involuntary breathing. It's just common sense."
-Thomas L. Harrison, LHD, chairman and CEO of Diversified Agency Services division of Omnicom Group Inc.

"Michael Maslansky has written the ultimate guide to winning trust in a world that has lost it. He writes with wit, wisdom, and a commendable absence of jargon. If you are concerned about trust, and all of us should be, then this book is an indispensible starting point."
-Lord Gould, former polling and strategy advisor to Prime Minister Tony Blair, and Deputy Chairman of Freud Communication

"Marketers, financial advisors, and communicators of all types should take note of the lessons in this book....More than most, Michael understands the enormous challenges we face, and this book provides an essential set of tools and practical approached for reconnecting with customers who may have lost faith in what we offer. It isn't enough for us to have a good story to tell; we must also be able to tell a good-and credible-story. The Language of Trust will help any communicator who muct win over a skeptical audience."
-Cathy Weatherford, CEO of Insured Retirement Institute

"Today's polarized discourse makes it hard to understand problems, much less fix them. The Language of Trust provides the core principles needed for moving forward."
-Philip K. Howard, founder of Common Good and author of The Death of Common Sense and Life Without Lawyers

"There are many books on effective communication, but this book is unique in the way it recognizes the importance of language and messaging as ways to build trust when talking to customers, partners, or employees. The Language of Trust will help any executive who must communicate with strength and credibility."
-Suzanne Coulter, president of Polo Retail Corporation

Lord Gould

Michael Maslansky has written the ultimate guide to winning trust in a world that has lost it. He writes with wit, wisdom, and a commendable absence of jargon. If you are concerned about trust, and all of us should be, then this book is an indispensable starting point. (Lord Gould, former polling and strategy advisor to Prime Minister Tony Blair, and Deputy Chairman of Freud Communication)

Thomas L. Harrison

To successfully earn trust in face-to-face or Facebook communication, embrace the proven concepts in The Language of Trust—they're as important to your life as involuntary breathing. It's just common sense. (Thomas L. Harrison, LHD, chairman and CEO of Diversified Agency Services division of Omnicom Group Inc.)

Editorial Reviews

"Trust has never been more important in the corporate world-because there's so little of it. For years, people have tried to figure out how to communicate trust. Now, finally, Michael Maslansky has unlocked the DNA of trust. Anyone who cares about their employees, their customers, or their reputation has to read this book."
-Dr. Frank Luntz, author of Words That Work and What Americans Really Want...Really

"To successfully earn trust in face-to-face or Facebook communication, embrace the proven concepts in The Language of Trust-they're as important to your life as involuntary breathing. It's just common sense."
-Thomas L. Harrison, LHD, chairman and CEO of Diversified Agency Services division of Omnicom Group Inc.

"Michael Maslansky has written the ultimate guide to winning trust in a world that has lost it. He writes with wit, wisdom, and a commendable absence of jargon. If you are concerned about trust, and all of us should be, then this book is an indispensable starting point."
-Lord Gould, former polling and strategy advisor to Prime Minister Tony Blair, and Deputy Chairman of Freud Communication

"Marketers, financial advisors, and communicators of all types should take note of the lessons in this book....More than most, Michael understands the enormous challenges we face, and this book provides an essential set of tools and practical approached for reconnecting with customers who may have lost faith in what we offer. It isn't enough for us to have a good story to tell; we must also be able to tell a good- and credible-story. The Language of Trust will help any communicator who muct win over a skeptical audience."
-Cathy Weatherford, CEO of Insured Retirement Institute

"Today's polarized discourse makes it hard to understand problems, much less fix them. The Language of Trust provides the core principles needed for moving forward."
-Philip K. Howard, founder of Common Good and author of The Death of Common Sense and Life Without Lawyers

"There are many books on effective communication, but this book is unique in the way it recognizes the importance of language and messaging as ways to build trust when talking to customers, partners, or employees. The Language of Trust will help any executive who must communicate with strength and credibility."
-Suzanne Coulter, president of Polo Retail Corporation

From the Publisher

As CEO of his own communications consulting firm, research strategist Maslansky advises clients like Starbucks, Bank of America and Microsoft on successfully communicating with their customers, an effort he admits is far more challenging in the shaky economic aftermath of the 2008 financial collapse: as a nation, we are more distrustful than ever that the government and other major institutions are looking out for the interests of average citizens and customers. To combat rising skepticism, Maslansky's offers a step-by-step strategy for "credible communication" based in quantitative and qualitative research, including input from focus groups and surveys demonstrating people's responses to different forms of messaging, and real-world examples from a number of industries, including finance and politics (contrasting, for example, President Obama's campaign messages with then-Senator Hillary Clinton's). Key to his approach are four messaging principles-being personal, plainspoken, positive, and plausible-and the idea of listening to and prioritizing customers' interests. Along with executives from Van Kampen Investments and Consulting, Maslansky clearly and convincingly demonstrates that words do matter, almost as much as how they're said.
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