You know what kills sales faster than anything?
Being boring.
And the most boring writing habit of all?
Waffling. You might not know the word, but once you see it, you can’t unsee it.
How to Spot (and Destroy) Waffling
Check out these real examples:
“The meeting will be held at five and what will be discussed is ‘the sorry state of business writing.’”
“I’m reaching out to you because we’ve been in the process of developing a new marketing system geared towards the generation of leads for home service businesses.“
“I know you’re probably busy and I don’t want to take too much of your time since your schedule is probably packed.”
What do they all have in common?
Weak. Passive. Bloated.
They dance around the point instead of driving straight through it. Trying to cut through the noise with language like this is like trying to chop wood with a spaghetti noodle. You need a chainsaw.
Turn Passive Blabber Into Active Punch
Let’s fix these.
Original:
“The meeting will be held at five and what will be discussed is ‘the sorry state of business writing.’”
Better:
“Meeting’s at five. Topic: the sorry state of business writing.”
Original:
“I’m reaching out to you because we’ve been in the process of developing a new marketing system geared towards the generation of leads for home service businesses.“
Better:
“We generate leads for home service businesses. Interested?”
Original:
“I know you’re probably busy and I don’t want to take too much of your time…”
Better:
[Delete it entirely.]
If you respect their time, prove it by getting to the point — fast.
No More Apologies. No More Fluff.
Stop hiding behind soft, overpolite, neutered language.
Write like someone with something valuable to say.
Be clear. Be bold. Be brief.
You’ll get attention — and you’ll close more deals.
Talk soon,
Arian
P.S. Want help making sure your writing actually sells?
Reach out to my agency. If it’s a good fit, I’ll personally audit your messaging, pinpoint the waffle, and show you how we’d fix it — all on a no-pressure call.
No cost. No commitment. No fluff.
Just sharp strategy and straight talk.
