Twisting Cliches Until They Are New Again

“Any great truth can — and eventually will — be expressed as a cliche — a cliche is a sure and certain way to dilute an idea. For instance, my grandmother used to say, ‘The black cat is always the last one off the fence.’ I have no idea what she meant, but at one time, it was undoubtedly true.”
— Solomon Short

In Issue #152

Twisting Cliches Until They Are New Again
by Monica Day

A couple years ago I had an opportunity to interview one of the giants of the industry: Martin Edelston, founder of Boardroom. Thirty years ago Marty launched his company in his basement with just $5,000…and a dream.

Today, Boardroom is one of the largest direct mailers in the country. In their five publications, plus numerous books, their network of thousands of experts offer advice on just about every topic you can imagine, ranging from investment advice… raising children… buying and selling a home… avoiding illness… building careers… and much, much more.

(If you don’t already subscribe to them, you should think about it. This is definitely a company whose promotions merit study! They are: Bottom Line/Personal, Bottom Line/Health, Bottom Line/Retirement, Tax Hotline, and Bottom Line/Natural Healing.)

So you get the picture: Giant of the industry…flanked by his three top officers…and AWAI director Katie Yeakle sitting around the table…and me.

I was more than a little nervous. I tried to ask questions that sound like I know what I’m talking about. Then, we hit a topic I’m SO sure I have nailed. Cliches. And I say something like…

“Lots of new writers fall back on using clichés…what advice would you give new writers about avoiding clichés?”

And he replies, “Avoid them?! I wish they would use more of them!” 

I was shocked! He went on to explain that most of Boardroom’s top controls took a cliché…and then twisted it to make it fresh. The power of clichés is that they are familiar. And that familiarity helps a reader get a point or idea more quickly:

Cliches are very important.  Virtually all the great ads of all time looking backwards, they’re either clichés that you borrowed from the past, or they are words that you put together and they’re like instant clichés.

I knew a guy with an interesting business. He bought stores that wanted to go out of business, and then ran sales for merchandise. And he always gave a reason in his ad: “50% OFF, Lost Our Lease” or “Highway Coming Through.” These are clichés, but they communicate, and in this case, the added element really works – you give people a reason to buy.

Or in some cases, you find a great cliché, and you twist it a little so it becomes something new, wrapped up in a recognizable package. Like the Volkswagen one: “Think small.” David Ogilvy did that very effectively.

I don’t get enough clichés from my writers. 

So there you have it. It’s not about avoiding clichés at all, but rather using them in fresh ways that harness their power to communicate without seeming overused or trite.

Resource Referral: Going To The Next Level

It took a meeting with a Master for me to uncover the information I shared with you today. You can find my interview with Marty – along with hundreds of surprising tips and techniques that will move you from beginner to A-list copywriters in a fraction of the time it might take you to do it on your own – in the AWAI Master’s Program.

I use this intensive and extensive course as a reference source as much as a course, going back to it over and over when I get stuck or need fresh ideas for my promotions. If you haven’t made the leap into mastery yet, this is the fastest way to go.

Quick Life Tip: Follow Your Energy

I have a friend who is making a major change in his life. It will affect his job, his relationships, his family, his religious observance…everything. Needless to say, he’s freaking out. And yet, the motivation for this change is coming from somewhere deep inside of him. It is the pull of his purpose, calling him into a whole new way of being. And he knows it.

The other day, he hit a point in the transition that can best be described as panic. Having done nothing but make a major transition myself in the last 18 months, I recognized it instantly. And I knew the cause as well. He was attempting to still do his old life 100% plus do his new life 100%. You don’t have to be a math wiz to see the impossibility of such an equation.

If you are facing a similar challenge making a transition in your life, I’ll give you the same advice I gave to him. Follow your energy. You will notice that as your old life falls away, you will have less and less energy to tend to it. And as your new life takes shape, your energy will naturally spike as you tend to it. When we resist this shift and try to hold onto things that aren’t working anymore, it becomes a drain. We get tired, anxious, and stressed out.

Your energy is valuable and should be spent wisely. Resistance to change is expensive, and robs you of what you truly need to get to the next level of success and achievement in your life. Imagine that your energy is like your bank account and start making more deposits than withdrawals. You’ll soon find that you know exactly what needs to be done in every moment, and you’ll have everything you need to take on your new life.