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Have you read the Steve Jobs biography? I only ask because I've pretty much been banned from speaking about it at home. It's getting that way at work, too, except one of my colleagues is just as fascinated with the book as I am. One reason I like the book is because it defines visionary and I've been desperate for someone to do that. Here's why.

I've written before about gobbledygook, the irritating habit of marketers to describe everything the same way using the same tired words. Small business owners are particularly guilty of this although plenty of large organizations with big budgets for copywriting do it too. It's that word `visionary' that drives me `round the bend every time.

What is a visionary?
Getting back to my new favourite subject, the Jobs book gives an in-depth look at what it means to be a visionary. Steve Jobs was a difficult man driven by a clear vision of how he thought the world should look. He didn't buck trends; he created whole new markets. He obsessed. He was a bully and completely unlikable. He left a wake of human relations disasters, both professionally and personally. Realistically, he's not the kind of guy you would want on your team. In the brief time he did hold a job, he was made to work alone on the night shift because he was impossible to be around.

Don't you mean missionary?
Compare that behavior to what you do. I see so many B2B companies sell themselves as visionaries. It's even more common with consultants. Copywriters and marketers are not immune to the visionary boast. When you're selling your services, aren't you really agreeing to help people find their way? Don't you help businesses achieve their goals, meet their targets and improve their earnings? Aren't you mapping out short-term and long-term strategies? What about providing services or products to assist in all of these goals? That's what you're doing, right? It sounds an awful lot like missionary work to me.

Trust me on this
Think about the power of presenting yourself to the market as a missionary. What could be more appealing than knowing your service providers and vendors are on a mission to help you succeed? Personally, I don't want a visionary on my team. Yes, I want bright, creative, thoughtful people to help me. I don't want an autocratic, inflexible tyrant. If I could eliminate one word from the marketing jargon of the world it would be visionary. I've done my level best with my own clients but plenty of people don't want to hear it. Steve Jobs was a visionary. You're not.

Am I right about this missionary thing?

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