Are You Buzzword Fluent or Results Fluent?
The other day I saw a Facebook post from a Hollywood reporting mag that made me pause:
“She lifts the contingency off the project from Gail Lerner & Jamie Lee Curtis.”
I had to stop. 
Yessss, I know what contingency means… but reading that sentence had me going, wait, what???
I’ve been a SAG-AFTRA union signatory. I’ve worked on countless movies. I’ve read the contracts. And even I had to reread that sentence.
This is industry shorthand. Translation: she signed on so the project can officially move forward. But still… sometimes, the way people write stuff these days? It makes you blink.
Two Types of Marketers
In marketing, there are two types of professionals:
Buzzword Fluent → fancy words, less action
Results Fluent → maybe less flashy, but gets the job done
Buzzword Fluent
You know the type. They’ll drop lines like:
- “Let’s activate this vertical.”
- “We should leverage synergy across teams.”
- “We need a holistic omnichannel strategy.”
- “Time to sunset the initiative and pivot.”
Sounds polished, sounds smart, sounds super important. Sometimes it is. Sometimes… it’s just words.
They shine in meetings, decks, emails. But read carefully… you might have no idea what actually happened.
Results Fluent
Results Fluent marketers? They ask the real questions:
- “Did it increase brand awareness?”
- “Did it generate qualified leads?”
- “Did it ship on time?”
- “Did it make the client look good?”
They might not sound fancy. They probably won’t sprinkle in “synergy” or “paradigm.” But they move things forward. They know what matters. And clients notice that.
Why This Matters
Clarity is disappearing, friends. Somewhere along the way, we started measuring how smart sentences sound instead of whether they actually do anything.
Example? Look at some marketing website home pages. Paragraphs of big words, promises, buzzwords… and you finish reading thinking:
“Wait… what do these people actually do?”
Yep. Happens all the time. Words that sound important but say… nothing. Clients don’t pay for fancy language. They pay for what you actually do.
Test Yourself: Are You Buzzword Fluent?
Try this little game. It’s terrifyingly fun.
- Open a random marketing website or agency homepage.
- Look for sentences like:
- “We leverage cutting-edge strategies to maximize brand engagement.”
- “Transforming consumer paradigms for exponential ROI.”
- “Delivering holistic omnichannel solutions to drive growth.”
- Ask yourself:
Can I explain in one sentence what this company actually does?
- Yes → Results Fluent
- No → Buzzword Fluent, welcome to Buzzword Wonderland
Try it on your own site, a client’s, or even a competitor’s. It’s eye-opening.
Takeaway
Buzzwords are fun. Results get paid for.
Being results fluent doesn’t mean you don’t know strategy. It means you know what actually works.
Next time you’re writing an email, proposal, or agency pitch:
- Ask yourself, “Am I just sounding smart, or am I actually saying something?”
- Simplify it. Make it clear. Make it actionable.
Because clarity > buzzwords, every single time.