Sesquipedalian.

Mark Twain, one of my favorite authors, cautioned writers against using unnecessary verbiage by using this quote (taken from someone name anyonymous--that guy or gal gets a lot of press!) "He said that when it took a whole basketful of sesquipedalian adjectives to whoop up a thing of beauty, it was time for suspicion."

According the the Merriam-Webster dictionary online, sesquipedalian means: having many syllables. I had occasion to use the word this past week when I was asked to present "Creating an Introduction" at a Speechcrafters' meeting. Speechcrafters is a new charter of Toastmasters, International, a distinguished group dedicated to "Making Effective Communication a Worldwide Reality." As a CTM in Toastmasters (Competent ToastMaster--the first recognition of many given to those who complete a series of speeches in front of a group) I was asked to present to this brand new Speechcrafters Club and I was happy to do so.

Using sesquipedalian drove home on important point I wanted to convey to the group--that big words don't make you more important nor more knowledgeable. Big words merely alienate your audience.

This holds true for marketing to women online, also. Women are eager to learn this new technology, but since many of us are more comfortable in our Martha Stewart hats, we sometimes shy away from the Internet and all things technological. This is because we're afraid of two things: 1. We won't understand it no matter how you explain it to us. Or, 2. We're afraid you'll 'talk down' to us, treat us like idiots, just because we don't know what DSL is, or because we think bits and bytes are ways to nibble our lunch.

My daughter is a savvy, smart, modern woman of 26 and she uses computers the way I used to use an Etch-a-sketch. She understands what a broadband connection is and she understands Quickbooks and other software programs, but she doesn't have a clue how to build a website, or what elements are necessary to make a website female-friendly. Recently she told me that she researches electronics online (laptops, TVs, camcorders, CD players, and the like) because she doesn't like going into dirt world stores and having the sales people "treat her like a kindgergartener." To her, their bold use of technological terms makes her feel small. Is this sales person spouting sesquipedalian technospeak a better person than she? No. So, when they spend a half hour showing off by talking garbledegook, she thanks them and goes home. No sale.

Take heed. This can happen online, also. Be simple and straightforward in your company description, in your sales message, and in your customer service department. Make sure we know you're selling what we're looking for--sometimes search engines get our meaning confused (the search engine spiders are a software program, they don't speak our language, they only interpret our words, oftentimes incorrectly). Announce on that homepage who you are and what you're selling. Make it easy for us to navigate to your catalogue or shopping cart. Show quality pictures but make sure you have descriptive text to go with them. PUT a sales message, a call to action, on your HOMEPAGE.

Women are not that hard to please. Okay, we are hard to please. But that's because we're trying so hard to please our kids, our husbands, our bosses, our mothers, our friends, and lastly, ourselves, 24/7. Give us a break. Be attentive, helpful, and simple. Leave the sesquipedalian words on the editing room floor. Here's a content site that accomplishes this task nicely: The China Business Review. Everything I need to know about a growing market I am not familiar with, presented in terms I can understand.

What's not to like about that?