Dear PitchSmarter: Whenever our team presents to clients, we always use the first person plural pronoun (“we”). We do this whether to describe recommendations for the client, as in, “We need to build our market share”, or to make commitments, eg, “We’ll get a pricing proposal to you by Thursday.” Is it just me, or does it sound presumptuous and even a little evasive, versus “you” and “I”? - Alone in Albequerque
Dear Al: I keep hearing people say, “there’s no ‘I’ in ‘team’,” no doubt to quash unwelcome individualism or glory-snatching. Yet when I’m the one buying, I always feel better attaching a name to an accountability. “I promise I’ll have that in your hands Thursday morning” has a satisfying sense of commitment that no ‘we’-asel words ever could. (Never promise what you can’t deliver, of course.) And the agency that says, “It’s our responsibility, as your agency, to ensure your market share grows as a result of the campaign we’re recommending” uses language refreshingly clear as to who’s holding the bag. Don’t let the temptation to be all-inclusive ever leave the client in doubt as to who’s the service partner—or who’s the boss.
