Stop Sounding Like a Robot
(How to Get People to Actually Listen)
What Marcus Aurelius Knew About Success That Most Entrepreneurs Ignore
My Content Was “Good”—But There Was No Soul
When I first started producing content (blogs, videos, etc.), I was wildly shy and didn’t want to show up as myself. I had this nagging fear that if I revealed too much of my personality, potential clients might find me unprofessional or not take me seriously. So I created content that was polished and professional but revealed nothing about me. The information was solid, but it didn’t resonate.
Then I started working with a coach. Almost the first thing she told me was that she had reviewed my website and social posts—and there was no me there.
“Of course there wasn’t,” I thought. I had deliberately stripped away anything personal. My first newsletter after working with her included a story about failing spectacularly at a client presentation because I was trying too hard to sound like an “expert.” The response? Three times my usual open rate and replies from people who’d never engaged before.
This experience reminded me of what Marcus Aurelius said: “Don’t gussy up your thoughts. No surplus words or unnecessary actions.”
This isn’t just good philosophy. It’s good business strategy. If you want people to listen, trust you, and buy from you, you have to stop hiding behind jargon, marketing fluff, and polished-but-empty messaging.
Many Small Business Owners Don’t Have a Marketing Problem—They Have a Communication Problem
It’s easy to assume that a lack of leads, sales, or engagement means you need better marketing. In reality, many small businesses struggle because their communication isn’t clear, direct, or compelling.
In a world where we’re bombarded with thousands of marketing messages daily, people aren’t looking for more polished content—they’re desperate for something that feels human and trustworthy.
This shows up in three major ways:
- Your website sounds just like everyone else in your industry.
- Your social media posts feel polished but don’t get engagement.
- Your emails are well-written but get ignored.
It’s not that people aren’t interested. It’s that they don’t feel connected to what you’re saying.
Three Messaging Traps That Are Costing You Clients
Marketing Speak Kills Trust
Nobody talks like this in real life:
“We specialize in providing holistic, scalable business solutions that drive strategic growth and operational efficiency.”
And yet, countless business owners write like this on their websites and sales pages.
The more “official” your messaging sounds, the less trustworthy it becomes. People don’t connect with corporate jargon—they connect with language that feels natural and human.
A client of mine who runs a physical therapy practice rewrote their about page from something like:
“We deliver evidence-based therapeutic interventions utilizing proprietary assessment methodologies to optimize functional movement patterns.”
To:
“We figure out why you’re in pain and give you a clear plan to fix it, usually in fewer sessions than you’d expect.”
Their appointment requests increased sharply in the first month after the change. The difference? One sounds like a medical textbook. The other sounds like someone you’d actually trust with your back pain.
If You Wouldn’t Say It in a Conversation, Don’t Write It in Your Marketing
Most small business owners write their websites, emails, and social media posts as if they’re putting together a corporate pitch deck. The result? Stiff, forgettable messaging that feels cold and impersonal.
I worked with a wedding photographer who changed their initial client email from something like:
“Thank you for your inquiry regarding our photographic services for your upcoming nuptials. We would be delighted to schedule a consultation to discuss how we might capture your special day.”
To:
“Thanks so much for reaching out! I’d love to hear more about what you’re envisioning for your wedding day and see if we’re a good fit to capture those moments for you.”
Before you publish anything, ask yourself: Would I actually say this out loud to a potential client? If not, rewrite it until it sounds like something you’d say to a friend over coffee.
Jargon Doesn’t Make You Sound Smart—It Makes You Sound Confusing
Many business owners assume that using technical terms makes them sound more credible. In reality, it just makes them harder to understand.
A financial advisor I know completely transformed their business by changing their main service description from something like:
“We optimize tax-advantaged wealth-building strategies utilizing diversified asset allocation models for long-term financial independence.”
To:
“I help you save more money, pay less in taxes, and build a retirement you can actually enjoy.”
The 12-Year-Old Test: If a 12-year-old wouldn’t understand what you do, simplify your messaging. Better yet, actually explain what you do to a middle-schooler and refine your pitch based on what they understand (and what confuses them).
Being Real Doesn’t Mean Being Casual or Using Gimmicks
Some business owners hear “be human” and assume that means throwing in slang, cussing in their marketing, or being overly casual just for the sake of it.
That’s not what this is about.
The goal isn’t to be casual—it’s to be real. If your personality is naturally more formal, own that. If you like a little humor, use it naturally. But don’t force informality just because you think it will make you “relatable.”
If you wouldn’t say it to a client, don’t force it into your marketing.
How to Make People Actually Listen to What You Say
Be Honest: Say What You Mean and Mean What You Say
Overpromising, vague claims, and marketing hype don’t work anymore. People want honesty.
A life coach I worked with changed their core offering from something like:
“Transform your entire life in just 30 days with my revolutionary system!”
To:
“A 90-day program to help you identify what’s holding you back and build sustainable habits that create real change. Most clients see meaningful progress by day 30, but lasting transformation takes commitment.”
Guess what? They actually enrolled more clients with the second version, because people believed it was achievable.
If your messaging feels even slightly misleading, rewrite it. The clearer and more truthful it is, the more people will trust it.
The 3-Second Rule: If Your Message Isn’t Clear in 3 Seconds, It’s Too Complicated
If someone has to think too hard to understand what you do, they’ll move on.
Try this: Ask someone who doesn’t know your business well to look at your homepage for exactly 3 seconds, then close the tab. Can they tell you what you do and who you help? If not, your message is too complicated.
A business coach I know refined their headline from something like:
“Empowering service-based entrepreneurs to scale systematically through proven frameworks and optimized client acquisition systems.”
To:
“I help consultants and coaches double their income without doubling their hours.”
Test your messaging: Can someone understand what you do in 3 seconds or less? If not, simplify it.
Clarity Doesn’t Mean Losing Professionalism
One of the biggest objections business owners have to simplifying their language is:
“But I need to sound professional. My industry expects a certain level of sophistication.”
Here’s the truth: Clarity is professional.
The most respected leaders—whether in law, healthcare, or finance—speak simply. Authority isn’t about sounding complicated. It’s about making your expertise accessible and easy to understand.
Even in highly technical fields, the best communicators are those who can translate complexity into clarity without sacrificing accuracy.
Your Words Are Either Helping or Hurting Your Business
Your best marketing isn’t about sounding impressive. It’s about being clear, direct, and human.
Here’s your challenge:
- Pull up your homepage right now and highlight every phrase you wouldn’t naturally say to a client face-to-face.
- Pick the most jargon-heavy paragraph on your website and rewrite it using the “if I were saying this to a friend over coffee” test.
- Read it out loud. Does it sound like you? If not, keep refining until it does.
- Share your before-and-after example with a colleague or friend and ask which version makes them more interested in working with you.
The more human you sound, the more people will actually listen. And isn’t that the whole point?
