Why I’m Passionate About Not Just Saying The Word ‘Passionate’

Has anyone noticed the word “passionate” popping up everywhere – on websites, social media, face-to-face conversations, resumes, etc.? Everybody’s passionate. “We’re passionate about our customers’ success.” “We have a passion for air conditioners.” “I’m passionate about leadership.”

Don’t get me wrong: I love passion in a business. It would be pretty tough to survive without it. I followed my own passion when I started my business. I also don’t want to project arrogance and presume that I know how you should talk about your business. What I would argue, though, is that just saying you're passionate about something doesn’t necessarily set you or your business apart from your competition – especially when everyone is saying it. By simply saying you're passionate and leaving it at that, I think it robs the audience of your unique perspective. What I think makes a stronger connection with your customers is to talk about why you're passionate.

For example, I am absolutely passionate about video production and telling your business story. But to go deeper into why I’m passionate about it, I fell in love with video’s powerful storytelling ability when I was a child and I tagged along with my dad while he worked as a sportscaster in Milwaukee.

As it relates to your business, I love helping you articulate your story, bringing it to life with video and seeing your business increase because of it. The most rewarding feeling is when I check back and see how a video has boosted business. Of course, the medium that I think best conveys this emotion is video. When your customers hear the passion in your voice as you talk about led to being passionate, they’re drawn in and become your best brand ambassadors.

Thanks for the rant. Now, I’m going to go make sure I don’t have the word passionate on my own website, Gillespie Productions.