“If you confuse, you’ll lose.” — Donald Miller, founder of StoryBrand and Business Made Simple

People won’t walk into a fog.

Uncertainty inhibits action.

That’s why you’re smart to be crystal clear in your marketing.

For example, it shouldn’t be confusing what you want people to DO after reading an email, visiting your website, etc.

Craft a clear, compelling Call to Action that you repeat. That helps potential clients ditch confusion (and do what you hope they will.)

Good calls to action are words that might go on a website button, like…

Schedule a Call
Get a Quote
Buy Now

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Yet confusion doesn’t just happen between people.

It’s also quite common within people.

I meet many business owners who are confusing in their marketing because they’re confused within themselves.

When we’re confused inside, it can feel like confusion is happening to us. Like it’s something we can’t help. And indeed, there may be times when we just don’t have enough clear information.

More often, though, I believe we choose to be confused.

In these cases, we know what’s right. But part of us is resisting that knowing. It’s usually because taking action on what we know might be painful or scary.

In times like these — when I suspect the fog of confusion may be internal — I use a trick I learned from my mentor Diana Chapman of the Conscious Leadership Group. I ask the one who knows.

“The one who knows” is a wise, quiet voice inside me. I don’t need to know much about it — where it came from, how it knows. I just imagine it’s there. And I ask it: What do you know?

I’m amazed at how much internal confusion can evaporate when I just stop choosing it.

And the clearer I am inside, the clearer I can be outside. That’s what creates magnetism.

So: Where are you choosing confusion?

This post was original sent as an email to the Magic Words of the Week newsletter list. Every week, I share reflections on a word, quote, or phrase I think will help you thrive in your life’s work.