Lifting The Pettifog

“placing undue emphasis on petty details; petty or trivial”

This week the Donny ‘trial’-fixated web is alive with the word pettifogging.

It is too a slightly archaic, more legalese perhaps, term used to describe a quibble about petty points;

“without lifetime careers to preserve, congressmen would be free to debate rather than pettifog”

as well as a practise legal deception or trickery;

“he will rather pettifog and turn common barrator than be out of employment”

Which also introduces the fascinating label, barrator – derived maybe from swindler – for someone who brings groundless lawsuits.

Potentially evoking the behaviour of a brangler, aka quarrelsome person.

Yet this week’s wildfire meme can be our solution sale ashes.

I have often blogged (including as recently as last month) on the perils of the experienced and mischievous buyer from another camp who, deliberately to put us off our stride, swamps us in detail. Deep, heavy, interminable quicksand of data, stats and minutiae.

Subsequent distraction derails many a noble sales effort.

Examining the fine print can be a buying signal, yes. But typically only when asking ‘simple’ clarifying questions of you and your underlying technicals or contractual clauses. Most probably not when requiring you to go and delve into the information abyss and report back with a telephone directory.

I realise I may be showing my age with that last metaphor, but the way to avoid being stymied by pettifogging is to call it out. You needn’t be confrontational. But it must get to the root of the enquiry. Preferably mobilising your chief supporters prospectside to help do so.

Lift any fog, else the petty may turn nastily weighty.