Expensive Sentences

by Jack Quarles

One of the great devices in drama is the snare when our heroes are lured into situations that look right at first, but land them in peril. They had a good plan, but it turns out that plan was based on faulty information or a deceptive premise. Sadly, this experience is not limited to fiction. In our own lives we know the pain of following a promising path only to realize it leads to a negative outcome. What seemed like great decisions based on solid reasons end up costing us time, money, opportunity, or more. Most of us don t face the foul villains of movies and books. But there is an enemy. The enemy is more sly, more subtle, and just as dangerous. Like Bart Simpson s mythical Milk Dud, it is sweet on the outside and poison on the inside. It sounds like wisdom, but it is an Expensive Sentence. We can spot an Expensive Sentence by its impact. Expensive Sentences limit information. They end conversations. They create urgency and isolation. They reduce options. They steal choice. Despite the fact that Expensive Sentences show up everywhere with unlimited wordings and context, their message can be distilled to just three words: Scarce. Special. Stuck. Expensive Sentences reveal that we believe that something is scarce, that someone is special, or that we are stuck. We ll explore the full implications and costs of Scarce, Special, and Stuck, and we will study the most common sentences that foster those conditions."

292 pages, Hardcover

Published February 7, 2017

About the author

Jack Quarles is a speaker, consultant, and the author of Amazon #1 bestsellers How Smart Companies Save Moneyand Same Side Selling. He has saved companies tens of millions of dollars over two decades in the field of expense management, and advises on RFPs, vendor selection, and outsourcing decisions. Jack is on several advisory and non-profit boards, and is the Chairman of Peacemaker Ministries. Jack received degrees from Yale University and Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Business.

Reviews

[Dr. Byron Ernest · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have you ever said, "This time it is different", or been given cookie-cutter advice? Jack Quarles teaches us in this book that these sentences, and many others like them, can be very expensive. In the book Quarles teaches us how to become aware of these sentences. We are taught through the reading that our language reflects our beliefs. Quarles teaches readers through great case studies and examples that we need to be looking forward and that reality is always our friend. If you want to learn how to avoid the traps of expensive sentences then you need to read this book.

[Lisa Kosak · Rating 5 out of 5]

A few years ago I joined a company that had just been rescued from the brink of collapse. Operations, product, and staff had to be ramped up. It was a tedious and confusing time orchestrating change. The sentence that I heard nearly every day washed over me at first in my newness to the team. Then, it quickly annoyed me and I understood one reason that the company down turned in the first place. The words? “That’s how we’ve always done it here”. Hmmm. Those words explained everything.

How many times have you heard these common phrases in the past few months?

“We need it yesterday”
“We’re too swamped to deal with that now”
“We trust them”
“The customer is always right”

These my friends are “expensive sentences”. They can cost your company time, money, and resources. These sentences are so common that we believe them without further thought and too often nod in agreement. These words may impact egos, represent lost opportunities, limit dialog, and can set up barriers between departments. We are all so busy (or so we tell everyone) and projects move so fast that we fail to step back and look at things from a fresh perspective.

We need to halt expensive sentences. As teams, we need to figure out how to identify these rascals. Next, we need to question them and discover any problems that they may represent. As a result we may be able to right size our traditional assumptions and show teams how to rethink obstacles and outcomes.

Jack Quarles is a veteran of the world of status quo and vagueness. As a consultant, he’s heard every expensive sentence there is. He’s lived and witnessed too many companies falling into the sentence trap. Jack responded by bringing us the book Expensive Sentences – Debunking the Common Myths that Derail Decisions and Sabotage Success. Expensive Sentences is a must read for anyone who works with teams, budgets, or vendors of any size. By looking beneath the surface of each sentence, we learn that we may have more options, can form better relationships, and can conserve money and resources.

Jack shares 3 primary expensive sentences which include “stuck” messages, “special” slogans, and “scarce” lines. After identifying a sentence he leads us down the path to rejecting or debunking the myths and then offers us insight into how to discuss the sentences with teams to bring about constructive dialog and turn these words upside down.

As projects progress we often find ourselves stuck and not sure how to proceed. Too many people fear starting over for a variety of reasons so arms are thrown up in the air and the words “it’s too late to turn back now” are muttered. We find ourselves stuck and know resources have already been allocated, so how do we get unstuck?

“Special” messages muttered include “we’re different” or “we trust them”. These are often said with pride as if they are a get out of jail card and can justify decisions or business relationships. Too often we hang our hat on these phrases and ignore what is in front of us.

So many companies are working with scarce resources. This can cause misguided decisions that may bare a heavy cost down the road. Sentences like “we can’t afford to let him go” or “we can probably do that ourselves” should be warning signs. How many times do leaders preach “the customer is always right”? This sentence can become very expensive and dent a company’s reputation. Every customer is not right for us and we should only serve those that make a business case for our success.

You can probably think of more sentences that cost time and money. As a consumer how many times have you heard “this price is only good for today” or “it was on sale”. These words should always set off an alarm.

Expensive Sentences not only identifies, shares, and debunk myths, it offers ideas and strategies that you can grab onto to share with your team. Jack offers alternative responses to some of these sentences that you can throw back to your team for discussion. Here are some gems that Jack Quarles offers in each chapter:

Practical, real life stories and personal experiences from the trenches of actual companies
Responses that can be used against expensive sentences
Team conversation topics
Actual exercises that you can discuss or role play with your people
Additional tools and templates to implement


Perhaps you never realized just how easy you have fell victim to “expensive sentences”. They float around like coffee in a majority of our companies and we become numb to them. How many times have you sat in a meeting and heard the expression “the customer is always right” and let it wash over you? Have you ever really stopped to examine if it is true or a myth? Perhaps it’s time that you start questioning more and accepting fewer expensive sentences. If you are ready to stand up to myths and dig for greater efficiency, stronger relationships, and fewer expenses, you need to pick up Jack Quarles book Expensive Sentences to bring change.

[Louis Prosperi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great look at excuses that can sabotage your success.

As the title suggests, this book explores what the author calls "expensive sentences" - the excuses businesses tell themselves about what they can and can't do. Relying on these excuses often prevent businesses from the making the right decisions, and end up costing businesses not only in terms of lost time and money, but also in less obvious ways such as credibility, team effectiveness, and discouragement.

The book focuses on three types of expensive sentences: Stuck sentences, Special sentences, and Scare sentences, and explores three examples of each.

* Stuck sentences tell us that we can’t do certain things and we dare not even think about other things. The stuck sentences the book examines include “It’s Too Late to Turn Back Now” and “We’re Too Swamped to Deal with that Now”.

* Special sentences tell us that someone is outside the rules and principles that apply to others. Examples of special sentences include “We’re Different" and “That’s the Way We’ve Always Done It” (one of my favorites).

* Scarce sentences tell us that there is not enough of something we need or want. Example scare sentences include “We Can Probably Do That Ourselves” and “We Can’t Afford to Let Him Go”.

Each expensive sentence is given its own chapter, in which the author explores the sentence in detail, including the flawed thinking and fallacies behind these sentences, and examples that illustrate the impact and costs of using these expensive sentences. Each chapter also provides tips and suggestions for how to combat the use of these excuses, including "Wise Replies" (suggestions for how to respond to these sentences when we encounter them in our day to day lives) and hands-on exercises related to each.

Most readers will recognize these sentences, as they are unfortunately common in modern business, and I suspect we've all either heard them or even perhaps said them ourselves. One of the dangers of these sentences is that on the surface, they make sense and seem reasonable. This book shines a light on the true costs of these expensive sentences and shows readers the risks they run by falling back on these excuses when making decisions. And while the book is focused primarily on how these sentences show up in business, it's important to note that these same excuses can often show up in our personal lives as well.

I recommend this book to anyone interested in business, and in particular managers and business leaders looking for new insights into how they make their businesses more successful.

[Brad · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was better and worse than I thought it would be when I started it. A lot of it is the distilled learning from an author who has clearly had a lot of relevant business experience and is well read. While helpful, that aspect was more suited to a magazine or newsletter than a book--not much new ground was broken. But there were also some very helpful parts--particularly related to trust and the importance of clear processes. And the overall premise--which can be inferred from the title--is good, and I'll be more mindful of those dangers traps which the author terms, "Expensive Sentences."

[Johnny · Rating 5 out of 5]

I give it 5 stars because the information in the book is relatable to the business environment. The phrases presented in each chapter are ones that I hear regularly.

- We have always done it this way.
- I trust them, so we should leave it alone.
- I don't have time for that.
- We are different.

Each chapters has business examples or company biographies to illustrate a point. At the end of each chapter are suggestions on how to address the expensive sentences, group discussion exercises, and reflection questions to help you apply the concepts to your work environment.

My struggle was with the style of writing and rhetoric. I thought it was a little 'monotone' at times and the chapters felt a little long. Granted, this is a subjective statement because I'm used to the style of Simon Sinek, Pat Lencioni, and John C. Maxwell. I like more story driven books that are simple to read but still deliver a lot of food for thought.

There is a lot of information in this book, so I would consider it a reference book as opposed to a book you regularly read and study.

My thought is to take the end of chapter exercises and put them all together to create a reference guide for whenever someone starts throwing a bunch of expensive sentences as excuses to lack of progress.