This week I’ve been stuffing myself into tight pants, claiming that they must have shrunk in the dryer. But the awful truth is I’m stuffed into my pants like sausage, because I ate too much over the holidays. I couldn’t help gorge myself with all the tasty morsels.
It made me wonder, how many of us keep stuffing more details into the stories about our companies or products simply because it tastes good and satisfies us? Do we really need all those details that we cleverly come up with to describe our offerings? Or is it really just our way in indulging in our own pride in what we do?
I know I did this with the story about my firm at a cocktail party this holiday season. A delightful man asked me what I do; I told him I’m the president of a PR firm. Fearing that just wasn’t enough I spurted out, “But it’s more than PR in a traditional sense, we also have a social media division, and of course before we launch any PR campaign we have to get our clients’ stories right, and to do that we have to work backward from the buyers, and that requires research and strategy…and blah, blah, blah, indulge, indulge, indulge.”
So what happened? The man’s eyes glazed over and he tried to spurt back what he interpreted I do and he got it all wrong. Why? Because I got it all wrong. Stories have to be simple to be memorable. I tell my clients this all the time. They have to be told in layers. I’m sure if I just let it stand I was president of a PR firm, he would have asked, “Really, what kind of PR?” and then I could tell him the next layer and so on, and so on.
I tell my clients to shorten their stories all the time, and what did I do - The exact opposite.
So - My First New Years Resolution: Trim Down the fat in my thighs, and the fat in my own corporate story. And for heaven sake, practice what I preach.
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About the Reteller Channel
Just as products flow through “Reseller” Channels information about them flows through “Reteller Channels.” Ultimately – Retellers are people who influence decisions & buying behavior in the markets you serve. They add value to the story because of the trusted relationship they have built with their audience.
If you have a B2B product, your retellers range from members of the media, industry leaders, bloggers, peers and ultimately the chain of people within the organization you are trying to sell to.
If you are selling a B2C product your retellers include members of the media, bloggers, industry leaders – and ultimately social networks.
In order to get the reteller channel to work for you, you need to know:
a) Who the Retellers are
b) How to reach out to them
c) How to craft stories that they’ll want to tell
If you have a B2B product, your retellers range from members of the media, industry leaders, bloggers, peers and ultimately the chain of people within the organization you are trying to sell to.
If you are selling a B2C product your retellers include members of the media, bloggers, industry leaders – and ultimately social networks.
In order to get the reteller channel to work for you, you need to know:
a) Who the Retellers are
b) How to reach out to them
c) How to craft stories that they’ll want to tell
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About Us
Meghan O'Sullivan is the founder of O'Sullivan Communications, Inc. For nearly two decades she has developed results-driven, cost-effective marketing programs for companies looking to build credibility and name recognition within specialty markets. She subscribes to a fundamental philosophy about marketing - Facts Tell. Stories Sell.
Gabe d’Annunzio has over four decades of experience in developing and implementing marketing programs that effectively translate technological innovation into high-value customer benefits. During his career he has worked with a cross section of industries including computer hardware and software, biotechnology, system integrators, telecommunications, medical devices and consumer electronics.
Gabe d’Annunzio has over four decades of experience in developing and implementing marketing programs that effectively translate technological innovation into high-value customer benefits. During his career he has worked with a cross section of industries including computer hardware and software, biotechnology, system integrators, telecommunications, medical devices and consumer electronics.