poseycorp helps innovators become great communicators. (Sometimes by sending out helpful stuff in a newsletter.)
ISSUE 159
Say it, say it again
"Truth is built with consistency."
-- Lincoln Chafee
Political candidates deliver the same stump speech hundreds of times during a campaign. The opener may change - "Hello Cleveland!" - but the speech itself is
mind-numbingly consistent. This is an act of extraordinary discipline.
But in our world, CEOs seem to shift messages every few months. Based on my decades of observation, most of you restless tech leaders seem to do this for three main reasons:
You think your customers will get bored with your current message, assume you can’t think of
anything new and interesting to say, decide you’re dumb, and buy someone else’s product.
You are reacting to what your competitors, your board members, the Wall Street Journal, your college roommate, or some dude on the airplane said.
You are bored with your message.
Let’s take each of these three things in turn.
Will your customers get bored? No. Because they are paying much less attention to you than you think they are. They are busy running their own companies and lives. Every once in a while, they perk up and listen to you, and then they go back to work. It takes consistent
repetition to get someone’s attention, and then even more repetition to get them to understand and care.
The second reason is really about your insecurity. If you’re not sure of your message, you’re like a will-o’-the-wisp: you change every time you hear something new. The tragic thing here is that your inconsistency will confuse everyone (including your own team). You’ll waste time and money. You’ll squander opportunities, because you are not building attention through consistency (see above). Don’t try to attach your company to every new development in AI every time one happens. You’ll drive
yourself, your team, and your customers insane. Instead, build an elastic message: “We’ll help you through every relevant innovation as it emerges. We’ll get you to your best business outcome.” And if you’re bored, suck it up. Stop chasing bright shiny objects! Part of your job in any leadership role is to be a human marketing machine, a deft and disciplined spokesperson, a meat puppet. Do you think politicians like saying the same words every single day over and over again? They do not. They do it because it works. You should too!
“I was floored by your industry knowledge!” said a cynical, surprised engineer.
If you’d like great results, schedule a conversation with me! It’s easy! Reach me at inquiries@poseycorp.com.
Not sure how to crush your next presentation? Persuade that difficult customer or team member? Navigate tough questions from regulators, press, your boss? How about some pragmatic, actionable communications advice?
If you are a startup founder, an intrapreneur at a company, or a leader looking to grow, consider Office Hours with Lisa, a great way to get bite-sized, personalized communications coaching. Because your business must scale and you must scale with it. Because it’s the great communicators who create change!
