Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 13:04 — 23.9MB) | Embed

Subscribe: Google Podcasts | Email | RSS

For technology companies, the conventional wisdom is wrong when it comes to pitching a conference or webinar session. Instead of having your CMO or other C-suite executive tell your story, trust the technical people in your shop. Your audiences will thank you for it.

Here are some of the reasons:

• Audiences want black-and-white issues. CMOs usually see the world in nuance and infinite shades of gray. Techies value certainty.
• Facts are an endangered species these days.  So who better to deliver facts that a techie?
• Audiences want to hear stories. First-person experience from people on the front lines can deliver authenticity and credibility that the audience relates to.
• Techies steer clear of self-promotion, which is the fastest turnoff for an audience.
• Techies can be more effective at reaching potential customers precisely because they don’t try to promote or sell.
• Techies can be trained to be good and sometimes great speakers. We have some tips for how to do it.

David wrote more about this for Sam Whitmore’s Media Survey. It is normally gated, but today you can read the post here.

About David Strom

David Strom is a former editor-in-chief of Network Computing and Tom's Hardware who has written two computer networking books and thousands of articles about B2B IT.

About Paul Gillin

Paul Gillin, host of FIR B2B, is a veteran technology journalist and a thought leader in new media. Since 2005, he has advised marketers and business executives on strategies to optimize their use of social media and online channels to reach buyers cost-effectively. Full bio