I am going to start this marketing monologue with a story.
I'm going to start with a story.
I was about four years old and I went into a bakery with my dad. And while he was ordering breads and pastries, I was standing there looking in the glass counter at these beautiful pastries.
Eventually, my dad looked down and he says, Lanie, do you want one? Yes, Daddy. So the woman reaches behind the counter and she gets me a Charlotte Russe.
Now, if you're not from New York, you may not know what a Charlotte Russe pastry is. It's a little piece of pound cake stuffed inside a tube about the size of a toilet paper roll filled with whipped cream. And then on the very top, there's a cherry. She hands it to me, and I say thank you—because I was a very polite child.
I ate the cherry off the top and as we were leaving, the pastry falls to the ground. Before I had a chance to say anything, the woman came running out from behind the counter and said, Don't cry, sweetie, I'll get you another one.
Lanie, do you want another one? Yes, Daddy.
And so the woman gave me another pastry.
This time, as we were leaving, I ate the cherry off the top, and—yep—you guessed it. I dropped the pastry on the floor.
Why did you do that? my father asked. And I probably should mention right about now that my dad was not a patient person.
I said, I only wanted the cherry.
What we had was a failure to communicate.
My dad was talking about pastries. I was talking about cherries.
Anyone who has spent time with children knows this feeling—talking about something and realizing halfway through the child has no idea what you mean. That’s because children come into a conversation with a smaller worldview. They don’t have the same vocabulary, experience, or context. So they focus on the parts that make sense and miss the bigger picture.
But here’s the thing: adults do the exact same thing.
Every networking event, every pitch, every sales call—people nod politely while you talk about your process, your platform, or your proprietary system… but if you're not speaking their language, they check out. They're thinking about their next meeting. Or dinner. Or pastries.
So how do you keep them with you? How do you connect, especially when your work is a little technical or complex?
Here's how: 1. Simplify your message. Strip out the jargon. Ditch the 12-step framework. Lead with the cherry—the one irresistible thing you know they’ll understand and care about.
2. Use familiar comparisons. Find a metaphor, an analogy, something from their world. Talk about what you do the way you’d explain it to a 10-year-old—without being condescending. Just clear.
3. Test your message before the real thing. Before your next networking event or client meeting, practice explaining what you do to a non-marketing friend. Or your kid. Or even out loud in the mirror. If you can’t make it land simply, it’s too complicated.
4. Lead with benefits, not process. You help clients get more leads, increase visibility, or stop spinning their wheels online. That’s what they want to hear. The platform, the tools, the magic—save that for later.
5. Watch for confused faces—and adjust. If someone looks puzzled or politely disengaged, pause. Ask a question. Reframe. Don’t just keep steamrolling through your pitch. That’s how pastries get dropped.
The bottom line? If you want better conversations and better results :Say less. Make it clearer. Make it about them.
And when you do, you just might walk away with more sales, more referrals… and the occasional cherry on top.
If this sparked an idea or reminded you of your own “cherry on top” moment, I’d love to hear about it. Hit the “Let’s Chat” button on all my social profiles or drop by morethanafewwords.com.
12 mins