Influencing – think outside the box!

Influencing – think outside the box!

By Richard Buckle
CoFunder and Chief Storyteller
Pyalla Technologies, LLC

How often have we head the phrase, “thinking outside the box?” The origins of this phrase appear to be from the puzzle, “nine dots. According to one source I checked, “this mindset fosters innovation, adaptability, and better problem-solving.” It also means “approaching problems with unconventional, creative, and innovative perspectives, breaking free from traditional constraints or standard assumptions.”

It is also a reminder that continuing to do the same thing, time and time again, expecting different outcomes is perhaps the best way to describe insanity. Give it up! Let it rest! Come at with a different approach. Think outside the box! When we consider where the Nonstop platform best performs, it remains within the domain of just a handful of industry verticals. Whereas change is all around us, it seems that very little has changed with respect to the Nonstop marketplace.

Traditional marketing and Go-To-Market (GTM) plans have added little to the presence of Nonstop within industry verticals that are expanding. The voice of the primary vendor resonates strongly on product portfolios that often omits the potential of Nonstop. Mission-critical as a property has been watered down to the extent that the entire HPE product portfolio can participate to a degree given the intent of the HPE teams involved. Attend any HPE Discover event and if it wasn’t for the presence of Connect together with the participation of solutions vendor abat+ GmbH, the presence of Nonstop rarely rises above being anything more than background noise.

Given this, how then can the Nonstop community influence outcomes to the benefit of Nonstop? Very easily; become a community of influencers. Today, influencing can take many forms including posting to bogs, writing a column, submitting articles to relevant publications, working on your podcasting skills, attending events and participating in groups, and in general, play an active role across as many social media channels as you deem appropriate.

In the years since I first wrote a post – back in August, 2007 – I have observed many of the traits of others that I have then practiced through the years that followed. These I classify under five headings that I reference as my critical S-factors –

No epistles! Short … time is important for us all. A couple of paragraphs even a few sentences, depending upon the chosen media channel; this remains a work-in-progress for me.

One topic only! Succinct … tying together multiple topics is not for the faint-of-heart. Confusion and ambiguity can result even as the wordcount climbs; break it out into multiple posts.

Off-the-gas! Slow … don’t try to write too much, too quickly. Yes, I had Nonstop customers ask me to cut it back; not daily but perhaps weekly and maybe even monthly.

Pictures, photos, graphics! Storytelling … the truth of the matter is a picture can best tell a story; gripping / intriguing graphics can be the hook that attracts the most attention (and readers).

A following matters! Safety … becoming secure in your abilities attracts a crowd. Predictability is important whether it’s timeliness or simply message consistency; readers will share positive news!

Meanwhile, the Nonstop community truly needs a band of influencers prepared to promote all that is goodness about Nonstop and this is worth encouraging. Look too to Connect and its promotion of the inaugural Influencer program with the Influencer of the Year award. Check it out – https://connect-community.org/connects-influencer-of-the-year-program/

The photo in the lead-in to this column is of a console table bought for the entry to our new home in Florida. It was not an accidental purchase but rather symbolic of the careers pursued by both Margo and myself that lead to the creation of Pyalla Technologies, LLC.

Thinking outside the box will always be a place where the pursuit of influencers will find traction within the Nonstop community, and beyond!