If Your Team Can’t Say It Simply, Your Audience Won’t Remember It

A strong brand is not built on a clever logo, a trendy color palette, or even a catchy tagline. Those things help, but they are not what make your brand memorable.

What really builds a strong brand is consistency. When every person on your team is sharing the same story about who you are, what you do, and why it matters, it make a lasting impression.

Here’s the truth: every touch point tells a story.Your website tells a story.Your sales team tells a story.Your invoices, social posts, and even your out-of-office replies tell a story.

The question is, are they all telling the same one?

If not, your customers end up confused. And as Donald Miller famously says, “When you confuse, you lose.”

The Power of a Unified Message

If marketing says one thing, sales says another, and customer service says something completely different, your story starts to fracture. The brand becomes fuzzy, and trust begins to erode.

That is why clarity and alignment are so critical. When everyone on your team speaks the same language, customers begin to recognize, remember, and trust your brand.

The simplest way to create that alignment is by using a StoryBrand one-liner.

What Is a One-Liner?

A one-liner is a short, clear statement that describes what you do in a way that instantly connects with your audience. It is not about you — it is about the problem you solve and the transformation you deliver.

A great one-liner follows this simple formula:

Problem + Solution + Result

When you build your message around that structure, it becomes both memorable and repeatable. Your whole team can use it with confidence on sales calls, in networking conversations, and even in casual chats with prospects.

Start with a Question to Get Agreement

Here is a key ingredient that most people miss: start your one-liner with a question.

The goal is to get the person you are talking to to nod and say, “Yes, that’s exactly right.” That moment of agreement is what opens the door for connection and trust.

For example, here’s my one-liner:

“You know how start-ups struggle to sell because no one knows who they are or what they do? I help start-ups create an effective go-to-market strategy so they become known and trusted among their target audience to accelerate sales.”

See how that works? The first question gets agreement. The listener immediately feels seen because you described their problem in their language. Once they nod yes, they are mentally ready to hear your solution.

How to Craft Your One-Liner

If you have not written your one-liner yet, here is a simple process you can follow:

1. Identify the Problem. What pain point does your customer experience that you can solve?

2. State Your Solution. What do you or your company do to help fix that problem?

3. Describe the Result. How will your customer’s life or business improve after working with you?

4. Turn It into a Question. Start your one-liner with “You know how…” or “Ever notice how…” to get instant agreement.

Example from my friends over at Manifold:

“You know how freight brokers spend too much time logging in to multiple customer portals to quote and win freight? We help them automate that process so they can win more loads in their sleep”

That’s clear. It’s human. And it’s memorable.

Train Your Team to Tell One Story

Once your one-liner is ready, teach it to everyone in your organization.Every employee, from sales to support, should know it by heart. Encourage them to use it in their own words but keep the structure consistent.

Because every interaction — every call, email, demo, and thank-you note — is an opportunity to reinforce your story or confuse it.

When everyone is telling one story, your message becomes powerful, your brand becomes trusted, and your customers start spreading that same story for you.

Final Thought

Brand consistency is not built overnight, and it is not the marketing team’s job alone. It is everyone’s responsibility. The one-liner just gives your team the words to do it well.

So take time this week to create or refine your one-liner. Start with a question. Get agreement. Tell one story.

That is how you move from being another company in the crowd to becoming the brand everyone remembers.

Want a little help crafting your one-liner? Sign up for my $99 Messaging Kick-Starter Workshop to craft your one-liner and your foundational message.