brian d foy wrote an interesting piece on his experience with an outsourced PR person completely blowing a press opportunity for her client company. What a trip.

Lesson learned: Do periodic checks on your outsourced PR people from all angles. See how they react. Coach or fire them if you don't like it.

She feels insulted. I ask her if there is anything in the demo that isn't covered in the manual or the online material. She doesn't have an answer, and keeps insisting that I see the demo. I've been using the previous versions for years. I'm doing a hard-core techie's review of the product for a hard-core techie audience, and I've already done my homework. She says that I could ask questions, but I point out that it's the companies policy not to comment on future or missing features, and those are the only questions I have. I don't need to be sold on the product, and all I'm getting is the hard sell.

Then I realize that she really knows nothing, and that she probably doesn't even work for the company. She says "we" in an odd, insincere way. She's an outsourced public relations person. I've dealt with this situation a lot. She probably runs her own boutique public relations shop, so at the same time that she's supposed to be selling the product to me, she's trying to retain her position of authority as the owner of a company.