That generally means having an honest beneficial relationship for both sides, which does not involve any trick sales gimmicks,  fake scarcity, manipulative selling or coercion.

Modern marketing is based on open-ness and authenticity and what is professional has been redefined. We can be professional working in a bedroom upstairs, or from a shed in the garden.  No more black and white corporate uniform as a badge of professionalism – think of Richard Branson in his jumpers.  Or the internet where anyone can write anything about a company via facebook, twitter and blogs.

But marketing and selling that would be most naturally authentic and express the “spark”  is sometimes rejected because of fears that it would not be perceived as “professional”.  This is what stops people writing one to one in a mass email, or recording a video where they talk about what they care about and just enjoy themselves!

Being authentic means being committed and behaving according to our values and what matters to us.  When we are on message everything seems easy and natural.  When things start to become inauthentic there are little niggles, a sense of hollowness and self-consciousness, and a lack of connection to ourselves.

Want some humour and music?  I can’t stop watching!  But I do love the original Alicia Keys’s song “New York” .  See this video from Newport in Wales

and then watch this one. It is the spark that is so compelling.

Authentic? Professional? Enjoyable?

What did you think?

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Was the bootcamp different because the audience was women and the presenters were women?

The aim of the weekend was to empower women to make money.  It was the brain-child of Stephanie Hale who started a project to interview 12 women millionaires so she could leave a legacy if her brain tumour diagnosis was accurate.  Luckily it was not, and the millionaire bootcamp for women became a spin-off reality a year later with the help of Mark Anastasi.  The big idea was that the support and the strategies are available for women for millionaire-dom.

Both women and men speak with passion, both can be self-made millionaires, both can hold the stage, and both can want to spend more time with the people they love. So what was different about this weekend?

I found it unusual and inspirational to have women as presenters. Internet marketing was the most-frequently cited route to riches and there are direct comparisons to be made with most internet marketing events which are dominated by men.

More variety in presentation styles. Women have more choice over what to wear than men, but there was a very rich variety of presenting styles, too. From  walk-around or stationary, glammed up or unmadeup, entertaining or serious,  polished or disorganised I did indeed feel empowered to be what I wanted to be, and that making lots of money could be easy.  The internet marketing world in particular is dominated by charismatic entrepreneurial men, and what they offer seems like the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.  I had not realised that something was missing until I saw these speakers.

The importance of vision in the making of money was an integral part of most presentations.. This is not exclusively the territory of women, of course, particularly as Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich (written by a man interviewing men) was often cited as inspiration.  However the presenters felt as though they were in permanent relationship with a vision, rather than using the vision-as-project.

Tracy Repchuk was on first.  She has made squillions in a very short time on the internet, and was already retired as a millionaire before she started.  Her initial focus was on dreaming the dream, (and you got the very strong impression that she really cares) as well as explaining the mechanism for money production.  Jennifer Hough, the second speaker, spoke about energy and less effort.  I was in awe by lunch time – this was my kind of conference  – spiritual values and money. Not one at the expense of the other… and I have not experienced this so vividly before.

More value expressed to the people who matter.  Men in internet marketing refer to those around them, but I have not seen it done with such a sense of gratitude.  Nearly all the women mentioned the people closest to them with pride and gratitude: parents, partners children, friends. The fact that these women are millionaires of course made the message stronger: you can be happy and be rich.  You don’t have to be a bitch to earn a lot of money.  You can be successful and be loved. You can get the support of those who love you.

Real confidence expressed in tone of voice and body language.  The cars, the toys, the houses and the dream travel are often included in presentations to give credibility to the speaker, and it happened here, too.  But it was inspiring to be with successful women who are “on message”, enjoying their wealth (Jennie Amato has a red helicopter to match her red shoes), happy to talk about their lifestyle, and wish this same freedom for other women from a position of strength not battling against a male enemy.

More generosity about being part of the event. Many of the speakers were around and able to talk over the two days, which gave a fantastic opportunity to get to know them before making up your mind if you wanted them as a mentor.  Jo Martin, who gave the most memorable virtuoso performance of the event, also referenced previous speakers, and in particular Gill Fielding who had spoken the day before.  Yes, men do this too, but the women felt more accessible. It was especially good that Stephanie (organiser of the whole thing) was around and very easy to talk to, and not remotely self-important.

Less drama in the “rags” part of the rags to riches story. Male internet marketers often tell dramatic stories about the low points in their lives:  in fact as you are listening you can almost wish that you had experienced being shot at, being homeless, or bankrupt as that seems to be the pre-requisite for riches later.

The women told their stories differently: less “out there” and more of an “in here” realisation at a moment of breakthrough.  In fact speakers wanted the break through not to have to come through ill health or some dramatic story but a willingness to change attitude and change their life.

And was the audience different because they were women? It did not seem like a “female-only audience” – but of course the queues for the Ladies was longer, and offered more opportunity for the casual meeting and greeting which can lead to relationships! I suspect also that the female audience was more intent on giving back having received inpsiration and strategies for free.

Entrance was free which is in accordance with the law of reciprocity as outlined in Robert Cialdini’s book “Influence” which is a handbook for the internet marketing world.  The principle is that you receive something and want to give back.  Of course this is a key part of many religions and philosophies and is also  networking.  Congratulations to Mark Anastasi for having enabled this to happen.

I imagine that there were many sign-ups, but I am absolutely convinced that the spark of empowerment and inspiration will be paid back many times over.  I was already booked in with Jo Martin and Ed Dale in November, and didn’t feel I had the mind-space to take on another course.  Do I know who I want to work with in the future?  Certainly do.

The Millionaire Bootcamp for women was inspired by Stephanie Hale and the event was organised by Mark Anastasi.  Speakers were: Jennie Amato, Joanna Martin, Leili McKinley, Gill Fielding, Heather Seitz, Naomi Sassaye, Jennifer Hough, Lynda Dyer, Tracy Repchuck, and Maria Davies.

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Recently the comments thrown up by Akismet are more complimentary.  They have been along the lines of “This is a very interesting post, please write more” or “This is a long and worthwhile post. I look forward to reading your next one.”  or simply “Please write more”.

Am I flattered?

Of course!

Do I want to believe they are genuine?

Yes.

Do I actually think they are genuine?

No.. although some may be, and I don’t delete them all.

Recently I read a blog post by Michel Fortin the well-known copy-writer where he talks about instigating a zero tolerance approach to Fake Friendly Comments.  As a well-known authority he receives a lot of genuine comments, and an enormous amount of spam comments which recently have been dressed up as compliments.

Now, thinking about it some more I realise when you first start out to comment on someone else’s blog it is in fact quite difficult to know what to say.  You don’t know how the blog writer will respond, and as a normal good natured human you do want to spread good around the world. And despite everything that goes on via the internet, most people are good natured!

So writing a complimentary sentence or two is a natural first step.  After all you wouldn’t force your way into some else’s house unless invited in, and caution is an appropriate response.

So the spam writers have been clever. They have in fact caught what happens in real life.. where people do make vague compliments about each other.  Whether you are writing or receiving a comment on a blog or getting comments that value your business the easiest ones to write are generally non-specific and broadly complimentary. eg

” I have worked with ABC company for years and they are very good.”

“I would recommend John Smith highly.”

“XYZ company are my first choice”

This is the sort of thing people say in real life.  Very often they are the types of comment that my clients think will look good on their website.  They may have tried to get something more substantial from their clients, but they have waited a long time.  The trouble is these comments don’t look real .. even if they are .. and – even worse – they are not interesting to read.

There are no details, no rough edges, no interesting snippets that bring in some life.  Nothing about WHO the writer is, HOW the company has helped, WHAT has changed – with real figures, or real results,  WHEN it all took place, or indeed WHY there was a problem at all.

Once some of these details are written down, the vaguely complimentary comment becomes a great deal more lively.  It is more interesting to read, and becomes of use to the prospective buyer.

“ABC’s financial knowledge has helped us increase profitability by 12% each of the 5 years we have been in business.”

“John Smith’s design work has allowed us to bring in bigger target customers and position the company more confidently in our sector.”

XYZ have consistently cleaned our offices to a high standard.  We have moved to larger premises in Anytown a number of times and they are the number one company we call each time.”

In fact it may be quite a relief to just tell the truth and not have to be complimentary at all!

So too with blogs.  While a warm tone is of course preferable as the conversation is more interactive, responding to the meat of the blog post is preferable to a vaguely complimentary sentence.

It also means that your comment looks more authentic and is less likely to be deleted as spam.

PR: wait… I: wait… L: wait… LD: wait… I: wait… wait… Rank: wait… Traffic: wait… Price: wait… C: wait…

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In a larger business you probably had lots of contacts, and a yearly calendar of events, such as awards, exhibitions and conferences where you would keep up with what is happening in your niche.  In a small business working on your own – even if not in the back bedroom – life can seem easier but you may find some of the structure is missing.

To be sure you are rid of the politics, the promotion pressures and the people you did not get on with.  But on the minus side you miss the people you did get on with, there is no chance of promotion, and no gossip or coffee conversations.  There isn’t even a commute to moan about .. and you certainly don’t want to start complaining about the boss!

Face to Face networking offers a way to plug the gap.

If it is local you get a chance to meet a whole new community of business people who effectively become your peers.  It is much more pleasant to meet others in the flesh and have a conversation rather than trying to sell.

When they know like and trust you they are more likely to buy from you, and you have a chance to get to know them gradually over a period of time.  Unless you are a born salesman or woman this can seem a more authentic  and enjoyable marketing idea than cold calling or even starting to write about what your business does.

It also gives you a chance to practise different ways to talk about your business within a comparatively safe environment.

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innocent have one of the great brands  and look as though they do what they promise.  I once asked Richard (the marketing one, I think)) whether their logo of a type of smiley face, was actually drawn in a matter of seconds with a felt tip pen…which is what it looks like.  He said that yes, the person they were talking to just pulled out a felt tip pen and drew it.  (I think it was in red not black). Good story – we love natural and authentic!

So will they continue to be authentic while having Coca Cola as a shareholder?  Hard to say but from innocent’s track record you have to assume the chances are good.  As a small shareholder Coca Cola  will not be able to influence decisions but it probably depends on the potential size of  the European market and how much access will be through Coca Cola.

Access to market is a very real currency which could have far more value than a “mere” £30 million. .. and may be pointed out in the boardroom in the future.

The warmth and cuddliness of the innocent brand will re-examined.  I would guess that very few people who choose innocent drinks now actively drink Coca Cola or view it as a saviour.  But it is sensible footwork on the part of Coke to ally with a smaller authentic product.  As innocent have hinted the big coup would be to change some of Coca Cola’s ways ..

http://www.innocentdrinks.co.uk/a-letter-from-the-founders/

Good luck to them.  Business is business and you have to expand or die .. but we hope it will not be the slaughter / or diluting of the innocent brand.

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