please, stop comparing my business to those people. Yes - I market my business on the internet - but there is a big difference between what I do and what they do.

For today’s Authentic Self Project post, I want to address this. The reason I chose this is because over the last week and a half, I have been compared to internet marketers in one way or another - and frankly it’s making me a little crazy. I’m tired of hearing about how effective these hype-ridden sales tactics are.

Remember when I posted my big rant about these so-called marketing gurus? Well, it’s coming time for me to stand my ground, hold my beliefs, and stay firm in my power on this subject.

A few weeks ago, I was in a networking group, and I expressed an opinion - inconsistent to the way internet marketers do things. Someone replied “Yes, but the internet marketers say that This Other way works better…” Yeah - well - I’m NOT an internet marketer. I hang out with my niche daily, I listen to what they say - and they don’t like the sales tactics of the internet marketers. So why on Earth would I use a technique that my niche doesn’t resonate with?

Last week, I was having a conversation with a friend who tried to insist that my business was an internet marketing business - and why wouldn’t I want to replicate those tactics? He asked, “don’t you want to see the same success these guys do? Why wouldn’t you want to place yourself in that category??” He was completely dumbfounded.

Why don’t I consider myself an internet marketer? Two REALLY big reasons:

1. I LOVE to work directly with my clients. I love what I do, and I don’t want to build a business so that I can sit around and not work with clients. Internet marketers will brag about how much money they make and how little they work… my question is - where is the TRUE value in a business like that? Let me get this straight - your customers are going to spend pretty big bucks for your product, but you’re going to be off in Tahiti somewhere if they have questions??

I work with my clients - I love to work WITH my clients. I will not produce a product or service, ask giant amounts of money for it, and then have my assistant handle everything else. I will be in touch with my clients. I love receiving e-mail from them, and I love interacting with them.

2. I will not make promises in my sales pages that are next to impossible for normal entrepreneurs to replicate. If you look at these internet marketers, they will lead you to believe that you can make scads of money in 30 days. Yeah, if you have the right amount of money, the right reach and the right amount of time, you can make scads of money in 30 days. But - if you’re like all of us regular entrepreneurs, it’s going to take a bit of time and a bit of work to build your business. And really - there is nothing wrong with working. I don’t consider “working in my business” a bad thing.

I tell my clients exactly how to be effective in their business, how to break through the mind-set traps that hold them back, and how to build a business that will serve them and their clients. I will not promise pies in the sky, and I will not build gigantic web sales pages - you know - the ones that take 30 minutes to read.

My clients are intelligent people who want to build businesses that serve their clients and customers. They don’t need the hype, they don’t need to read something for 30 minutes, they don’t need automatic audio on a sales page to know that I can help them with what’s keeping their business stuck.

Like I said at the outset, I’m being asked through these conversations to hold my ground. Luckily - I’m in good company. I had a conversation with my friend Ann on Friday and we talked about this very subject. She’s in my boat on this - and I love that… she’s a pretty smart lady so I know I’m in great company!

I remember a time in my life where I would have caved and gone along with the popular voice. No longer. Giving in to what others believe doesn’t serve you. And it doesn’t serve those around you either.

Stand up for what you believe in. Hold your ground - there are other people out there that support your opinion. If you stand up for what you believe in, you will serve your soul, you will increase your confidence, and you will find amazing people that also believe in you and what you say!

So today, think on these questions: are there areas in your business where you feel like you’re going against the popular views? What happens inside  of you when you believe something with your whole heart and soul and the people around you feel completely the opposite way?

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 16th, 2007 at 11:50 am and is filed under Authenticity In Entrepreneurship. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.