In this interview we discuss:

- How Social Media can help sales people connect
- “HERO Selling”
- How to turn a messy situation around

How do YOU think sales people can stand out in the crowd in this economy?

Are you one who is carefully selecting the blogs you visit and comment on because they have ‘Do-Follow’ set up? Yes, I know, you get links this way – but are you really contributing to building a solid business and brand? If you are aiming for adding links in order to get better page ranking so that you can feed viewers to your ads, maybe you are gaining a little. But will they ever return? If you don’t make the effort to create value on your site, you will be forever seeking first time viewers because that’s all you will have – is that what you want?

I got started on this topic because of a post on one of the blogs I read pertaining to blogging. Blogger Maki of DoshDosh just put up a post titled, “The Unhealthy Obsession With Do Follow Links” which I suggest you go read right after you are done here. I won’t repeat everything he said here but just say, he poses the question of the validity of restricting yourself to commenting only on blogs with Do Follow set up for the express purpose of getting back links. And with the validity of the short spammy comments that don’t contribute to the conversation.

Now I’m certainly not going to try to put words in Maki’s mouth, you should read his post for yourself, but I can tell you my take on this, which I’m suspecting may not be too far off of his based on what he has said. With this obsession for link building many are fooling themselves into thinking they are actually building something that will last. First, I wonder how long it will take Google to come up with a method that detects and qualifies comments? They have already found ways to lock out other forms of spammy activity – can you say Google Slap!

Secondly, are you aware of how things are shifting within the online marketing world? With all the social networking sites exploding all around us people are showing that people respond to people more than some artificial hype. Is this full circle? We are back to basic word of mouth being the most potent mode of marketing. For years the internet marketing tried to cover over this with all the hype that was developed just to get eyeballs on to a page. However, if you are looking to build a real business with a meaningful brand this kind of focus is short sighted.

I have only been involved online and learning about online marketing for about 3 years but have seen major shifts take place in how it is being done successfully. Even the top ‘gurus’ in the niches most highly susceptible to hype style marketing, ‘Internet Marketing’ and ‘Work From Home’ have shifted to providing tons of quality information for free. It appears that the way forward if you want to build a brand for yourself and your business, is to be real, and provide quality and value.

And certainly one way to bring value to your site or blog and to the readers, is to actually participate in and contribute to discussions that benefit those people. When you put intelligent ideas in your comments readers will be more likely to follow your link to your blog to see what else of value you have to offer. I think, in the end, that a real human following from a comment is of higher value than a Google Bot. It’s real people who ultimately do business with us, are we assisting them with this action or are we hoping to accidentally capture them? Are you involved with what your audience needs and wants? Are you helping them get it? Are you directing them to other useful sources?

Here’s the trick, if you want to get good at something you must immerse yourself in it. And it can be very helpful to align yourself with others who are doing the same. You can actually kind of form a mastermind alliance with others just by who you associate with in your blogging. Follow those who are deeply in tune with and developing that which you are interested in and get involved by making comments on their blogs and making posts on your blog that really contribute to the conversation. And this must be more than, “really cool post man!” . . . ‘Dude’, come on, wake up!

If you are working on building yourself and your sites as your brand, the shallow comments will do you little good, in fact they will more likely knock you down a few points with your readers. You may not have figured this out yet, but if Google can program it’s computers to pinpoint the shams real humans can do it too – and usually quicker. Now if you are operating with a business model that only cares about traffic, any traffic, to get ad clicks, then the shallow, “cool man” comments will get you some mechanical links. Go for it, as long as it lasts.

But realize that at some point more bloggers will set up filters to not allow short comments – it’s only a matter of time. Because what happens on popular blogs is that someone who really cares about the topic and wants to learn more from reading the comments, like the author, must wade through all the trash. Just like the famed ‘Google Smack’ on all the trash site developers, the system, which here on the net is ultimately people, will tire of wading through the trash.

Get a clue from what is going on in the online world of business, people are fast realizing that the best way to build a business and a respectable brand is to be real. Sure we all click on ads and we marketers use ads, I don’t think that will go away, but the trend is towards offering quality and value.

Your blog readers will respect you far more if they see that you are involved with real meaty discussions with others that are adding value to the subject.

If you are afraid that you will loose your blog readers to another blog if you mention it in your posts, you are missing the big picture. You will gain more respect by leading them to other high quality resources, and if you are really contributing – they will have a reason to stay with you, both for your recommendations and your contribution. Short sighted fear will hold you back!

By getting involved in quality interactions with other bloggers you are creating collaboration,and through collaboration everyone wins. You really are tapping into the ‘mastermind’ concept even if not officially set up. When a group of minds get together on a particular subject they are each enhanced by the interaction. Ideas beget ideas and spark more ideas much faster than each individual can alone. And everyone reading this interaction gains more as well.

You can also apply all this too articles as well. Yes it’s great how you can get a nice link from posting an article on an article directory, but what you really want is real live readers that are impressed enough to click on the link at the bottom and go to your page. The article has already pre-qualified them, they are now a better viewer or your page than one that came from a search.

So, I guess the first thing to decide is, what is the business model you want to operate with? Will you continue to chase traffic alone or will you build a brand which becomes viral in it’s own right where people invite people.

John

]]> http://successfool.com/do-follow-blog-links-are-you-fooling-yourself/feed/ 7 http://successfool.com/fairshare-might-help-you-locate-plagiarism-partners/ http://successfool.com/fairshare-might-help-you-locate-plagiarism-partners/#comments Wed, 25 Feb 2009 07:33:54 +0000 John Halderman http://successfool.com/?p=542 John Halderman writes about personal growth and online marketing , helping people take command of their income, personal growth and wellness. He is also on Twitter

Any one who has been writing or blogging for any time here on the net(“The Wild Wild West”) knows that plagiarism is rampant. Now I am not such a purist to think that no one should ever read and regurgitate what they have read into their own words, that’s research, right! But the blatant ‘cut and past’ artists are the ones that  have become just a ‘little’ irritating.

I think most of these direct rip offenders are doing so to get some sort of content on their Adsense sites just to satisfy the search robots. These are the same people who a couple of years ago were able to do what is called “scraping” of articles and other website content, which is flat out copying the content of others and placing it on their pages. This way they get a content rich site the easy way!

Today this is harder to get away with as search engine bait, which is why the “duplicate content” rules has been established. Those of us that want to honestly put our articles in multiple places now must be very careful how we do this or we get punished just as if we had stolen the article. Lazy article writers and bloggers are still copying or close to copying to save time. I understand that this writing thing takes time, but there is such a thing as honesty that many choose to forgo.

I know I should not let it bother me, and actually I don’t stress about it. I know that those copycats will get their just rewards, there is a thing called Karma. Most likely their readers will see through their shallowness and they will not garner much credibility in the long run.

However, if you are wondering if and how much of your content is getting ripped, soon there will be a tool for checking up on your fellow bloggers. I know that first we should be trusting of others, but again, this is “The Wild Wild West” and almost anything goes. Content tracker Attributor which can check up on other locations using your text, pictures and videos has a new service geared to bloggers now in the beta phase called FairShare. It does appear from the website that they are accepting beta testers if you are interested. (2-24-09)

Well, whether you are blogging, writing and whatever online, and you feel the need to checkup on potential plagiarism of any of your content, the sources are available. I guess the determining factor in allowing others to get away with copying your content is in how you are monetizing it. So when someone copies it, viewers can see it somewhere other than your site, you loose any related income – and you did all the work.

You have the rights to the content you created, but online it is your responsibility to keep your plagiarism partners honest. Such a world!

John Halderman

Many have foundTwitter to be a great place to get linked to many people, and many see it as a promotional wonderland. “WooHoo, look at all those people I can hit with my promotions”

Well, yes . . . and no. Let’s pull back on the reigns just a little ‘Roy Rogers’! Twitter is fast becoming a place where you can gain lots, read thousands, of people you can contact and to a good aggressive marketer, a virtual gold mine. However it doesn’t work that way, at least that’s how most Twitter users see it.

Now you can certainly jump in to Twitter and plaster your latest promotion all about with reckless abandon, but guess what? You will rapidly find a lot of ‘no follows’ – that’s unpopular in Twittereze. The reason for this is that nature of the community. Just like in ‘real life’ every community has a personality that basically dictates normal behavior. Now, like this or not, the Twitter community has sort of established itself already.

For most Twitterers, there is a balance, a fine line between promotion and socializing. Twitter has become a place to socialize and get to know people . . . and recommend. Just like any aspect of life, there is a fine line between the two major aspects of Twitter, socialization and promoting. Twitter is a place where you can get to know people of all sorts, even individual ‘big’ in an industry are there rubbing shoulders with everybody.

This is a place where you can Twit a business leader who would be otherwise difficult to contact, and where they are quite likely to respond. But . . . but as long as you are being social about it, not sales-ey! Here’s the thing, if you spend some time getting familiar with people and they you in a casual way, they will not see you as intimidating or risky to interact with. Realize that many top level people in any business get approached often by people who want something from them – don’t be that guy! Rather, have a simple question for them, or offer help or even just a comment on something that they posted.

When you do post, Tweet, in a promotional manner, make it more suggestive or helpful, not – “Hey Buy My Stuff”. Yes, you will see some of this that doesn’t make it acceptable to most. Not sure, try this – ask other Twitterers what they think about it. Just as in any marketing efforts, it’s better to gain trust, familiarity and respect from people before asking them for money. It’s important to remember that business is about relationship building. This is important with both potential customers as well as partners or joint venture partners.

So, about the fine line, the balance, many are now automatically Tweeting their blog posts and articles, which is fine, but don’t let that be all that you do there. Have a social presence as well. Sure, recommend something, but offer to help, answer a question, and just be social. You will find that with the Twitter community you will be well accepted and welcomed, people will become more interested in you and what you do. Isn’t that better in the long run than just pimping a product?

Balance on the fine line – Twit away!

John Halderman

So you have set up a blog or website and are saying to yourself, “I just need to get people here so they can give me what I want.” You’ve tried that right. If you straight out ask them for money in exchange for something, how many take it? Most will likely be reluctant because they don’t know you, they are unsure if the quality of what they are offered is worth your price? No trust has been developed. So how do you get around this reluctance? Well, if you have been around online marketing very long you probably have seen many internet marketers giving something of value first.

What are you doing when you are giving people something first without requiring the normal exchange. First, in an unspoken way you are finding out what they want. Only the people that want what you are giving will do something to get it. And second, in the receivers mind, now you have given them something that they want, you have helped them. And if what you gave has value to them, a level of acceptance and trust will be built.

When you are on social sites such as Twitter, what do yo do? Do you Twit about yourself, your blog posts, your products and your offers? What about what the other people want? Yes, we all are out for ourselves, but helping others in some way is the best way to succeed. Do you take the time to respond to what others are saying when it’s not directly related to your latest offer? Do you offer assistance to someone asking around for help with something? Or, just add in a comment acknowledging their post or situation. People all want to feel cared about and appreciated. A lot can be gained by helping others feel this way with your actions. Most people on the receiving end will appreciate your efforts towards supporting them.

One of the key points taught in any sales training is building a relationship. People buy from people. We all want to interact with people we feel comfortable with. Even in a sales ‘pitch’ format, a well trained salesperson spends time developing a relationship before going into the product presentation. Doing business online is basically no different. It’s still all about people forming relationships or at least positive impressions, before the business action takes place. Yes, you can make sales by just placing a provocative ad in front of the right person, and this is fine for the one off sale. What I am talking about here is developing a customer, not just a buyer. A customer is the one who will get on your list, stay there and purchase some of what you suggest.

This is why the effective sales and marketing models for online business usually include some sort of free item or information at the beginning of the sales process. It can start with articles and blog posts that anyone can find. And if with these you have provided some sort of real value, the reader will follow the links to your pages and sign on to your list.

This concept also shows up in the MLM business, even as it’s done online. MLM has always been based on relationship building. And online, the most successful business builders don’t recruit from the company website, rather they use their own personal sites where they are able to start building that personal relationship before sending the person to the company site to get the facts. Their relationship with you becomes the basis of the emotional reason they buy or sign on.

These sales situations show how setting aside your personal big agenda for a while, to find out about the other person and what they are looking for, is really the only way to get to the final result you are looking for. Basically have the mind set of ‘give before you receive’. Successful marketer Andrew Fox recently said, “You gotta program your mind to GIVE! Help people get more out of life, and trust me, it will come back 100 times over.”

By looking at things with a different perspective your mindset on selling and building an online business can change, and your actions will then be in alignment with this mindset. Wayne Dyer said, “If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”

So help others get what they want and provide value to them, and you will realize what you want. Wouldn’t it would be a shame to see something like impatience knock you off from what you know is right. Yes, this approach take some time, but so does all that one shot sale marketing. The big payoff is in the long run, when you have a whole bunch of loyal followers that are repeat customers . . . and friends.