I was shocked by a quote I read today. It was given as advice to business people, and it went like this; “emulate, do not innovate, be unique, but not original.”

Now as soon as I read it, the hair stood up on the back of my neck and I started to shake with frustration. I got control of myself and commented to the person; “that’s good advice — if you want to be a follower!” (And I don’t mean a Twitter follower either. )

I mean, really! Do u think Apple, Virgin, Chris Angel, Martha Stewart, Oprah or any other standout company or personal brand adheres to advice like that?

No, of course not. The “nots” in that piece of advice will limit your success by making you a follower, not a leader.

Look… watch the 2:30 minute video and you’ll understand better the life-sapping trap of being trapped on the path. Then let’s chat.

It’s the worse thing that can happen to you…

You’re trudging along day after day, thinking you’re on the right path because someone else beat it down for you. Finally one day you get to the end, and you realize your destination is not what you were looking for. And you have to start all over again.

Not good. Not good at all. Modeling is great, but only when you innovate using your own strengths as the basis.

Being unique is terrific, sure. But my dogs leave unique piles of poo every day. If they were original and used the toilet - that would get my attention!

Beware of using cute little quotes as the basis for your business strategies. Dissect them and make sure they’ll work for your style.

Use common sense to map out each piece of advice to its’ conclusion. That way you’ll see if the end point aligns with your goals. If it doesn’t, either learn how to modify them to work with your unique strengths, communication and motivation style, and personal brand… or trash it.

What’s your story?

Have you ever gotten trapped following someone else’s trail? If so, how did you break free and cut your own path?

Are you already leading the pack? If so, how are you proving yourself and your products as innovative? What are you doing to create a personal brand that makes you stand out as both unique AND original?

I recently wrote a piece on the New Media Marketing blog for Entrepreneur Magazine, and it caused quite a controversy. In it I raised the question of women having a natural advantage when it comes to the art of influence and online persuasion. The topic generated a lot of comments and stirred up both men and women to join in and share their opinion.

As a matter of fact, the topic was so controversial that the buzz continued on Twitter, and at parties in the “real world”. Including a recent get together with one of my clients living Hawaii.

He started to say, “Women Rule on Twitter” while we were walking on the beach in Kailua to catch the sunset. But then, a couple of Mai Tais later, once again – the controversy took over. In the dark of night he “might” have admitted too much of what he REALLY thinks about women, and how he can’t compete with them on Twitter.

I dunno – but it sure had me laughing! (And laughing - and laughing esp while editing this video.) But I’ll let YOU decide.

Does he speak the truth? Or go too far? Is he sexist? Or simply admitting that women do indeed have a natural advantage for any type of social networking activity on the net?

J.P. Micek chimed in, (on the laughing) and went on to agree that women really DO indeed rule on Twitter. He said it was because they have, (and I quote) “The Whole Package”.

What do you think the whole package is, giving women the advantage on social networking sites?

And is it only women who have the whole package when it comes to winning on Twitter? Or can men develop the skills necessary to win in the new media marketplace?

Make your opinion count with a comment below.

@CoachDeb

Watch Now:

 Twitter Withdrawal @ the Beach Pulp Fiction Style: Play Now | Play in Popup

-

Bitten by the Twitter bug? Got Tweets running through your veins? Not able to go a few hours w/out knowing what your followers & friends are doing on Twitter?

Well, you’re not alone! @CoachDeb can’t even do it on the beach in Hawaii!

The social marketing and personal branding power of this New Media tool is truly addictive. Especially for the Courtier’ style who loves people!

Watch what happens to a Twitter addict caught on tape @ the beach - Pulp Fiction style.

*Warning*: if you’re used to Twitter, this WILL mess with your time line.

The very simple CHARM Formula of Tribal Seduction is a 165-degree twist on “old school” sales formulas. You know, things like “always be closing,” or AIDA et al. This video shows the CHARM Formula in real-life action. Watch and see if you agree that business people who adhere to the “old school” formulas come off as nothing but Marketplace Molesters.

This is one of the most viewed videos in the world today. And when you watch it, you’ll see why. On the surface it’s one man giving away hugs. But what the video really reveals is even more powerful for entrepreneurs, business owners, and even affiliate marketers.

It’s a perfect example of Tribal Seduction in real-world action.

As you watch the video observe how:

• “free” to the general public is a tough sell
• social proof of the first hug recipients spreads like wildfire
• meeting the un-spoken needs, wants, and dreams of your Tribe is the key to success
• the Tribe rallies to defend the leader when people try to stop him
• and, the ultimate — - how AUTHENTIC emotional bonding is what creates power, profit, and raving fans

If you take the time to define who your Loyals really are. If you learn what their REAL wants, needs, and dreams are. And if you honestly take the time to develop a strategy for emotionally bonding with your Tribe while providing value — then you’ll see the CHARM Formula bring you success.

The 90-second video intro:

Earth Hour. A 60-minute event that moves from time zone to time zone with people all around the world “volunteering” to participate and “make a difference” by powering down.

But is this event really what it appears to be on the surface?

Is it an innocent “celebration”… or a seductive ritual?

The first time I heard about the Earth Hour initiative I thought to myself; what’s the point? What’s the tangible and lasting benefit to mankind? There’s got to be a goal here. Besides, the name kinda sounds like the Darma initiative from the TV show Lost. And anyone who watches that show knows, they had a goal.

So I did some research. And you know what I found? Well, the Earth Hour organizers themselves have admitted that the event “would have little impact on carbon emissions.”

OK, so no tangible benefit. Onward we go.

There must be a hidden agenda or goal then. You an I are smart enough to know that an event of this scale comes about without some type of end result in mind. So I dug deeper.

At first I thought it was just basic indoctrination through a Tribal ritual to strengthen the faith of the followers. But then i saw the quote from James Leape of WWF International where he said, “We need to harness some of the cooperative spirit we’ve seen with Earth Hour to find a global solution.”

Ahhhh…. OK, the lights turned on for me. It was then I was able to see clearly that it’s an execution of a basic Tribal Seduction strategy. Stir up emotions, link them to an issue, event or person (in this case a natural phenomena positioned as a problem,) then capitalize on that emotional connection.

And this might just be one of the greatest feats of Tribal Seduction ever executed. Mass participation in a global event that has no outcome other than for people feel good about themselves. But that’s up to you to decide.

Remember — Tribal Seduction, like persuasion, the military or any other power, is morally neutral. It can be used to advance any agenda.

If you’re a business person who’s been exposed to the Tribal Seduction doctrine, you know we focus on harnessing the power of Tribal Seduction for good. To fight Marketplace Molesters. To remove barriers to action for your Tribe. And to help them improve their lives with the goods and services that you offer.

But Tribal Seduction can be used for evil too. Hitler and Jim Jones were masters at Tribal Seduction as well.

And it’s up to you to guard your mind. You need to be just as diligent in protecting yourself against Tribal Seduction, as you are dedicated to ethically using it as a marketing formula. And the way to guard your mind is to control your focus.

That begs the question…

Who’s controlling your focus?

Look, one of the guidelines for ethical behavior from the Society of Professional Journalists states that

Read the rest of this entry »