Authenticity sells us, convinces and galvanizes others

‘Met with Cheryl Scoffield, principal of Executive Sales Support (E.S.S.) yesterday to talk about her new venture. I’ve known Cheryl for about 2 years and was successful in creating the brand for her initial website and business.

Our discussion covered a lot of ground, including her recent decision to “open up” to those she was meeting at networking sessions. Translation: allowing her buoyant personality and natural enthusiasm to shine through her business persona.

The results have been breathtaking: 1) She’s landed a 6-month contract job organizing the back office (sales receipts and orders) for a thriving recycling company, 2) Made a connection with an software company who wants to make her their agent, and 3) Landed a position at a business center where her combined skill sets will assist new businesses in getting off the ground.

For years previous, Cheryl had worked for pharmaceutical, industrial, and bio-engineering companies and engaged in meticulous and logistical work. Due to the level of concentration required and the technical nature of the positions, she didn’t feel her “real” personality would be welcomed. Habitual repression led to a focused, logical approach towards her business affairs.

A New Perspective
However, after attending one of mutual friend’s Faith Seekings’ networking and learning sessions on social media and connecting, Cheryl decided to play to her strengths. She listens more now and sees if she can connect anyone she runs across to another who may need that person’s skill sets or contacts. It’s working like a charm and that’s nice to hear – plus it allows me some repeat business.

Corporate Influences Eroding
Cheryl was suffering from what many of us endured while working in corporate settings: having to bury our personalities in favor of a desired corporate persona, dictated either formally or informally. I remember being questioned of my commitment to my job by the new VP of Operations at Call-Net Telecommunications because he heard me laughing and carrying on. The man didn’t trust me despite my good sales “numbers” because I wasn’t acting the way he thought I should.

Trust-based Relationships and Referrals
In general, acts of kindness, helpful referrals, passing on cool articles via Twitter or LinkedIn (or even boring ole’ email) are the types of behavior that encourages others to help you if they think they can. This new network-based economy takes a positive view of human nature.

If you are intent on referring someone to a friend or associate, you will probably already have exchanged ideas with this person, discussed their background, company, business applications and target market(s). In doing so, a measure of trust has been established and the referral is pre-qualified and screened. If your judgment and memory are good, the referrals will be prudent ones which increases people’s trust in you. All this isn’t accomplished using a stiff demeanor; it is usually done in a matter-of-fact manner with a few anecdotes and jokes mixed in: people being their real, authentic selves.

Trust has always been the fundamental driving agent of any transaction. With current marketing intelligence indicating that people place more trust in another’s opinion over a company, our personal and professional networks will become – if they are not already – a valuable source of most of what we need: job leads, referrals, a source of quality professionals or partners, and so on: Invaluable!

And this is precisely what was foreseen back by Kevin Kelly’s in his now legendary article New Rules for the New Economy in WIRED Magazine’s Sept. 1997 edition.

Specifically, the 5th law, The Law of Increasing Returns was based on “Making Virtuous Circles:

Here’s the first 2 paragraphs:
“The prime law of networking is known as the law of increasing returns. Value explodes with membership, and the value explosion sucks in more members, compounding the result. An old saying puts it more succinctly: Them that’s got shall get.

We see this effect in the way areas such as Silicon Valley grow; each new successful start-up attracts other start-ups, which in turn attract more capital and skills and yet more start-ups. (Silicon Valley and other high tech industrial regions are themselves tightly coupled networks of talent, resources, and opportunities.) Return to the beginning of this article.

I found this article in the library in paper form 1998 and knew it was important. What I didn’t bargain for was that Kelly’s thinking was so far ahead of most people’s thinking that I couldn’t find a single person to discuss it with for years. What began as a trend for companies soon trickled down to the entrepreneurial marketplace where it is underrated and under-practiced.