A friend sent me a Tweet with a video that — if you are a marketer, business owner or sales pro — you absolutely MUST watch. Yes it’s funny. Because, as with all good humor; it’s based on the truth. But you’ll also cringe as you watch it because if you’ve been in business for even a few months; I guarantee you’ve met bad customers something like this.

Watch the video now, and then I’ve got one of the most critical questions you need to ask yourself if you want your business to be a source of pleasure instead of constant pain.

Ok, so pretty funny huh?! And it probably had you squirming in your seat too, right? If you’re like me, you were probably wanted to yell, “Bad customer! Bad, bad customer!”

But think about this; who created this type of customer? Like poorly trained dogs that the infamous “Dog Whisperer” Cesar Millan deals with; the problem is not with the dogs, but with the owners.

Customers, consumers, clients…. whatever label you want to apply — they are being trained by their “owners.” And in this fantastical metaphor, their “owners” are, well — YOU!

Maybe not you personally. I know you probably hate this type of prospect or customer. But the fact is they didn’t develop this “give it to me for free” attitude all on their own. They were TRAINED to behave like this.

A turning point

I remember in 1992 the first time I really grasped this “you train the customer on how you want to be treated” concept. At least grasped it enough to step out on a limb and put it into action. I was tired of dealing with the headaches and petty demands of clients in our Grounds Management division and had to make a change.

The only choice obvious to me was to drop the division from the company. Luckily my mentor at the time had a better solution. He told me I was responsible for the way our team in the office and in the field was being treated. I had “trained” these customers to act the way they were. I fought the idea at first, but my back was up against the wall, so I bought in.

Putting the solution into action was painful and scary at first. It involved re-training existing clients, “firing” the bad customers who would not comply, and going out to attract new clients who could be trained act the way we wanted. Add to that, we had to do all that in the middle of the recession of the early 90’s and you can imagine how “fun” that was.

But taking the responsibility and the actions my mentor guided me in transformed my business from a place where our team feared the customer, to a veritable pleasure palace in contrast. What we did in that brief span of 6-months laid the groundwork for us to turn nearly every convention of the industry literally on it’s head. So much so that within five years our profit margins were double the industry norm and our revenues matching companies with three-times the staff.

If I had not been willing to follow my mentor’s advice and had failed to accept the fact that I had created my own hell, I’d surely still be stuck back in New Jersey in that same six-figure business… miserable.

Will you be part of the problem… or part of the solution?

In large part today’s customer has been trained to expect something for nothing. And when something is given for nothing; it’s usually valued as such.

Marketers, in an attempt to extract as much money from consumers as possible by giving the customer “what he wants”, have so dumbed down the buying public that you really shouldn’t expect anything different than what you saw in the video above.

Maybe I’m wrong on this, but the most important question I think you can ask right now (and YES, even in the midst of the worst recession of our lifetimes,) is…

“Have I contributed to creating poorly trained consumers like this?”

If the answer is yes, what are you going to do about it? Will you admit it, (as painful as it might be,) and craft a plan to reverse it? Or ignore it, and let your customers rule the roost making your life a living hell?

I know my answer. I’m revisiting and resurrecting what worked for me back in 1992.

For the profit-minded and proactive there’s the “Marketing For Life” sales-success program to help reverse the ass-backward marketing that so many business owners and marketers are engaging in.

How about you?

Leave your thoughts in some graffiti down in the comment area below.

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I have a confession to make: I’m on a personal mission to bring SEXy back to marketing.  No, no, no, not the bleached blondes in swimsuits beer commercial kind of sexy marketing but the Seductive Engaging eXpression of Your image and brand kinda SEXy.

Think about it – what is Seduction?  It’s a mutually beneficial exchange between two people who find each other attractive. Attraction is sexy.  How?  Because to attract someone you have to get their attention. Seduction is a GREAT way to not only grab someone’s attention – but capture it for life.

Applying seduction to your marketing is the hottest way to market in this new media marketplace.  Long before someone buys what you sell, they buy who YOU are.  If you can create a compelling, attractive and engaging online persona, you’ll connect with Your Tribe.

Engage – Connect – Convert

That’s the cornerstone of marketing in the new millennium. Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and LinkedIn are the tools that allow you to engage a tribe of like-minded followers.

Tribal Seduction is the ace up your sleeve… your secret, persuasive platform that will enable you to lead your tribe.

Sound intriguing? Be sure to join Coach Deb next Thursday for a special teleclass for Tribal Seduction members. (Who are Tribal Seduction Members? The ones who are subscribed to this blog.)

TOPIC: Tribal Seduction – The Hottest Way To Market

ON:    Thursday, May 28th / Friday, May 29th (in Australia)
AT:    7pm ET US / 10am NSW / 9am QLD / 4pm PT / 1pm HI

You do NOT want to miss this call – Coach Deb & JP will be announcing a HUGE Moving Sale promotion exclusively for members of their Tribe. (They’re giving away over $2,000 on this call!)

Stay tuned!  Sign up below to get more info.

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Whether you are marketing online or off-line, marketing with New Media or old media — honesty is critical to your sales success. Denying the facts will get you nowhere. Actually in today’s New Media Marketplace with the unbridled power of Social Media; denial will get you creamed!

So what’s the answer to effectively marketing an imperfect product in an imperfect world?

Watch this quick video and find out. I filmed it myself while driving home in Hawaii so the camera angle is off in some parts — but the topic and tips are so good I decided to publish it and give you a good laugh at the same time as a good profit-boosting strategy.

So there you have it, even in the video you see imperfection is not something you need to hide.

What’s your take?

• Have you ever felt like you had to deny an imperfection in your product or services?
• How do you feel when a Marketplace Molester or List Pimp tries to tell you you’re just imagining things?
• How could you “frame” imperfections in a way that actually grows your Tribe?

Share your thoughts in some graffiti in the comment area down below.

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First Tweetup in TV History was held on Wednesday, January 21, 2008 when Deborah Micek (Aka: Coach Deb) was interviewed by Andy Bumatai on his TV Show about Twitter and Social Media with two other guests, Arleen Anderson and Lincoln Jacobe.

The book Andy Bumatai referenced on the show was Twitter Revolution found directly on Amazon.

Part 1 from TV show
Andy Bumatai introduces “Social Media” to the audience and relates it to current events.

Part 2 from TV Show -
Where Guests are introduced & the discussion begins!

Part 3 from TV Show -
Where @AlohaArleen & @CoachDeb begin to debate about what Seduction really is (and is NOT):

Part 4 from TV Show -
When guests gave business owners tips on how they can use Twitter for business & marketing:

It got a little heated on the Andy Bumatai set when @AlohaArleen said she begged to differ with @CoachDeb and stated, “I don’t want to seduce my audience.”

Here’s a “behind the scene shot” of the studio.

NOTE: Deborah Micek couldn’t bring the Twitter Revolution book on the set b/c of the green screen the TV show was filmed in front of. Since the cover of the book was green it woulda looked funky with the background pouring through!

You’ll find more behind the scenes shots to see how the production was put together, and some of the LIVE audience members there for the LIVE Tweetup on Deborah Micek’s Facebook profile.

But back to the debate… Who doesn’t want to charm and seduce their audience? Now it’s your turn to get in on the debate. What have you learned from this blog about Tribal Seduction? And what would you say to someone who doesn’t get it yet?

Perhaps you’re a student from the Tribal Seduction Course, and you know even more about what Seduction really is and is not. Share your thoughts about seducing your audience (as opposed to the typical old-school marketing slam and spam strategies used) in the comment section below.

How would you describe Tribal Seduction in business to someone who is unfamiliar with this new form of marketing in the 21st Century?

Author: Deborah Cole Micek
Social Media Strategist
AKA: @CoachDeb on Twitter

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Splitting!? Really!? Yep… actually in TWO different ways. Splitting in a business-sense, and splitting as in “outa-here.”

You gotta watch the video to see how BIG of a move this really is. And we’ll share a little known fact that will forever transform your goal-setting — at New Years and all year long.

Watch it now, enjoy the warm Trade Winds… then we want to hear from YOU!

So what’s your BIG move for 09′… and your 7-year target

So now you know what our plans are for helping solopreneurs and business owners like you in 09′. And you know the most common mistake people make in setting and achieving goals — they over-estimate what they can achieve in one-year, and under-estimate what they can achieve in seven.

So now it’s time for YOU to take action…

Action, winners & reward

Why do we always share our BIG moves publicly with family and friends? Simple! It’s because it helps to hold us accountable in taking action.

It’s a practice I learned from a mentor when starting my 2nd business at age 20. It was instrumental in my selling two businesses, Deb leaving her Corp job and our moving 5,000miles to Hawaii. We use it all the time for added leverage on ourselves.

See, the problem is most people dream in silence, in their head. Winners create an environment where they’re accountable for action.

So with that in mind – what is your BIG move for the next 12-months, and the next 7-years? Don’t let your life be defined by “what coulda been.”

We’ll be rewarding the owner of the best “BIG move” posted 60-days paid membership on the http://BLOGi360.com Hub Site system! But be prepared to be held accountable. We want your life to be defined by the journey to “what will be.”

Happy New Year!

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What’s the secret to attracting attention and winning over people’s hearts, minds and pocketbooks? It’s the ability to influence and persuade. It’s what all business owners, sales pros and politicians want — but most start from the wrong place

Persuasion start with Self-Influence™

Mention persuasion to the average person and ask them where persuasion is focused — outward (on other people) or inward.

99 out of 100 will say "on other people." After all, isn’t the idea to win friends and influence people? Isn’t that what we should be focused on?

Yeah, sure – that’s the ultimate goal. But unless you master Self-Influence™ your persuasion skills will always come across as mechanical, un-natural.

Think about it. If you can’t influence and motivate yourself to take action — how can you ever effectively motivate anyone else?

The fact is you won’t. People’s perception will immediately be one of suspicion. Not a good place to start a relationship, I’m sure you agree.

Have you ever heard of Harry Houdini?

Well he wasn’t like today’s magicians, only interested in filling a theatre in Vegas. He was an artist. He could make an elephant disappear in the middle of a theatre filled with people, and do you know how he did that?

By controlling people’s perceptions.

Until you control people’s perception of you, your brand, your persona, and who you really are at your core – you will never attain the levels of influence and persuasion that you want.

And yes! That applies online too because there is NO hiding behind your screen. Not anymore!

Online persuasion

It’s easy to see influence and persuasion at work in the off-line world. You meet people and immediately begin either building or breaking rapport with your first face-to-face meeting. You’ve got all five senses working for you.

At first glance online persuasion of that same level may appear to be a near impossible goal. At best, most people see online persuasion as a process of mechanical manipulation; tricks and black-hat triggers used to induce people to hand over their cash.

If we were still living in the online world of Web 1.0, true online persuasion would be difficult. That was an online world where conversations were limited, and being a Marketplace Molester was the bastardized definition of begin “persuasive.”

But have you noticed that going online is a different type of experience today?

With the New Media marketplace powered by people and participation, a more natural form of persuasion can be employed. Audio and video along with instant interaction and ongoing conversations simply make online persuasion another dimension of the off-line face-to-face world.

“The catch”

Online or offline — you can’t just jump in and start trying to influence others. That’s like building a pyramid from the top down.

(For a full-size printer-friendly version, download the Tribal Seduction Power Pyramid™ PDF here.)

Far too many people start from the wrong place and fail to establish the foundation that will support their successfully persuading an ever growing Tribe in today’s marketplace.

You need to start from the bottom up, inside out.

Here’s why…

If you want people to trust you and fall under your spell, it’s not about “making up” a persona or image. You need to take your strengths and the magnetic aspects of your persona and make them larger than life.

To maximize your ability to persuade in marketing, sales, management, or any area of life – that means starting with understanding your natural communication style.

We each have our own unique Communication Code™. That code determines how we communicate with the outside world, how others perceive us, and how we talk to ourselves. It’s an essential element in the Self-Influence formula. And it’s the easiest place to start.

The good thing is that, when it comes to your natural communication style, you can adapt. And that ability to adapt gives you control. Control over how others perceive you, and control over how you manage and motivate yourself.

The better you understand yourself, the better you will be at getting what you want. In fact, what you don’t know about yourself could keep you from getting what you want.

Today’s New Media Marketplace isn’t Romper Room

Focusing on Self-Influence first takes patience and maturity. It’s not for everyone. It’s a matter of doing things a little differently to make a LOT more money.

Some people are still looking for the easy way to riches. The magic bullet or secret potion. And that’s ok for people who want to end up struggling and eeking out a living waiting for that pie-in-the-sky payday.

But if you’re serious about achieving the wealth and lifestyle you want, sorry – playtime is over!

Houdini used Self-Influence to survive his life-threatening illusions and win over the world. Moguls like Oprah and Trump have mastered it. Branding power-houses like Gene Simmons and thought leaders Seth Godin know it, live it and profit from it.

They all know their practical strengths, Communication and Motivation Codes™. They mastered Self-Influence long ago and excel at persuading though perception… the reason they are where they are today.

How are you doing?

If you’re trying to persuade your Tribe and influence groups of people, have you worked your way up the Power Pyramid™; constantly working to improve your Self-Influence™ and Personal Persuasion?

• If not, what’s holding you back? What is your greatest challenge in creating a persona and packaged perception that will persuade your Tribe?

If you’re not happy with the results you’re getting at the top of the Power Pyramid, what are you doing about it?

• Are you willing to focus on influencing yourself BEFORE trying to win the hearts, minds and pocketbooks of millions?

• Have you identitifed your practical strengths; the abilites and skills that will add value to other people’s lives?
• Have you broken your Communication Code™ to determine how the stress of challenges, interaction with people, details and even day-to-day tasks impact how others percieve you?
• What about your Motivational Code™? Do you know exactly what gets you jumping out of bed in the mornign ready to roll without any coffee?

• How are you packaging those together with your Persona to create a Personal Brand that creates the perception you want people to have?

Spill your mind. Share your thoughts in some graffiti down below.

>> To see how Self-Influence translates into the power to persuade crowds and create raving fans, download the Tribal Seduction Power Pyramid™ PDF here.)

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We recently added a free bonus download for new subscribers to the Seducer’s Journal here at TribalSeduction.com — the Tribal Marketing Playbook We sent a download link to all current subscribers last week, but if you missed that email we’ll be resending that in a follow-up email later today — so keep an eye out for it.

In the Tribal Marketing Playbook you’ll learn:

• What the Tribal Marketing construct is

• Why seeing your target audience just as one Tribe will short-change your results

• How to use the Tribal Marketing Power Matrix to leverage your time for bigger returns with less effort

• How using only the "obvious" approach to marketing to a Tribe can cost you more time, effort and money than the Tribal Marketing Influence Pathway

• Why the Influence Ladder is your key to high-leverage persuasion (online or off-line)

• And lots of interactive strategy sheets to put ideas you get into action. (Why it’s called a "Playbook" )

You definitely want to grab this Playbook and devour every page as quickly as possible. It will open your eyes to an entire new way of marketing and growing business. One that’s more fun and profitable!

So as a current subscriber to watch for your direct email later today. And if you like what your Tribal Marketing Playbook does to expand possibilities for you and give you new actionable ideas for marketing your business, please invite your friends to subscribe to the Seducer’s Journal.

If you’re not yet a subscriber to The Seducer’s Journal, you can grab a free 6-month subscription by registering at the top of the left-hand sidebar, or on the home page.

Enjoy!

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Plurk, Jaiku, identi.ca. All New Media marketing channels. Services that are trying to topple the king of the micro-blogging hill — Twitter. But they’re all falling short. And understanding why they’re failing will help you attract, grow and protect your business — no matter whether you’re selling widgets in Peoria or downloads worldwide.

See — it’s not just the Twitter API or its coding that is insulating Twitter.

Nope! Far from it.

And it’s not all the cool apps that have been built around Twitter (like Summize, Twemes, Twhirl, etc.) They help solidify Twitter’s position. But they’re all actually a RESULT of Twitter’s leadership, not the cause of it.

The reason Twitter still stands as the top choice for the #1 choice of micro-blogging for New Media marketing goes much deeper than coding, apps or APIs.

It’s all about seduction…

Three Tribal Seduction™ principles keeping Twitter at #1

Let’s take a look at the real reasons for Twitter’s current ability to fend off all comers, and see how you can apply these lessons in your own business.

1) Fantasy (or “story”)

Twitter, Tweets, the Twitter Fail Whale and the entire cast of cartoon-like characters in Twitterland — they all make using Twitter fun. It’s engaging and entertaining.

It’s a fantasy land where you can make up your own stories.

2) Insider language

If you use Twitter you’ve probably grown accustomed to using terminology like Twemes, TwitCast, TwitAholic, follow, @, DM’s, and more.

It’s an environment we can escape into using a language that “outsiders” just don’t understand. That’s key in Tribal Seduction for the same reason it’s key to the power of cults. It makes members of the Tribe “insiders.” You’re in-the-know and everyone else is on the outside.

But most importantly…

3) The Tribal Factor™

The Tribal Factor™ is something that’s bigger than you, your product or your service.

• It can be a movement (like the “green” movement.)
• It can be an ideological-based loyalty (like Apple / Mac users.)
• It can be a life-enhancing value that’s accessed and reinforced by subconscious social beliefs. (Like Twitter, where connection and attention are attained AND retained by popularity. Much like your high-school days.)

Of course it can be all three blended together, which is even more powerful. Event then the Tribal Factor™ is much deeper than these individual approaches, but they at least give you a good idea.

The bottom line is —

Seduction trumps function every time!

Benefits. Functionality. Value.

BLAH! Fagedaboudit!
Go flush that crap down the toilet!

Listen, true value only comes when you take a core function (open source or proprietary), add a human interface that leverages embedded psychological triggers and wrap it all in a blanket of Tribal interaction.

At a quick example to really bring it home

A service like identi.ca is the result of the typical left-brain dominated techie-geek mindset of the open source community. Plurk tries to be different, but its interface looks like the result of a night coding by some drugged-up hippie programmer. Jaiku, well we won’t even go there.

The bottom line is in all the cases of Twitter wanna-be competitors, they’re missing critical Tribal Marketing principles. The story, the language, the Tribal Factor, the embedded social triggers — they’re all missing!

Why loyalty is king of the hill

All three of these Tribal Seduction™ principles have more impact on loyalty than you can imagine. Twitter has attracted, seduced, and gained the loyalty of a Tribe.

And that’s pretty powerful when you consider the fact that users of Twitter experience regular downtime and frustrating “Fail Whales.”

The Twitter Twibe may have many bands and clans within it. And many will test competitive services as they come along. But they’ll only leave Twitter when the rides at another amusement park are more fun and exciting.

The question you have to answer for yourself is —

how will you seduce your Tribe and turn your marketing, brand and business into an amusement park your Loyals will rave about for life?

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We’ve all been told the virtues of having hope all our lives. God! We’ve bombarded with it this campaign season in the US. But hope is a scam. And it’s one you better understand if you’re going to succeed… in business and in life. Strap yourself in cause we’re going way beyond marketing today.

You’ve probably heard it said that hope is the only thing you can have when facing a crisis. I say BS! Yeah, yeah… blasphemy. I know, I know. Send your letters and emails to….

But follow me here for a minute. It WILL change your business…and your life!

What I just said flies in the face of all you hold as “true.” But where did that belief come from. You or someone else?

For example, over the last 6-months we’ve been bombarded through the media by a “message of hope” from one presidential candidate. The campaign has been a textbook application of Tribal Seduction principles magnified by mainstream media. Now many people think “hope” is the answer. And that is dangerous.

Dangerous! Hope!? Why?

Well, what is hope? Has it ever done one bit of good?

No! Hope is a “wish” for something. A wish that something will happen the way you want. But it could just as easily not. So hope is grounded in uncertainty, doubt, and fear.

Doubt me? Then “hope” the sun will come up tomorrow. “Hope” you’ll have enough money to pay your bills this month. “Hope” you’ll have good health tomorrow. “Hope” you don’t get hit by a car as you cross a street today.

How do you feel now? Like crap right?

Well, snap out of it…

Drop the hope and make it faith

Faith is grounded in absolute certainty. Faith is “knowing” that something is going to happen. You know it in your heart.

Look, as I sat here this morning watching the sun rise over the Pacific, I thought “what a difference from yesterday.” Yesterday started as a crappy day. As I started the day I was pounded by one problem after another. I was frustrated that we’re so close on a project, but yet there were seemingly insurmountable roadblocks in the way.

My focus was there, on my problems and frustration. All I could do is hope. And hope didn’t help me at all. Then Deb and I talked. As usual, spewing the crap that’s in my head out onto the floor acted like a mental diuretic. Only then was I able to drop the hope and muster up faith. And faith is what allowed me to take action.

It’s been said that faith as small as a mustard seed can move mountains. No prophet, no Scripture, and certainly God never said that about hope.

If I stayed in the land of hope, I’d still be the same today. Sitting in the same state waiting for something magical to happen. Waiting for God, government or someone else to come and make something happen for me.

If you’re sitting there “hoping” for more business or a better life — it aint gonna happen.

No, the answer is faith in yourself. Faith in your family. Faith in your fellow citizens. Faith in God. These are the things that will give you the courage to act. And ACTION is the only thing that will change your life.

What will you choose?

I know the sun will come up tomorrow. I have faith in it. I know there will be enough money to pay the bills at the end of the month, because I have faith in my ability to give value and thereby generate cash. I have faith in it and can take it to the bank.

But I also have faith that most people are smart enough to make the shift from hope to faith, get the certainty they need, and take action to change their lives. Are you one of those people?

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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.

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