To Be Fair

I have a confession to make. Bear with me as it is always difficult to acknowledge the errors of your ways. But now that I have reached an age when criticism has a much lesser impact on my ego I am now prepared to admit to a professional failing. And since there is much commentary on the IPG site about “Internet Marketing Made Simple” it is now time for me to come clean. Since we talk so much about simplifying Internet marketing it is only fair that I step up to the plate with this public unbosoming.

I also need to apologize. I am very sorry to the hundreds if not thousands of people I affected with my somewhat callous and self-serving behavior. I wish I could atone for the confusion and frustration I caused you and in some way I hope this public apology gives you some peace of mind.

You see, I was once a “blah, blah, blah” Internet marketing guy. As painful as it is to admit, I was the kind of Internet marketing professional that tried to win accounts with “blah, blah, blah.” Looking back I am not proud of the glazed-over looks I produced at my presentation. I’m now embarrassed by the lack of clarity I provided while explaining Internet marketing. And I am greatly shamed by all of the deals I lost because I needed to sound “smart.”

Not to make excuses, but in great measure I was an Internet marketing “blah, blah, blah” guy out of a lack of confidence. I was suffering from a “brain-drain” that caused me to talk about every little Internet marketing detail – to the point of ad nauseum. Now I can’t say that doing so made me feel good. To the contrary, most often I felt real bad for the folks to whom I was presenting and I felt awful knowing I probably talked myself out a number of sales. It was not a happy time for me and if there was a Betty Ford Clinic for “blah, blah, blah” guys I would have booked the place for a month or two.

Some years ago I had an epiphany. I’m not sure of the exact date and time (I’ve been doing Internet marketing since 1998), but I do know that the revelation hit me like a fastball to the helmet. I was made to realize that most people don’t care about the “blah, blah, blah.” They don’t even care about a single “blah.” What they do care about is that Internet marketing has a positive effect on their business. They care that they are getting a return on investment. And they really care about having a productive relationship with their Internet marketing vendor.

So my pledge to you is no more talk about algorithms, keyword density, cascading style sheets, URL re-writing, domain name switching – need I go on? From now on I’m going to continue to follow the IPG two-step recovery plan. Step 1, Shut Up! Step 2, Listen! I made a pact with myself (largely because no one else cares!) that I am going to work hard to keep the “techno-babble” to a zero. I’ll need your support. But with a little help from some friends, clients and prospects I think I’ll be o.k.

Now if you ask me about redundant navigation or cloud hosting, I’ll tell you all about it. Just please accept my sincerest apology in advance!