Respect and authenticity

Seth Godin, the marketing thinker, was asked to conclude an interview with what he thinks would be his 8-word legacy. His answer was:

Respect and authenticity are the secrets to success.

By respect, Seth mentions the respect for employees and the customers, both existing and potential. Authenticity is doing what we say we're going to do, and marketers who get what they want are the ones who keep their promises.

(You can listen to the entire interview here, by clicking the Download Podcast link.)

What Seth says echoes a lot of what I've thinking about, particularly with respect to Muslim-run businesses. Muslim business people argue that there is not enough support and confidence shown by Muslim consumers. In my humble opinion, this can be overcome, provided that these businesses possess both of the above.

Respect. People are tired of being treated as stupid and ignorant. Tell the real story behind the product or service. Cut the PR crud, give customers some time and they can tell whether a company knows what it is doing or not. There's no reason to stick around with a company that's all talk and nothing else.

Authenticity. Deliver what you promise. Don't promise what you can't. Offer according to your capabilities. Overselling is proven way to make people hate you, if that's what you want.

Create positive experiences for your customers and they'll become your marketers. Word-of-mouth and personal recommendations are still far more powerful than any sophisticated marketing plan you can ever think of, and that is still true today as it was during the days of the first market on Earth.