source: Principles for Running Your Business about Leo Babauta way to conduct his business.
To be authentic is to be trustworthy. If you’re selling snake oil, or doing Internet Marketing just to make a lot of money, you’re not being authentic. You’re selling something falsely. And people will figure that out, no matter how hard you try. We have a sense for this, and while we might fall for the sales gimmicks for a little while, we’ll catch on to you. And then you’ve lost the respect of that customer, probably forever. Avoid this by being as authentic as you can.
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The biggest obstacle to being authentic and trustworthy is fear. People who are new, and even those who’ve been in business for a little while, are afraid of failing as businesses. So they use the successful people as models, and see how they do things. That means they follow in the footsteps of Internet Marketers who’ve made millions being untrustworthy and pushy. All of the tactics you see today that are annoying … these came from Internet Marketers. Who got them from Direct Mail and Infomercial Marketers before them. Things like how to warm up your list and put time pressure on them and give them a fear of scarcity and affiliate marketing and pop-ups and free ebooks if you subscribe to my newsletter … these are from Internet Marketers. When you find yourself doing something because others do it, because the successful people do it, you’re afraid of failure. Which is natural, but not a good way to operate your business. Do things that people love, that change their lives, and you’ll have customers thanking you for what you do.