Do you know what happens to me over and over again when I tell people I write and speak about business ethics?

People tell me, "Business ethics! That's an oxymoron! There's no such thing as ethics in business."

I'm guessing that you already know better–that you already know that businesses can and do succeed when they follow the core principles that are most important to their owners–and perhaps you're already looking for the strategies and tools to help you put that into practice.

Maybe you already know that business not only can succeed with ethics, but it's actually a whole lot easier.

• Ethical businesses don't have to defend expensive lawsuits over pollution or unfair labor practices.
• Ethical businesses nurture and keep their best people, and let them settle in and grow in the job.
• Ethical businesses have much lower marketing costs, because their customers, suppliers, neighbors, and even their competitors do a bunch of their marketing for them.

But apparently, there are a lot of other people who need to be convinced…

So when I hear "oxymoron," I reach into my bag and pull out a copy of my award-winning book, Principled Profit: Marketing that Puts People FirstŠand let them look.

Almost instantly, I watch their eyes grow big and round as they go through all the endorsements in the front (including Chicken Soup co-creator Jack Canfield, founding CEO of Marketing Sherpa Anne Holland, and Mr. Guerrilla Marketing Himself, Jay Conrad Levinson, among others)–and they don't even know about the Apex Award, the foreign and corporate sales, or the book's other honors. Next, they open the book and start reading.

And then there's a moment of magic where they reach into their pocket or purse, pull out their wallets, hand me a twenty and say, "I need this book. I need it now! I'm buying this one, and don't worry about the change!

Yup. The marketing has worked again, and the skeptic has become, if not a believer, at least open to the idea that an ethical business not only can work, but works better. And has become a customer, because this former skeptic understands that this book has a lot to teach them:

Why your competitors' success not only isn't an obstacle, it can actually help you succeed (Chapter

The webinar will be available to JointWinWin members for replay.

Today is the turn of Shel Horowitz.

Alas, one MAD Marketer has had to pull out - Allison Nazarian has personal commitments which cannot be overcome this time but I hope to get Allison in the next tranche of MAD Marketing Sessions.

The good news is I have a new addition to the lineup - Chris Farrell, originally from the UK but now firmly ensconced in Beverly Hills!

You can register for all the upcoming free webinars here.

All the best,

Tom

It's free to all JointWinWin members (registration information for the webinar available upon signup).

Here's the link to get started:

http://jointwinwin.com/MADMarketing/July09/Free-Webinars.php

All the best,

Tom

Why did I contact these marketers and not others?

Truth is, I did contact quite a few people but not everybody could participate due to diary obligations and also, there are a lot of MAD Marketers out there who I haven't got on my radar but I'm sure you do.

So, with that in mind, who would you like to see interviewed and profiled as a Make A Difference marketer?

Comment below and I'll do my best to get them on board for the next series of MAD Marketing webinars and interview series.

All the best,

Tom

On Monday June 29 2009, get ready for some fun and games - 12for12k is holding a 24-hour video tweetathon to help raise funds for this month’s charity and end our first six months of operations in style!

Now there's another MAD Marketer.

At his Product Creation Labs - based in a sunny home office in Osaka, Japan - Kevin teaches others how to create their own information products and build successful info product businesses. Using the Internet, he reaches a clientele all over the world, and recently even held a special Private Workshop on Internet Marketing's number one forum - the Warrior Forum.

Kevin Riley has been an entrepreneur – building and running businesses since 1977. A candle factory, game board company, wooden toy kit factory, and construction company are some of the varied companies he has run in the past. He also has an education as a Mechanical Engineer. Kevin brings to the Product Creation Labs not just solid knowledge and experience in product creation, but also a strong grounding in building business systems and marketing products.

Building his first commercial website in 1995, Kevin realized in the late 1990s that future profits lay in information products.

Always having possessed an innate ability to teach, Kevin then upgraded his skills with special training and experience at Berlitz. His Product Creation Labs clients have benefited from his ability of breaking down any complex process into easily digested step-by-step information, and he teaches this to his clients to help them improve their own information products.

In addition to all of the above, Kevin is a MAD Marketer (MAD = Make A Difference). Get on over to the MAD Marketing Free Webinars to see Kevin in action.

Here is what Kevin has to say about Cause Related Marketing:

"For me, it serves a few purposes.

One (Marketing): It does give my business a bigger meaning in the big picture of things, and lets my customers see that I'm not just some greedy capitalist - that I actually give back to the community.

Two (Motivation): It motivates me to push harder, as my profits then help others, and I feel a responsibility to provide as much as possible.

Three (Personal): It adds a lot more meaning to my business activities, knowing that we are helping others."

You can find out more about Kevin here with his Success Manifesto

JointWinWin is putting on a series of webinars and interviews featuring a glittering array of business experts from different fields who will spill the beans on whatever questions you put forward to them.

Here's the list of marketers involved:

• Willie Crawford
• Kim Dushinski
• Shel Horowitz
• Bob Jenkins
• Maggie Keenan
• Lon Naylor
• Allison Nazarian
• David Preston
• Kevin Riley
• Dr Mani Sivasubramanian
• Felicia Slattery
• Scott Tousignant

Each marketer believes in the benefits of cause related marketing, how giving and making a difference is such a savvy business strategy.

The series kicks off on July 1st with Kevin Riley discussing his Success Manifesto for 2011 and what entrepreneurs need to do in order to achieve success. Full details of the webinar series with schedule details and participant biographies coming very soon.

You can register for the free webinars by becoming a JointWinWin member.

Remember - there is a form at the bottom of the page where you can ask any of the participants any question you'd like to cover on the webinars/interviews - get on over now, ask a question and register for the events:

Register For The MAD Marketing For Free Here

All the best,

Tom

We cover quite a bit including:

• Headlines
• Long Versus Short Copy
• Order Forms
• Testing
• Layouts
• Sales Letters
• Communications
• and much more…

Part 2 available in the Business Acceleration Results Club.

If you pop on over to Carol's blog right now you'll see an interesting article discussing whether feelings are profitable.

Copywriting Resource:
Killer Sales Letters

All the best,
Tom

Introducing the JointWinWin trusted web seal:

Certificate Seal JointWinWin

Although membership to JointWinWin and directory listings are free, the adoption and use of the JointWinWin certificate seal is a paid option.

Paid membership also has the added bonus of membership to the Business Acceleration Results Club designed to supply members with business growth strategies and tactics to further enhance their revenues.

Full details on the effectiveness of trusted web seals can be found in the special report Incredible Conversion which is a bonus for all JointWinWin members upon signup.

• #1 Win - You win with your customers by increasing trust, increasing
  credibility and deepening relationships ultimately leading to greater sales
• #2 Win - Your customer wins because they feel their purchases are
  making a difference which gives them satisfaction and at the same time
  they are reassured through your subscription to the 11 point business
  ethics charter
• #3 Win - Good causes win from increased revenue from JointWinWin
  businesses.

As a marketing strategy, it is elegant, self-reinforcing and fully synergistic for all as everyone is getting a good deal - there are no losers.

Strategic philanthropy is a synonym for cause related marketing in this context which is what JointWinWin stands for.

I recently came across an article by the renowned business expert Paul Lemberg called "Strategic Philanthropy".

In it, he describes 7 creative and practical strategic philanthropy ideas you can use in your business to help boost your profits.

Have a read here:
http://www.paullemberg.com/strategicphilanthropy.html

For more information on how strategic philanthropy can help you, signup now with JointWinWin and one of the bonuses you will receive is our step-by-step action plan to help your business grow.

Find out more in the bonus report:
Reciprocal Profits - Download Here

Any questions/comments?

Use the comment link below.

All the best,
Tom

The list goes on and on and is dizzying!

But there are some interesting constants, one of which is detailed in the bonus report:

Incredible Conversion - Download Here

Please post your comments or ask a question using the comment link below.

Let me know what you think…

I'm guessing your head is spinning somewhat so to get you on the right track, here are some pointers/tips which will help you convert prospects in the social networking world to customers in your business. At the same time, you'll have a lifeline for keeping yourself sane whilst taking useful action:

17 Business Tips for Social Media and Social Networking

1. Use Social Media and Social Marketing in your own business marketing! Obvious but needs to be stated nonetheless, there is too much at stake, namely your business and your livelihood.
2. Use them carefully! Remember your reputation, both personal and professional is open to constant exposure. Set a professional example at all times, the net holds everything recorded in one place or another…
3. Think twice, write once. Bite your tongue if someone has "had a go" at you online. Respond professionally and courteously.
4. Use the personal touch whenever possible. You will never be able to follow up with and contact all of your prospects/customers in a large niche. The effort with some though will help tremendously.
5. Use tools to automate and systematise. Although you cannot provide the personal touch to everyone, you can configure tools like autoresponders to help provide the personal and professional touch.
6. Solicit feedback and interaction. You need to establish a conversation and get involved with your fellow social networkers/readers. Ask questions, solicit comments.
7. Momentum is key. Commit to taking action regularly. Blog on a regular basis - at the very least a couple of times a week, more if you can. Interact on social network site groups and forums but commit to a certain number of actions per week and stick to it.
8. Promote your website and your content. Social bookmarking is a great source of traffic and search engines are using the contents of social bookmarking sites to influence search results. Make sure you have bookmarklets for the main sites like Digg, Stumbleupon etc…
9. Fill out your profiles - On whatever social networking sites you get involved in, fill out your profile in full (remember to include a prominent link back to your website!). People connect with people rather than websites so share a little about yourself and definitely include a photo.
10. Syndication is everything - There is a concept I first heard about from Paul Colligan called ISYOT: I've Seen You Out There. You need to syndicate your content far and wide. On some social networking sites (like Facebook for example) you can integrate your blog into your profile so people can keep track of what you're up to.
11. Social Advertising - Adwords may still be king of the hill but you can use many different social sites now and target the demographics of your choice. Facebook and Stumbleupon are two good examples.
12. Micro Blogging - Sites like Twitter (where you "Tweet") are an interesting new way to syndicate your presence and interact with others. It's an education in brevity as you have to get your point across to others in 140 characters or less.
13. Micro Blogging Syndication - Get more bang for your buck and syndicate your. Use a syndication service like HelloTxt to ensure your message is written once and shared across multiple distribution channels with the touch of a button.
14. Freemiums - Giving great value to prospects in an attempt to impress is all the rage (aka "Moving the free line"), make sure any freebies you are offering are very high quality and evergreen (i.e. stand the test of time).
15. Stir up controversy - This is a double edged sword. Yes controversy gets traffic and creates great buzz and momentum around any message you put forth. Be careful the way you phrase any content - controversial is fine, offensive is not. If you don't have a thick skin/hard neck, this one is not for you.
16. An emphasis on fun - any way you want to present your message, try to inject humour and personality. When it comes to viral videos on Youtube and GoogleVideo for example, short, sweet and funny works well.
17. Widgets - There are many companies out there who have made little "widgets" which plug in to social networking sites to perform a service, all the while reminding you about their marketing message with a logo and/or tag line. You might want to invest in the creation of a widget yourself if you have a good idea and some spare cash.

Why 17 tips and not 97? We all have but 24 hours in the day. I had to draw the line somewhere today. I may well be back again to add more! In the meantime, what tips do you have to share? Leave a comment below.

All the best,

Tom