When I was in college hanging out with the “New Wave” kids, one of the worst insults you could sling was calling someone a poseur.

A poseur was a ‘wannabee.’

They tried to act like they were an insider.

Or a true believer.

But they weren’t.

They’d put on the clothes, put on the pose, but they didn’t fool anyone.

The Cowboy recently mentioned it, relating to his early days as a guitar player and singer.

When he was in high school, plenty of guys wanted desperately to be in a rock ‘n roll band. But they only wanted to belong to something.

To get the girls… to be seen as important or cool.

But my husband?

He was and is a true believer.

He simply is hooked on making music.

It’s a channel of expression for him. He loves everything about music – from writing the song to signing it to recording it. I’ve learned more about microphones and the sound quality of recordings than most.

You can tell the difference between the poseurs and the true players.

It has to do with the heart. 

Many of those hopping on a marketing trend, for instance, simply want to belong.

It’s not a real passion for them. They see the buzz and figure they better get crackin’ or the train will leave the platform without ‘em.

I’m noticing this happening with email marketing. It’s hot. It’s going to become hotter.

And whenever you have these “hot” marketing trends, you’re going to have a bunch of people suddenly pop up, saying they know the score.

But since marketing is a moving target, the “score” is always changing. So be careful who’s claiming what.

I bet you’ve got plenty of poseurs  in your industry, too.

People who are going after your prospects, trying to grab your sales. Sales that should rightly go to you.

Because you’re a true believer, right?

Don’t be shy about letting your prospects know that you’re different.

You’re not a poseur.

You’re a player. 

One that is dedicated to being the best you can be at what you do.

One that is passionately obsessed with your industry’s unique set of challenges so you can offer effective solutions.

Put your heart out there.

Few can resist enthusiasm and passion.

Speaking of passion, I’ve been working with email marketing for over six years, diving deep into what works and what doesn’t.

I gave a local presentation to a group of business owners about it.

But if you weren’t there and want the scoop, reach out.

We’ll discuss ideas for your own email marketing so that you’re attracting and developing all the new business you can handle.

And we’ll knock those poseurs back on their heels. ;-)