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Shel Horowitz’s Clean and Green Marketing Tip: January 2025
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Personal Message from Shel: Evolving This Newsletter in a World Caught in the Cross-Hairs
Welcome to 2025, a year that’s only two weeks old and already fraught. This is a challenging time. Business leaders who believe business can make the world better for the planet and its residents will face intense scrutiny and pressure to fold our tents. But if we stand firm, if we continue to act on our sense of ethics, our decency, and our knowledge that environmental and social responsibility is a business success strategy, we will eventually prevail!
My heart goes out to readers and their loved ones who have been directly impacted by the dozens of recent massive climate events such as the floods in the US Southeast, Libya, and Uganda, earthquakes in China and Vanuatu, fires in California, cyclones in Mozambique and Sri Lanka, volcanic eruption in the Philippines…and by human-caused disasters, including the brutal wars in Ukraine and Gaza, the massive migrations from areas that are no longer safe, and more.
Speaking of human-caused disasters—here in the US, starting on January 20, we face an openly authoritarian, openly bigoted, and openly corrupt administration that brags about how it will undo our progress on environmental and social issues and attacks personal freedom. This new government plans to act not as a force for the greater good, but to enrich kleptocrats and make life miserable for “enemies” within.
And many senior executives are pushing hard to enable that undercutting within their own organizations. Companies are shredding DEI programs, universities are struggling to come up with something equitable to replace welcoming admissions policies deemed illegal by a partisan Supreme Court, and both social and mainstream media are adopting policies that kowtow to authoritarians, from eliminating fact-checks and enabling hate speech to suppressing criticism of the new regime. And alas, similar governments already exist in Hungary, North Korea, Russia, and elsewhere.
But there’s some good news, too: Several countries, including Brazil, Chile, and Columbia, have tossed out right-wing dictators. Others including Germany and France turned back far-right candidates and slates. In the US, many left-of-center candidates and ballot initiatives won even in states that went for Trump. And that’s just the beginning. Visit this page from Nonviolence News for a torrent of more good news, most of which I hadn’t even known about until their newsletter crossed my desk. I don’t see everything on their list as good news, but the vast majority certainly is.
Also, under-the-radar organizing by progressive grassroots organizations is massive. And these groups are finally working together. I went to one national Zoom meeting that had 140,000 registrants, 100,000 attendees, and the active participation of at least five national grassroots groups. Individually and collectively, they’re crafting and launching to best create nonviolent strategies to resist Trump policies and nominees—quickly marking the first victory in November with the almost immediate collapse of Matt Gaetz’s nomination for Attorney General, which culminated in the release of the US House ethics report on his long list of transgressions.
Because we’re entering such challenging times and the topics I cover are directly influenced by government policies and public perceptions related to business I will adjust my focus a bit. This newsletter will pay more attention to success stories in fostering progressive attitudes and blocking the slide toward authoritarianism. This will probably show up most often in the monthly review of a book or other resource—whether or not there’s a direct and obvious business connection. I hope these success stories inspire you to continue and expand the good work you’re doing, both within and outside of the business sphere.
And now, on to this month’s tip and resource review.
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Networking, Part 1: 5 Easy Secrets to Networking Charisma and Success—WITHOUT Being a Jerk or Feeling Cheapened
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Photo Credit: Henri Mathieu-Saint-Laurent via Pexels
The 54 “rocket thruster” strategic questions from Seth Godin I shared last month were part 1 of a three-part series on priming yourself for success in 2025. This month and next month, we’ll look at networking as a life and business skill.
Relax! You don’t have to be “That Guy/That Gal” that everyone wants to run away from. They may think they’re networking, but they’re actually engaged in alienating. Even if you hate traditional networking, you may find that my approach is a lot more friendly and brings better results—because it’s not about how great you are but about how useful your help can be to others.
- Engage deeply. Too many people either cower at the back of the room at a networking meeting, speaking only with those they already know—or “work the room” shoving business cards in people’s faces and excusing themselves (or just walking away) a few seconds later to prey on the next victim. But networking is not about the number of superficial and worthless contacts. It’s about making real connections. I once spent an entire 90-minute Chamber of Commerce meeting talking with ONE individual—and I consider that meeting a rip-roaring success.
Some steps to reach those deeper levels of engagement:
a) Begin with a compelling and non-routine question. Examples: Why did you choose to get involved with this organization? What’s the thing you’re most proud of in your career? Can you describe a typical day? If you were in charge, what would you do differently?
b) Listen well. Make the other person feel seen and heard. Resist the temptation to fill up the spaces with stories about how what you did was similar or better. Instead, ask some probing questions about what you’re hearing. Stop every once in a while to rephrase what you’ve been hearing in your own words, so the other person knows you not only pay attention but you get it.
c) Ask what the person hopes to come away with from this event.
d) If they don’t flip it back to you, ask if you could tell them a bit about what you do and what you’re looking for. If they grant permission, begin with your…
- You-know-how self-intro. Start with a question that feels obvious—and follow up immediately with what sets you apart in a way that excites the listener enough to ask “tell me more!” This formula is a much more interesting conversation starter than a simple job title—especially one that people think they already know all they need to about. So, for example, instead of saying “I sell solar panels,” you might try “You know how energy costs have quadrupled since the new century started? I help small businesses return to those lower costs while cleaning up the environment, lowering their carbon footprint, and creating better health outcomes at the same time.”
Here are two I’ve used: one to attract clients for a specific service, and the other to bring them into my broad niche. For a specific service: “You know how so many press releases are so boring you could read them instead of using sleeping pills? I write ‘story-behind-the-story’ press releases that go far beyond the usual who-what-where-when-why to make your company sound fascinating—it’s like reading a novel except it’s the truth.”
For the overall niche: “You know how the so-called ‘experts’ always say you can either have a business that makes a good profit OR one that does good in the world? I’m here to tell you that not only can you have both, but if you do it the right way, your profits actually go UP when you build in environmental and social good.
- Connect around common interests. Keep your ears open as you walk through an in-person networking event, and visit the chat frequently if you’re at an online event. Keep your radar up for common interests. In person, you can interrupt gently if you make it relevant: “I couldn’t help overhearing that your daughter is on the soccer team. I played as a kid and the game still excites me.” Online, it’s easier, because you can often chat directly to an individual participant, attenders will often pop their LinkedIn profile into the chat, and in many cases, you can save the chat. (f you can’t, click the interesting links as they appear; this is much easier from a computer than from a phone).
- Make intros/send resources. When someone tells you something that resonates, consider how you can be a resource. This might mean bringing them over to meet someone who you either met earlier in the event or already knew, or making an email intro. Take the ten seconds to tell each of them WHY you’re making the introduction. You may also find you have resources to share: the name of an important book on the subject, a handout you found inspiring, a movie you think they’d enjoy, a technique you’ve done well with, the contact info for a practitioner who can help them…
- Follow up quickly and personally! You can be great at networking during the meeting, but if you never follow up—or follow up with something insincere and obviously generic—it’s all wasted. In person, I jot a note on the person’s business card about why I took the card and what I’m supposed to send them. Online, I start a transcript as soon as I enter the call and save it periodically (if the host has enabled these features). Afterward, I can go through the transcript and boldface my to-dos. And I try to set aside some focused time within 24 hours to respond. In my e-mail, I won’t just say that I enjoyed meeting—but thank them for deepening my understanding of the specific (named) subject, enclose a resource I promised, etc.
Finally, a shout-out to some of the people I’ve learned networking skills from: Bob Burg (author of Endless Referrals and The Go-Giver series), Nancy Juetten (author of Bye-Bye Boring Bio), Michael Whitehouse (a/k/a The Guy Who Knows a Guy), Susan Harrow (author of Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul), Linda Kaplan Thaler (author of The Power of Nice), Tim Sanders (author of Love is the Killer App, Jack Mitchell (author of Hug Your Customers), Ivan Misner (founder of Business Networking International). Apologies to the far too many others to list here. You can go a lot deeper if you read their materials.
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Discover why Chicken Soup’s Jack Canfield, futurist Seth Godin, and many others recommend Shel’s 10th book, Guerrilla Marketing to Heal the World (and download a free sampler). Autographed and inscribed copies available. |
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Michael Whitehouse is bringing me on to speak at TWO of his summits: Authentic Marketing, February 11-13, and Business Growth for Good, March 20.
Michael bills the Authentic Marketing Summit as a chance to move past outdated tactics, embrace innovative alternatives to hype and high pressure, and engage, captivate, and grow your audience by establishing genuine connections. When I’ve gone to Michael’s events, I’ve always found them worthwhile. There’s no cost to attend. There is an upgrade package, of course (and if you buy it I get a small commission). Here’s what I’m presenting:
No-Hype Marketing
Have you been taught that the more in-your-face you are with your marketing, the more successful you’ll be? When you’re the buyer, are those the companies you choose to spend your money with? If not, why would you think that stuffing hypey marketing messages down your prospects’ throats is effective? You want marketing that woos your prospects —NOT sales that happen in spite of your marketing. This brief 15-minute introduction will focus on where to find your ideal buyers—and how to woo them once you do. Click here to register
On March 20, I’ll be presenting Profit by Being a Prophet: Turn Your Environmental and Social Values Into Marketing Advantages. You’ll receive the descriptions of the event and my talk in next month’s newsletter, along with the registration link.
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Life of Libby: Chasing Peace & Justice with Humor, Guts, & Passion
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