We all were probably guilty of it at one time...

 At one time, The Internet Itself was so facinating to people, that they all seemed addicted and zombified- Programmed to surf and surf and practically snap up or at anything that was offered to them. Internet marketing mainly consisted of getting  ads for something listed on a search engine, emailing list, maybe a stray advertising forum and stuff like that...

 You posted your ad, and left it there- held your breath and hoped for the best. Sometimes you hit it just right and most times you whiffed it... so what? That's the way it goes...

 Safelists, the inside joke of marketing, could expose your stuff to thousands! But in the main, those thousands were fellow salesfolks just like you, and to make it even worse they may have even had the same products as you... but it didn't matter- you posted and ran, deleted the incoming email that you opted to recieve ( while secretly and wrongly bitching about "Spam", no less) and so did the salesfolks you were "marketing to"...

" Practice Makes Perfect!" even when you are practicing the wrong stuff! In these days of Web 2.0, "Posting and Running" can kill sales- Social Networks don't really cotton well to people who do it and the community can punish a "Post and Runner" by ignoring the post and the poster... leaving their sales message to linger, and their chances of making a sale ever again fade into oblivion..

 The Internet is not the primary focus these days, PEOPLE are once again interested in other PEOPLE again and that is what Social Networking is really all about...

 People are reading stuff and looking for stuff to RELATE to and RESPOND to, as if having a face to face chat with another PERSON...

 They also want to be responded to, acknowleged and validated- these are Human needs that Posting and Running simply ignores...

 People in social networks will take notice of how often other people respond to others and to themselves, they will also assess the quality of a response and it's helpfulness or lack thereof...

 Sales, therefore, are made to people, and the intelligent advertiser would do well to remember that, and develop and advance his or her skills in Human relationships- because that's what salesmanship really is all about... A special type of human relationship, where needed or wanted goods and services may be transferred form one person to another or many... for the exchange of money.

 People simply love to see a responsive, smart and vibrant person who truly participates in the community where we all "live" for few hours- maybe a lot of hours, every day...

 People may genuinely "warm" to that type of person-- And if there comes a time when that person might have a service or good that matches their need or want- they are most likely to BUY from that person! :)

 Yes, Apsense is a Business Network, and a darn good one, but it's also a Social Network, too.

  I would venture that if we are interested in "more sales", then we should amplify our interest in "people",  and make our participation in this network represent that fact...

 This is my observation and opinion, but that's just me- what about you?

 Has the change brought on by social networking turned your attention to your particular sales style? Are you thoughtfully  planning out more of your campaigns on social networks? Do you have any of the old books on "relationship selling" and have you re read them?

 This post is not meant to bore you or be construed as a rant- I am really Peaceful after all, but it is meant to be a reminder of our inate excellence when we pay attention to our better Natures,  and take the time to really get to know our our brothers and sisters in this really cool place! :)