Blog

5 Types Of Reputation Stalkers

reputation stalkerToday is the third and final installment of our very popular ‘ethical business practices’ series from last week.

Following on from our two blogs about ethical practices in business and what we try to do here at My Property Mentor regarding keeping the tide of hangers on, stalkers and generally unwanted at bay, today I am digging a little deeper to tell you how we have (ahem…) ‘defined’ the folks who regularly try to approach us for a connection.
So here is our own tongue in cheek look at those ‘types’ and what defines them.


The 5 Reputation Stalkers

The Shadow

They sneak up behind you and watch/ listen to all you do, seeking for an opportunity to strike.
They work on shadowing you for months, always close by but not always in reach
They seek ways to ingratiate themselves with you or your company, they may turn up to your events or stalk you over the internet, joining in conversations when there is benefit to them.

The Coat Tailer

They follow everything you do
They copy everything you do
They attempt to ride off your popularity in whatever way they can find.

The Syrup Dripper

They constantly wax lyrical about marvelous you are, wherever you go they are singing your praises.

They ‘friend’ you on every social channel, even if they don’t know you or have not met you. They may even have met you and use it constantly as a means to keep in your space. ( Regardless of the hints passed along via deletion, unfollowing etc!)
They take whilst pretending to give- ie; they spend plenty of time talking about reciprocity but not actually doing it.

The way to get reciprocal linking is to GIVE FIRST before you expect to receive. Begging is never a pretty sight.Volunteer to help people without expecting a fee or a come back.

We find that by helping people for free you tend to get recommendations and connections which are utterly genuine and not contrived in any way. You are recommended because people know, like and trust you, not because someone trots out a line about being known, liked and trusted.

The Politician

They say one thing – but MEAN another.
OR
They say one thing and DO another.
They seek to maneuver into your space for a hostile take over.

We should all be well versed in how politicians work  by now! Often you are not aware that someone is trying to maneuver you into a position for a take over of your space, or they may even try to discredit you. I know a business owner who supposedly monitors their own progress across social media platforms to see what is said about them, yet still chase the cash first whilst giving lip service to helping people.

Question; do they really think that word will not get around? One thing you learn pretty fast about property circles is that it’s very incestuous. Word will get round, whether you like it or not or whether you hear it or not.

The Backsheesh Boys

They offer all forms of bribes to get into your space or to be connected with you on the surface.
WHICH…..
Take the form of affiliate fees, side deals, big pay offs or under the table back handers. This form goes as high a government.

Some folks are so keen to be ‘seen’ doing the right thing with the right people that they will do anything to be there. Of course the most evolved form of Reputation Stalker may well use a combination of the above to get what they want. Some are very adept at trying to force your hand. This to me, is a most distasteful way of doing business, and I for one, hope that the advent of social media will stamp it out completely.

The one thing they all have in common is LAZINESS. Doing any of the above is plain lazy. Build your own reputation, don’t go stealing someone elses. It’s unethical and immoral.

What are your thoughts? Have you come across any of the characters above? How did you deal with them. I would be interested to know. The more knowledge we share, the more chance we have of eradicating these forms of highly questionable old fashioned practices. Do you know any more types you would add to the mix? Let us know- comment below! ;-)

PS: If you want to know what we are like- come and talk to us on Twitter, we love a good chat and a bit of a laugh. You can ask anyone you like about us. We have nothing to hide.


LIKE THIS POST? THEN PLEASE SHARE IT WITH OTHERS!

Click Any Of The Buttons Below- or Click Above Right To Tweet It now!

Dont Be Shy! We Would Love Your Comments too-And We Always Respond.Thanks!
by CTA


  • Pingback: Tweets that mention 5 Types Of Reputation Stalkers | My Property Mentor Blog -- Topsy.com

  • http://twitter.com/ArchitectJane Jane Leach

    I think people behave in these ways when they have little confidence in themselves and limited creativity / imagination… perhaps instead of just ignoring them there would be some simple ways to get them to stand on their own and develop a reputation for themselves??

    • http://www.mypropertymentor.co.uk/ Roberta Ward

      Hi Jane (@ArchitectJane) for commenting, this blog seems to have sparked a lot of interest on twitter today! I suspect part if the problem is an old mindset of how we do business. They are used to doing business however they choose because there has not been an easy way for people to find out how good or bad they are in reality. Thankfully, Twitter and the internet et al is changing our perceptions and it is getting harder to hide if you are using questionable practices. Time will tell of course.

  • Ann Patey

    Good blog post Roberta. I recognise every one of the types you defined! I've come across a couple who have proved (potentially) extremely damaging to my business. Lazy greedy ba****ds! I certainly don't feel like helping these people whatever the reason for their crass behaviour. I believe that what goes around comes around. They will get thier come uppance sooner or later, if not from me from someone else who is less tolerant or forgiving.

    • http://www.mypropertymentor.co.uk/ Roberta Ward

      Hello Ann, thanks for commenting. Unfortunately in property la la land it is very common to be approached in these ways. ( Which is probably why we are so adept at spotting them!) A good rule of thumb is to ask either What do they really want? or Why are they interested in us? – especially if they have never interacted with us at all. It shows they have not even bothered to find out how we do business before firing off a message begging for links or advertising/ affiliation etc. Now THAT really annoys me!

  • http://www.robcameron.co.uk/ Rob Cameron

    Hi Roberta (@robertaward) – great post & well observed. I am sure the majority like to be associated with successful people, however, that association needs to be built on trust, respect and rapport in my opinion. Lazily schmoozing or trying to live off reflected glory is no way to go.

    • http://www.mypropertymentor.co.uk/ Roberta Ward

      Hi Rob (@robjcameron) Its the fame game isn't it? Some of the things I know about other people and their practices would make your hair curl buddy( if you had some! heh heh). But no matter how tempted I am to expose them, I can only see it having a negative impact on my own business.

      But in property small whispers tend to turn into big rumors and before you know it you are in the middle of some big do-do with lots of folks coming out of the woodwork to say how bad you are. Those that talk the talk without walking the walk will be found out eventually.

Content Protected Using Blog Protector By: PcDrome.

Password Reset

Please enter your e-mail address. You will receive a new password via e-mail.