“Imitation is a kind of artless flattery”

“Imitation is a kind of artless flattery”

English writer Eustace Budgell in the newspaper The Spectator No. 605, October 1714

Once again, we’ve been copied. It’s happened before and it’ll happen again.

We’re always flattered and delighted that our clients love what we’re doing and we’re also flattered that other companies in our industry find our ideas and writing so wonderful they have to cut and paste without a second thought. But I often wonder why they don’t come up with some original stuff of their own.

We’ve all used ideas from others over the years, after all it’s the real world and there’s no copyright on ideas. But really, are these people so desperate or uninspired that they can’t put their own grey cells to work and shine on their own?

We’ve had our website images copied on other sites, text lifted for social media profiles (yes, word for word), our training courses and our business model replicated. 

As I’ve said, it’s the real world and there are, I suppose, only a finite number of ways in which you can set up a business. After 13 years trading our particular way, someone was bound to copy the methodology at some point, and probably this has happened already more than once.

One company actually had the chutzpah to email under the guise of a student, asking for our fees and what would be included, in an effort to tease out how we go about things – without thinking that we would see through this immediately. The student was working as their intern and named on their website! Most likely, if they'd come and asked me in an open and honest way, I'd have helped them with advice if they weren't aware how much they should be charging.

Source: seanwes.com

So, I say to those companies out there: You know who you are. And we know who you are. So get on with running your own businesses, be successful in your own right, and look up what ‘integrity’ and ‘professionalism’ mean.

My own 30+ years’ knowledge, wisdom, experience and intuition for what we do and who we do it for, plus those of my whole team - together with proven results - are elements of a business which can’t be replicated.

“Imitation is a kind of artless flattery” said Eustace Budgell. To paraphrase The Eurythmics, “Who are we to disagree?!”

There’s plenty of business out there for everyone, so stand on your own two feet and be proud.

We certainly are.

pla·gia·rism/ˈplājəˌrizəm/ Noun: The practice of taking someone else's work or ideas and passing them off as one's own.

I'm interested in your views.

I've had my website copied (images and content), my LinkedIn connections systematically trawled through and used, and my clients contacted.

Now I know this is the real world. Stuff happens. And I've been known to look through the web for inspiration myself. Yes, LinkedIn is all about connecting to new people via connections but what about netiquette, doesn't that count or is that being a tad naive?

Here's the thing (in the words of that truly ground-breaking PR from the telly, Siobhan Sharpe, Head of Brand at Perfect Curve - "2012", BBC): should I get irritated by this flagrant copying, should I be flattered, should I be saddened that such people have no original ideas themselves nor ways to get their own clients, or should I grin knowingly, shrug my shoulders and get on with something more important?

One thing I've noticed though - the perpetrators have all been women. Come on sisters, shouldn't you be doing it for yourselves?

You know who you are. Actually, and please note, so do I.

Other folk out there in social media land - what do you think?