After working with numerous businesses and executives, I have noticed that sometimes individuals who are in industry of performance improvement will literally use the same words that I have been using whether verbally or in writing. Now, I could panic and be concerned about these competitors be they business coaches, life coaches, executive coaches or business consultants, but I know that they are only imitators and not innovators.

To be that Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits is risky. You will see others copying your actions. However, these individuals lack the substance necessary to be the real McCoy. For if they were innovators, they would not have to copy your words.

Innovation means being able to make something new or alter something to make it new. What my competitors are doing is taking something old and trying to make it new. Yet the end result is that others notice that the change is only minimal and most certainly not original.

With many small business owners using networking as a way to increase sales, it is surprising that these shadow copycats take the chance to be viewed as imitators and truly not innovators. The last thing I would want to do is to use the same key words when introducing myself and then hear someone else say almost exactly the same thing. Others listening to these similar statements may begin to question my business ethics and values.

In my local networking group, I started helping business owner to focus their message on the results and to use numbers. Many will now mention how they can double their marketing exposure or save thousands of dollars in lost time. They have also shared that they now hear others using similar if not the same words by their competitors.

Some say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. However, imitation does not equate to innovation and the ability to deliver the actual results of doubling to multiplying business results. Finally, imitators are taking the change of having possible clients question their business ethics from their first meeting.

To increase sales begins with developing a relationship built on trust not distrust. So as you construct and market your marketing messages, make sure that you are not imitating someone else, but are truly an innovator within your business industry.