"Ellen" from Cambridge Who’s Who was delighted that I had finally called back after leaving me seven polite and identical voice messages the past few weeks. And, after a three-minute interview during which she established that I’ve been doing what I do professionally since the second Reagan administration, Ellen had wonderful news for me.
"You are clearly on a progressive track," she said, "and I’m pleased to tell you that you have been accepted into Cambridge Who’s Who! We would like to list you in our 2010-2011 directory."
Then came the pitch, and if you’ve ever been approached by a Who’s Who-type organization or an alumni directory publisher, you know what I’m talking about: There’s no such thing as a free listing. You pay to play. It’s one reason I turned down this "wonderful" opportunity, but the real reason is much bigger than that.
Here’s what Wikipedia has to say about Who’s Who:
"The oldest and most famous Who’s Who is Who’s Who (UK), a reference on the British upper class. … However, many modern copies are just vanity publications, where the inclusion criterion is the biographee’s willingness to buy the book, with the business model consisting of selling books directly to the biographees."
With Cambridge Who’s Who, however, it’s like the Ginsu Knives: There’s more. You can buy a lifetime listing for about $1,000; perks include online networking and a free airline ticket for your favorite spouse to join you on a future business trip.
That’s where Ellen started. As I balked at the price tag, it went down — to $500 for a three-year plan that included the airline ticket, to $199 for a one-year-plus-perks listing and, finally, just when I thought I had survived a hard sell, Ellen had one more.
"I am authorized to offer you a special rate of $99 to have your listing for one year. It looks great on your resumé." Then she moved in for the kill. "Mr. Kinslow, think of what this could mean for your personal brand."
So I thought about it. I thought about me. Who am I? What is my personal brand?
Now, I like to think I have a positive reputation with those who matter most: My kids, my fiancée, my family and my friends. My colleagues and clients. My local community. But it took me years to forge that brand, from changing diapers to rebranding companies. Being reliable. Living up to my promises. Certainly I’ve failed at times, maybe many times, but overall I can be depended on to know what to do and then do what I say I’m going to do.
So a 365-day listing or even a lifetime listing (whose main qualification seems to be having a "V" and a "P" in one’s job title) doesn’t feel necessary, flattering though it may be. It’s a bit like industry awards for your product: It may be well-earned; it may look great on your website; it may make for a good-news press release; and it may give your reps something exciting to talk to prospects about. At the end of the day, however, it’s your product or company’s long-term performance, reliability and integrity that build your brand in the minds of stakeholders.
Ellen — who was unassailably professional throughout our call — finally accepted my refusals to purchase recognition and did so politely. We hung up, I went back to building my brand, and she undoubtedly went back to making calls, hoping to find someone somewhere whose brand could use a shot of wonderful news.
Rob Kinslow is vice president for strategic communications at Seidler Bernstein. A journalist by training and former president of the American Medical Writers Assn. in Boston, Rob gently guides companies through the often byzantine world of brand and message strategy. His work has been recognized by the American Hospital Assn., AMWA, Diagnostic Marketing Assn., the Healthcare Information Awards, Rx Club and others. An avid magician and musician, he is also a former three-term president of the International Brotherhood of Magicians in Boston.