An Ambassador is ......... huh?

Hello you! Would you like to be an Ambassador for Company ABC? All you need to do is quote “pay us RMX, we give one year’s supply of Y for your use and for each person you refer to us we pay you RMZ “. How tacky is that?!!!!

But that is precisely what was said to me as I sat in semi-amusement, as he offered to get someone to help me to sign on the dotted line. Boy oh boy! There was simply no diplomacy or finesse attached to this stark proposition at all! Simply put, it was offensive to sensibilities and it STANK! What was outrageous is that there are unsuspecting novices who fall for this ‘exalted position’ because they don’t even know what an Ambassador is! Has the designation degenerated to mean ‘salesperson’? What a sad, sad, aberration!

HOW did I find myself involved in such a conversation anyway? Well actually it was because a pair of nice, eager spanking new recruits had phoned the main office to talk about their products and of their interest in my group of credible, established, business networkers, that’s how. They themselves were fine guys and did a good job of explaining the up-market services within plush surroundings that this new, cash-rich company was embarking on. I do believe that their products will succeed in providing value to consumers but oh! the company should improve its tone of approach, for their own sakes. Brand delivery can make a world of difference to being sustainable.

The funny ha-ha side was how hard the so-called Marketing Director tried to sound convincing that he was doing me a favor. (Smile.) Did he even believe himself or was he mentally salivating over potential zeroes in his bank statements? The funnier side was that upon examining my calling card he was trying to relate his offer to my being a BNI (Business Network International) Ambassador. Hello, hello, buddy, there is NO comparison. Nada. None whatsoever. BNI does NOT pay its Ambassadors, and we don’t get referral fees or commissions either. We just help members to improve what they are doing – like chapter coaches if you will. In fact our code of ethics is pretty clear about all members living up to the BNI Philosophy of Givers Gain by building relationships, not ‘let’s work out how to transfer money from your wallet to mine’. (Shudder of disgust.) Ugh!

As I drove off to my next meeting my mind harked back to the original term of Ambassador i.e. the title of a senior diplomat who represents his or her country’s Government. And part of such an influential status actually meant not engaging in ANY form of commercial activity – that would only tarnish the image and credibility of that position.

In fact, the significance of being the representative of one’s Government was brought home to me during a time when the flaming hot international news was that a Government was on the verge of being toppled within 24 hours. I asked the incumbent Ambassador how he would position himself and if he was poised to go home if the Government did fall. What was his plain and simple reply? “My role is to stay on and represent the Government of the day regardless”. Ah! Such dedication to the duty of representation. But THAT is what Ambassadors do. They represent a system of governance, or set of qualities and promises (as in Brand Ambassadors), NOT COMMERCE!