I was on LinkedIn the other day. Looking at some of the groups I came across a number of sales 2.0 groups. They were mostly targeting discussion around the value of sales and web 2.0 and social networking.

One particular one caught my attention. Not sure why. I think because it had sales 2.0 in the title and a cool sales 2.0 logo. I know flashy things, I’m an easy target. The group had 800 Members so I gave it a look.

The first thing I did was check out the group owner. I checked their blog, their Twitter page and their other Web 2.0 pages.

The owner of the group, barely uses Twitter, their blog is updated once every 10 days and it is not easy to determine, what other Web 2.0 social media they use. Web 2.0 is not a thing, it’s an experience. Either you do it or you don’t.

I decided not to join the group. I don’t trust they have the knowledge and experience they claim. The owner lacked authenticity.

Authenticity is critical in sales and just as critical in online engagement. Stretching the truth, or claiming sexy titles with out substance will quickly deplete your credibility bucket. Just as an inauthentic salesman can ruin your day, so too can those claiming to be what their not online.

Online success is all about authenticity and that is a good thing.