I haven’t mentioned the Bredemarket 4444 Partner Retainer in a while (since May, in fact), but since I recently proposed it to a prospect I thought I’d mention it again.
Originally envisioned as a service for clients who wanted a flat monthly rate for high-volume content creation, I have since extended the Bredemarket 4444 Partner Retainer to also apply to Bredemarket’s analysis services and related strategic services. Embed me for the month and I’ll handle your strategy.
Imagen 4.
The structure: you pay a flat fee, in advance, and I give you a certain number of prepaid base hours for the following calendar month. In exchange for prepayment, you get a discount from my standard hourly rate.
Benefits to you include an “embedded partner” relationship.
Benefits to me include a more predictable income and a better understanding of your needs.
The brochure at the end of this post includes sample pricing for 15, 30, or 45 hour per month increments. Any additional hours above the maximum are billed at Bredemarket’s standard hourly rate.
I’m conducting an experiment in which an AI bot, “Bredebot,” is writing on the Bredemarket blog and on LinkedIn with almost no restrictions.
Don’t do this at home. It’s not a good idea.
This post describes an example in which Bredebot misses a critically important point about Bredemarket’s target audience in the identity/biometric industry.
“The true competitive advantage isn’t the Al tools themselves but how you use them. Your unique processes for data capture, knowledge management, and building trust are the real ‘moat.’ Al becomes powerful when it’s integrated with your proprietary insights and context, making your approach impossible to replicate.”
Moat. I like that. Imagen 4 (via Bredebot.)
Mabry also advocates including a human in the loop: his firm, Fast + Light, always asks at least one human (preferably two) to review all AI-generated content.
In my Bredebot experiment, I rarely edit what Bredebot says. If you know me, it’s very obvious that Bredebot wrote this and I didn’t.
“Building Trust: In the identity and biometrics space, trust isn’t just a nice-to-have; it’s paramount. If customers don’t trust you with their most sensitive data, you simply don’t have a business. Your processes for privacy, security, transparency, and ethical AI usage are not just compliance requirements; they are fundamental differentiators. How you communicate these efforts, how you manage data breaches (heaven forbid!), and how you constantly reinforce your commitment to security are all part of this trust-building moat. This is where your wombat customers, usually burrowing away, will emerge to praise (or criticize) your efforts.”
While I certainly agree with the sentiment, and obviously don’t mind the reference to wombats, I would have made one change.
The t word
I would have modified Bredebot’s use of the T word. Just because Mabry used it doesn’t mean that Bredebot has to do the same.
“Now perhaps some of you would argue that trust is essential to identity verification in the same way that water is essential to an ocean, and that therefore EVERYBODY HAS to use the t-word in their communications.
As a wordsmith, it’s interesting to see how slight wording changes can affect…pictures.
Slight alterations in the wording of a Google Gemini prompt can cause dramatic changes in the resulting images. The final picture prompt included words such as “oversaturated” and “grandly.”
I grew up in a time when phones were attached to the wall and not to us.
When something called a “card catalog” was an essential research tool.
And when the best way to learn the lyrics to your favorite song was to go to the drug store and buy the monthly magazine that listed all the song lyrics.
Imagen 4.
Not that this was necessary for ALL songs. You could pretty much figure out the lyrics to “53 Miles West of Venus.”
Imagen 4.
But for some songs you definitely needed the lyric magazines. Because the lyrics may not be on the record, and probably wouldn’t be on the cassette. And in those innocent days in which we didn’t yet do ourselves a favor by unplugging the jukebox—and we certainly didn’t hang the deejay—the guy behind the turntables didn’t know them either.
Imagen 4.
Of course it’s a lot different today. The phone, no longer attached to the wall, displays lyrics from websites such as Genius, music streaming services such as Spotify, and lyric videos posted on sites such as YouTube.
I spend a lot of time on LinkedIn and therefore endure the regular assault from the so-called LinkedIn “experts.”
You know them.
The people who get all bent out of shape over this character—because it’s certain proof that you use “ChatGPT” (because there is no other generative AI tool) because no human ever uses em dashes.
And then in the next breath the LinkedIn “experts” slam people who don’t use “ChatGPT” to increase productivity. For example, jobseekers should use “ChatGPT” to “beat the ATS,” automatically fine-tune their resumes for every individual application, and apply to thousands of positions.
Oh, but the LinkedIn “experts” say you shouldn’t spray and pray. Tap into the hidden job market via our members-only gated website.
But that’s not the worst thing they say.
Formulate Safe Generic Pablum
When they’re not commanding you to avoid the em dash, the LinkedIn “experts” remind us that LinkedIn is a professional network. And that our communications must be professional.
No cat pictures.
No “life sucks” posts.
Nothing that would cause anyone any offense.
The ideal personal communication is this: “I am thrilled and excited to announce my CJIS certification!”
The ideal business communication is this:
Yes, the “experts” wish that businesses said nothing at all. But if they do say something, a statement like this optimizes outcomes: “WidgetCorp is dedicated to bettering the technology ecosystem.”
Such a statement is especially effective if all your competitors are saying the same thing. This unity of messaging positions you as an industry leader.
Which enables you to…argh, I can’t do this any more. I am hating myself more and more with each word I type. Can I throw up now? This is emotionally painful.
Derek Hughes just sent me an email that describes this generic pablum. It read, in part:
“Everything reads like it was written by a robot on decaf.
“Same recycled tips. Same recycled tone. Somehow, it’s all… grey.”
Obliterate Safe Generic Pablum
If your company wants conversions—and I assume that you do—avoid the generic pablum and say something.
This will bring your hungry people (target audience) to you.
And for the prospects that despise humanness and glory in generic pablum…if their focus is elsewhere, your focus won’t impede. Let them roam in the distance.
Etymologically, the opposite of impostor syndrome would be expositor syndrome. I asked my buddy Google Gemini to hallucinate a definition, and this is what I got:
“Expositor Syndrome is a hypothetical, non-clinical psychological pattern characterized by an overwhelming and often compulsive urge to explain, clarify, or elaborate upon concepts, ideas, or events, even when such detailed exposition is unsolicited, unnecessary, or redundant. Individuals exhibiting Expositor Syndrome experience a profound discomfort or anxiety if they perceive a potential for misunderstanding or an unstated implication, feeling an internal pressure to “lay bare” all facets of a topic.
“Note: This is a fictional construct, not a recognized medical or psychological condition.”
Gemini actually said a lot more, but I chose not to elaborate.
This, rather than a delusion of grandeur, is considered the opposite of impostor syndrome because an impostor HIDES their true talented self, whereas an expositor ELABORATES and goes on and on about their knowledge. Until their friends become former friends and stop speaking to them.
But can someone exhibit both expositor syndrome and a delusion of grandeur?
Perhaps such a person—if they exist—can still make positive contributions to society.
Such as the Bredemarket 2800 Medium Writing Service, approximately 2800 to 3200 words that (a) answers the WHY/HOW/WHAT questions about you, (b) advances your GOAL, (c) communicates your BENEFITS, and (d) speaks to your TARGET AUDIENCE.
Bredemarket 