The art of becoming known as a valued authorityan excerpt from Jeffrey’s newest book, The Little Black Book of Connections
Becoming well known, or at least well known among your prospective customers or connections, is the single most valuable element in the entire connection process.
Tiger Woods doesn’t make sales calls. People call him. Oprah Winfrey doesn’t make sales calls. People call her. The better known you are, the more people will want to connect with you. When you are an unknown, you have to reach out to make the connection.
Obviously you can’t go from being a relative nobody to being a high profile celebrity overnight. The key is to start with small actions.
The simple answer is to put yourself in front of people who can say “Yes” to you. Or, put yourself in front of people that you want to become known to. I have accomplished this by writing and speaking. It can also be accomplished by joining organizations, having your own blog, creating ideas, and becoming better known as a person of value.
It’s most interesting to me that every single company in the world tries to teach salespeople how to sell. Nothing could be more backwards or ineffective. What they should be teaching is how to position, how to promote, how to provide value, how to communicate, how to make presentations, how to engage, and how to connect. If you employ my first rule of selling, People don’t like to be sold, but they love to buy, then you will understand that learning “how to sell” goes against the grain of human nature.
It’s a hell of a lot easier to build trust by providing value than it is to make a sales pitch.
Your instincts will tell you what to do, but it’s your personal power that will actually create the deed. Start small. An acorn, a tulip bulb, a mustard seed, or a kernel of corn. Plant it, nurture it, and give it room to grow. If you just water it regularly, in a year or two it will begin to blossom.
Master the big 8.5 elements of positioning:
The art of becoming known as a valued authority
1. Getting in print. Use public relations to your maximum advantage. Get yourself mentioned, but not featured. If the story is about the customer or vendor, then you become the hero to them.
2. Being published. My weekly article on sales, loyalty, and personal development has been published since 1992.It is the source of my notoriety, my books, my seminars, and my wealth.
3. Speaking in public. When you speak to a group, you’re a presumed leader. You may not know the group, but when you’re done, the whole group knows you.
4. Using the internet to communicate value. My weekly e-zine, Sales Caffeine, reaches 130,000 people a week with a value message. Help others profit first, and your profit will last.
5. Taking an active role in your trade association. Get to know, and network with, others who count. Lead a group. Get involved. If you learn enough, eventually you can teach.
6. Being noticeably different. Look at the work shirt I present my seminars in. Risky outfit – but it works. You don’t have to be off the wall, but you must be slightly left or right of center or you’ll blend in with the wallpaper.
7. Adding attraction to your outreach. Whenever you see an article of mine, you will also see an offer to go to my Web site to get more. Whatever outreach you offer, give someone a reason to go to your Web site and get more.
8. Adding differentiation to your everyday business expressions. Your voice mail, your fax cover sheet, your proposal, and you business cards all suck. What does that say about the greatness of you, your product, and your company? (Especially you.)
8.5 Letting others sell for you. The power of testimonials cannot be denied. Testimonials make your reputation. They make sales when you can’t. And they give proof to the statements you make. Customers and prospects believe others like themselves more than they believe you.
Want more? Buy The Little Black Book of ConnectionsTODAY and get hundreds of dollars worth of free stuff from today’s top business authors, educators, and motivators, including Jeffrey’s e-book, Listening: How to Listen with the Intent to Understand!
