“It’s a short-sighted view, Scott-King.”
“There, headmaster, with all respect, I differ from you profoundly. I think it the most long-sighted view it is possible to take.”
~ Evelyn Waugh
Core Assumption: You Are Building for the Long Haul
Assumptions are dangerous for many reasons, but this one is foundational to everything I recommend, and, hopefully, to everything you are building as well. Short term success is essential, because without sufficient cashflow your business will wither and die before it gets going, but if all you want to do is make a quick buck, then pick up your tent and move on to the next venture you may as well stop reading now.
If Your Goal is to Build a Business that will Survive and Thrive, Then…
TRUST is your greatest asset because it will keep your clients, customers, and patients coming back every time they need your services and it will make it easy for them refer others to you.
Beyond a solid product or service and a reputation for delivering all that you promise, the shortest pathway to building trust is by demonstrating your authority publicly and repeatedly. Trust is not usually established in the first contact, or the second. In fact, it’s commonly stated that it takes at least 7 ‘touches’ to create some level of trust and that number is higher online.
So…
What Do You Know That Your Clients Do Not Know That You Know?
You see, authorities share their knowledge: not the technicalities, but the implication of it; charlatans hide their ignorance behind a veil of smoke and mirrors.
This means that if you want to be perceived as an authority you need to share your knowledge… possibly even more than you feel comfortable sharing because this will create confidence in your prospects and clients.
Have you ever had someone explain the technical details of an unfamiliar process to you, and, although you really didn’t care about ‘how’ it all happened, you walked away thoroughly impressed with their expertise? That’s what you want to happen.
The truth is that:
- Anyone who is going to take your ideas and try to implement them is not a client;
- Your competitors cannot copy everything you do even if they want to… the fact that they are borrowing demonstrates that they are less innovative and experienced than you are; and
- Your prospects and clients will be impressed, reassured, and therefore likely to accept your recommendations with little argument.
Share What You Know… and Don’t Be Afraid of Sharing How You Do It!
The common advice is to talk about the ‘what’ of your methodology and hide the ‘how’. That may once have been effective, but as more and more people follow this advice and are later exposed as not delivering on their promises it is increasingly a recipe for disaster.
The confidence to talk more about your ‘how’ does come from your innate confidence that what you know is real, effective, and valuable. At the same time, it’s important to remember that:
“In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.”
Thus, you do not have to be the foremost world-renowned expert to have authority with your audience, you simply need to share your expertise in a way that resonates with your ideal clients. This will enable you to build relationships and trust that will effectively build a fence of loyalty around your client-base.
Do You Have a Book?
A book is the ultimate tool for establishing authority, especially in regulated industries like medical and financial. This can be promoted widely and inexpensively both online and off-line and is a fantastic vehicle for expanding your authority and the associated opportunities.
You may be thinking, “the details of what I do vary depending on the client or patient’s needs, so how can I talk about that?” How is about your process, it doesn’t have to be totally granular and thrash out the smallest details, but it should give the reader information about what makes you unique and how to decide on a provider.
I can’t begin to describe the number of business owners who struggle to attract ideal clients without a book, and whose businesses grow and become more profitable once their marketing and advertising efforts focus on the book.
It comes back to the question of whether you have a long term vision for your business, or you just want to get through the next year or two then take your winnings and go home.
Interested in Learning More?
Every month in Melbourne, a group of entrepreneurial business owners meet on a Tuesday evening in Box Hill for a Melbourne Entrepreneurs’ Mastermind Group. This is an opportunity to network with like-minded people, wrestle with the real issues around growing an independent, profitable business and filling your sales pipeline to overflowing so you never have to worry about cash flow again
To learn more and sign up for notifications visit https://memg.com.au
NB: This is not a sales or referral meeting. It’s designed for discovery, encouragement, and challenge on how to market your business so that your ideal prospects chase you down. You can visit once free of charge to see if it’s for you.
If you like what you see you’ll be invited to pay an annual membership fee of $600 to join us each month. This is designed to cover the cost of the meeting and any remaining funds will be donated at the end of the year.
