“First you get credibility, then you get trust, and then you get relationship capital.“ RPeters
What I like about today’s inspiration is the direct relationship between credibility and relationships. When conducting business in person you have the ability to create trust with your interpersonal skills, while online it’s all about how you position yourself.
This positioning is achieved with the basic building block of credibility. You’ve got to establish yourself as a Subject Matter Expert. This is the strongest way to build social proof. When you have social proof you have credibility.
Social proof is the recognition of others as to your success. This can be achieved in a number of ways. For example, I am a baton twirler. Now I’ve heard it all before, both good and bad. What I love about my sport is the vast spectrum of responses it garners.
Nearly everyone I know has twirled a baton before. They can demonstrate a figure eight, or even a flat spin. Some will attempt a toss… but really that’s where it ends. I’ve had people look me in the eye and say, “why would you waste your time doing that?” to “did you wear the white boots?”
So let’s see how to position myself… I am a competitive baton twirler. I am a feature twirler. Both try to re-position the activity. Here’s where it gets fun… is it more impressive to say, “I twirl three baton” or “I twirl two baton fire” or “I’m a former national champion”? Each of these three position myself with great authority. How about if I say, “I’m a certified Judge” or “I competed for 17 years” or “I have over 400 awards” or “I coached two national champions”? These also add credibility. But what happens if I say, “I created an app for baton twirler with over 4,000 installs”.
The reason I mention these statements is to help you understand the power of words and positioning. When I say, “I’m a baton twirler” it creates an impression that is controlled by the previous experiences of the listener. However, when I position myself by adding context to the activity such as skill level, awards, activities, titles, or results it adds credibility.
Here’s why…
To be a former national champion required a 3rd party to hold a contest that I won. To be a certified judge also required a 3rd party involvement. The third party is very important to your Subject Matter Expertise. Always list your achievements, certifications, and awards on your website and social media platforms that are based on a 3rd party! Their credibility affects yours and this will help you own your corner of the web.
Big Money Small Change Success
Character + Content/Consistency + Goals/Motivation + Customers =
Infinity Marketing Machine
PS: thanks for reading! I really appreciate you being here. Make sure to “like” this post… and follow me! (and please do me a favor… if you want more great ideas like the one in this post, just fill out this form and I’ll send them to you… start here
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Action Steps
1- Write 3 new descriptions of your business strengths using social proof via a 3rd party
2- Install my free app! (SmallBusinessClubApp.com)
Podcast:
Listen to Episode #314 of the Two Minute Commute audio blog Podcast
Infinity Marketing Machine Daily Topics:
Monday – Character (Subject Matter Expert)
Tuesday – Content & Consistency
Wednesday – Midweek Motivation
Thursday – Infinity Customers
Friday – Big Money
Saturday – Try This!