Are you the King In Your Jungle?
Copyright Henry James/Local Lead Optimiser 2023
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To Be The King In Your Jungle You Need AUTHORITY, AUTHORITY, AUTHORITY
This blog is about achieving preeminence, which leads to authority in your marketplace.
It goes like this: I arrived, worried, concerned, what would it be like?
Then the introductions started. This is Mr. Janes, this is Mr. Holmes, this is Ms. French......
These people were all experts in their field....initial impressions suggested they should all be respected.
But....Ms. French and Mr. Holmes...well they had knowledge, but they lacked authority.
They were poor examples of their craft.
Mr. Janes, on the other hand, had full control of his subject matter, and more importantly, his end-users - me and my friends and new classmates.
He entertained, advised, informed and told us what to do, and told us what we could not do too. Above all, he engaged us but also let us know when we stepped outside the lines.
That was 50+ years ago when I first went to secondary school. But why did it crop up today?
I took one of my cars in for an MOT and walked back through town. As I did so, on the bridge, under which I was passing, I thought I saw Mr. Janes [it wasn't him but that does not matter for this blog]. As I walked along my thoughts turned to Mr Janes and why thinking of him brought out a feeling of respect. As usual, I started to think of that in marketing terms.
There I was, still referring to someone by the title they had when I was at school. Why did my memory take me straight back to his "authority"?
Authority [using someone else's analogy] is:
"We all walk around looking for someone, or somewhere to plug our umbilical cords into". [Dan Kennedy - who attributed that phrase to someone else but I cannot remember who.]
Where do you plug in yours? Where do your prospects plug in theirs - you or your competitors?
Most people react well to authority, to someone looking out for them, giving them not just advice, but what to do with that advice and how to apply it.
The same may apply when you go to the hospital, or respond to men and women in uniform. You respond to authority, or perhaps in rebellion against authority.
Authority or rebellion are at opposite ends of the spectrum but either could be a positioning strategy for your business - depending on what you do.
Polarisation can work for any business.
Robert Cialdini refers to authority in "Influence - Science & Practice", as do Ries & Trout in 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing (Law 3 The Battle Of The Mind, Law 4 The Law Of Perception) and Ries & Ries in the 22 Immutable Laws of Branding (Law 6 - Credentials) as does Jay Abraham when talking of his 9 Pillar "Pre-Eminence Strategies".
So, the question is: What are YOU doing to make you, or your business, the "Go To Authority" for your market of service:
a) have you thought about your "authority" as opposed to your competition?
b) have you thought of the stages you will adopt to get from where you are now to where you want to be in the authority stakes?
c) have you thought about which platforms (networking/seminars/webinars/ebook/newsletters/direct mail/email/physical book etc) you will use and how you will use them to be seen as "The Authority" on your chosen subject matter?
d) are there JV [Joint Venture] channels you can go down to do the same?
There are many ways you need to think of and apply, to be the business, firm, or service, people come flocking to.
So, think of the teacher that made you respect them. What environment had they created, and what behaviours did they use to earn your long-lasting, infallible respect.
Then think about how you can create long-lasting, infallible respect from your prospects and customers or clients in you and your business.
Think of brands or suppliers you see as "the Authority". Ask yourself why you see them that way and how could you emulate what they do for your business. And let me know if it makes a difference.
Until next time, happy marketing,
Henry.
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About the Author:
Henry James is an author, marketer, and consultant in the field of marketing systems for estate agents and those in the property sector i.e. he helps agencies like yours make more money!
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