Fifty miles out of town you’re an expert!
This analogy is with respect to writing great content, outstanding promotions, super marketing, and phenomenal emails!
Picture this…
You sat there thinking what can you write, that you can speak knowledgeably (a big word like pineapple) about?
You know things, but do you know enough. Can you explain with confidence? Are you making it up as you go, or do you actually have knowledge of the subject?
Let me ask…
Have you ever been in a conversation with a group of people and a topic comes up that all of a sudden you find yourself the center of attention? You find that you have been speaking up about what you know, and now you’ve captured their attention?
It has happened to me many times and I found that later on in the day or evening when I was reviewing what I said, I found that somehow through my living experience, I captured the knowledge of the subject to which I was speaking about without cognitively thinking about it. Interesting wouldn’t you say?
Boy, that was a full sentence, but I hope you get what I mean. You see at home or around people that are very familiar with me like family or friends, they would have mostly tuned me out. Why? Good question!
Maybe they knew what I was about, or heard me talking about it previously, or just simply were not prepared to take me seriously.
I find that when we listen to people for the first time we try to validate what the speaker is saying and measure it against what we know. If we are among people that are familiar with the subject then the validation intensifies, and as a listener, I will start to look for matches in what you are saying to what I believe is true.
Finding your voice…
If you, as a speaker are on target, then they get more invested in you. You have ticked the boxes and moved up the ladder of trust. If your intent was to get a message across then it becomes invaluable. If it is just a comment then not so much. It falls into the “does he really know what he is talking about” category.
In most of us, this trust-building technique starts with your inner circle, (family and friends) and progresses into testing it on an expanded audience, with a more confident you, stepping outside your comfort zone.
So in saying this, I found it to be true when testing marketing materials like sales letters, emails, advertisements, promotions, introductions, etc. If I am talking from a confident and knowledgeable experience, then it transfers directly to whatever material I use to promote the message across.
If, for lack of a better word, sensitive or unsure, it comes across in the work that I am trying to achieve. The email sucks, the advertisement is poor, and promotions look fake. If I feel it, the people I am trying to reach, feel it.
The best results have been when I am confident and excited about what I have to say. Even if I am a little off, people accept it. The audience also reacts differently. They look to me as more of an expert or someone that knows what he speaks, and as such, responses are different. Questions to me are different. It also shows in the returns and results. Making my point successful.
As a result…
The trust factor has grown, and now when I approach them, there is a certain recognition that happens between us. I won’t have to be tested again on the trust ladder and find that yes, in fact, I start three rungs up from our last interaction.
Now to get that from the start you need to proceed with confidence immediately. In this world where everyone wants instant results, you won’t have time to nurture yourself to the point where you have enough courage to say what you mean and move forward. You need to lead with confidence and courage. You will find that they will listen to you. Your friends and family might not because they are too close to you, but as I said before, 50 miles out of town you’re an expert!