If Perception is Reality, What Are You Doing to Create Yours?

Up until the end of June 2016, I was still living and working in Cairo, Egypt. I took this picture while out walking in my local neighborhood.

Would you feel confident in being treated by this family doctor?

I didn’t think so 🙂

He might be the best doctor in Cairo, however… perception is reality and his “advertising” didn’t make me feel like picking up the phone to book an appointment.

This doctor is doing everything opposite to a quote I wrote in my book, “Credibility Breakthroughs” – How to Create Instant Credibility and Trust with Prospects and Clients.

That said, what are you doing to create a great first impression for that moment when prospective, affluent clients look you up online?

Like this doctor, you might have the best product, the best service, and the best qualifications. You might even have been in business since 1802, and be the most caring and empathetic person on the planet, but in the eyes of your prospective clients, that’s all irrelevant in the absence of instant credibility and trust.

What’s sad is, I see this happening every day.

Smart entrepreneurs with equally great problem-solving solutions, not getting a look in, not getting any calls, emails and ultimately sales – and all because of the lackluster first impression they’re creating when a ready to buy prospect looks them up online.

In reality, they are doing their prospects and clients a disservice by not positioning themselves in a way that makes it easy for anyone to say…

Yes, I want to work with you, or to at least pick up the phone and call, send an initial contact request, or whatever their call to action may be.

If you’ve ever wondered why your competitor gets more business than you, even though you know they have an inferior product/service to yours, then more likely than not, it’s because they have their positioning in place.

It’s because they look like leaders, like authorities, like trustworthy advisors within their field. They may not be the best, but they look the part.

So all the qualifications you have, the experience, the tools, and resources mean nothing if you don’t look the part, to begin with. It’s not your fault, it’s just the way how things are.

People judge the book by the cover, and studies upon studies have proven that people’s attention spans are getting shorter, so you have to act now by adjusting the way you think and market to stay in business.

I feel one of my endless rants coming on, so that said, let’s look at some ways you can use to give people valid reasons to want to choose you, as opposed to your competition:

– Get published in a short read book that focuses on solving ONE of your ideal prospect’s problems.

I call them OPUS books, One Problem, One Solution. No need for a complete War and Peace guide to ____.

A short, 100-120 page book surrounding the topic of your ideal and most lucrative client’s biggest problem will position you as an expert and establish instant credibility and trust with the people looking for a professional to solve their problems. That could be HR Managers, Event Organizers, Investors or whatever the case may be. Once you’ve covered one topic, you can always publish another OPUS book covering a different pain point.

– Make regular featured guest appearances on online radio (podcasts) and TV shows.

When you make guest appearances on online radio (podcasts) and TV shows and share tips and insights surrounding the common obstacles, misconceptions, unknown pitfalls and fears of your target audience, you’ll be demonstrating your expertise in a way that is second nature to you.

You’re going to address the biggest pains you talk about every day with customers and clients. Only this time, you’re going to go ahead and do it on highly respected, third-party platforms, which by default (in the eyes and ears of your audience) pass credibility, trust, and authority onto you.

Remember when your mamma used to say, “Mind who you hang out with. Show me your friends and I’ll tell you who you are?” – Well, these are the kinds of friends you need to be hanging out with.

As a guest, avoid making the mistake of talking about yourself, your lifestyle, and how much money you make, (unless it’s that kind of show), as people want to know what’s in it for them.

Instead, address their problems, demonstrate your understanding of their situation, and prove you can help them by providing educational, informational and actionable insights.

– Get your expert positioning quotes published and syndicated on multiple national media outlets

This is a big one. Getting yourself published on national media outlets such as affiliates of ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox and dozens more, can instantly catapult you to expert, sometimes even local celebrity status… overnight.

Think about it… Is it always the smartest people we see in the media? No, not at all. Think, Kardashians, and now imagine this. You actually have something impactful to share 🙂

All fun aside, remember that everything starts and ends with the first impression. The harsh reality is, people, assign credibility to the media and the media assigns credibility to people.

Try to embed that one in your mind as it plays a crucial role in what I call, “The Online Top of Mind Positioning Factor™” which elevates your business and personal brand to expert status, without having to brag, boast, or call yourself an expert.

– Use “As Quoted On” media logos, sometimes referred to as Trust Triggers on your website and marketing collateral

Like the smallest cogwheels in a Swiss Watch, using media logo tags on your website plays a small, yet essential role in your “Online Top of Mind Positioning Factor™”.

I’m sure you’ve seen them on popular websites. Quite often they are at the end of a web page, sometimes at the top. In any case, they are subtle reminders that this person was important enough to be quoted in the media.

Subtle is the keyword here. Many have misunderstood and misused this powerful method to humbly impart a passing statement of silent authority.

The human eye reacts to images 400 times faster than text, so having these ‘supporting’ media logo tags as part of your marketing collateral is definitely something that will help to instantly raise your profile and boost your efforts in establishing instant credibility and trust with your audience.

Anyway, those are just some of the ways to position yourself online, so affluent, ready to buy clients can Find, Trust and Choose™ you when looking for solutions to their problems

In closing, don’t be like the doctor in the flyer… duly qualified to serve, with an empty waiting room and no patient to serve.

Instead, be the educator, advocate and trustworthy advisor you truly are, and proudly let the world know about it. It’s your duty as an entrepreneur to claim your expertise. If you don’t, someone else will and they’re probably not better than you.

Instead of waiting decades to be seen, known and respected as the leading, trustworthy authority you truly are, it can happen in weeks, often days. To find out how, download a FREE copy of my book, “Credibility Breakthroughs: How To Establish Instant Credibility And Trust With Prospects And Clients”, you may just be surprised.

Take care and we’ll talk real soon…

Stewart