A Quick Lesson In Getting More Sex
In the book MindControl Marketing, Mark Joyner tells a story from the movie “Finding Forrester.” In the movie, the young protege asks Sean Connery’s character, “If I write a book, will women have sex with me?” Connery replies, “Women will have sex with you if you write a bad book.”
Authority = Sales
It’s not only women who are impressed by authority, even small amounts of it. Many of you who are the founders of your own business know the cachet that comes with having created a company. Being an entrepreneur still impresses, and is even more impressive when you can say “Here’s my website. I write the the business blog “Bootstrap Blogger Dot Com.”
While this may sound like it’s all about ego, there’s more to it than that. Understanding what is in the mind of your prospect is important. They certainly don’t care specifically about how important you look for its own sake, but they do care about why that matters to them. Building your authority helps convince them their needs will be met.
Why Authority Matters
Your prospects need to feel they can trust you. They’re looking for proof of your credibility, which reassures them that they will get the benefits promised by the transaction. The second factor they’re looking for is social proof. If you (and your website) look credible, if others talk about you, link to you, recommend you and provide testimonials for you, that desire for social proof is met. It matters, because most of us are more comfortable being part of a group and taking the same actions they take. There are lots of sociological reasons why we fear behaving differently from others around us, but the short version is that when others support you, you seem like a safe person to associate with. They won’t end up feeling hurt, foolish or humiliated for having done business with you.
So Build Authority
I believe much of authority building is about leadership – about being willing to choose a direction, to take action, and to give instructions to others along the way. Once you demonstrate that you can do that and create value, you’re in a powerful position to command sales.
Every time you get an opportunity to create evidence of your authority on the internet, or even partner with others in authority, you get an opportunity to influence your prospects. People need to establish a level of comfort and trust before they make a purchase, and your website is a huge opportunity to make that happen.
Then Take Action
Remember the old sales adage “ask for the sale”? It’s not always about getting your prospect to hand over a credit card this instant. It is about knowing what action you want them to take next. In the case of this blog, it’s actions that will improve your businesses. I won’t squander the authority I build by giving bad advice or recommending you read or buy something that isn’t helpful to you. Remember to tell your reader exactly what to do next.
What you need to do next is go subscribe to my email list, so you won’t miss a post. I have 33 posts in draft right now, and every one of them will improve your authority on the web and help your business build your web presence. Sign up now – if I don’t keep my promise, you can always unsubscribe.
Photo credit: L_Dan
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