"Like helpfulness, authentic likability is a practice. It can’t be forced, but it can be developed through everyday thoughts and actions."

"Authenticity is the foundation of your relationship with your audience. But for the relationship to flourish, it’s not enough to simply be authentic; you also have to deliver tangible value."

To get to your customers’ “top of mind,” you need to earn their approval. And you can do that the very same way you would get the approval of people you’d like to be your friends: by expressing genuine concern about their likes and dislikes, by establishing a type of communication between you two that’s based on mutual trust and commitment.Most importantly, by helping your customers from time to time without seeking any compensation.

Selling 101 has morphed into Altruism 101

Have you ever read an article that feels like it was written especially for you? Maybe it answers a specific question you’ve had on your mind for a while or it gives you some piece of advice that seems tailor-made to your life situation. When this happens, it creates a sense of connection to the author that makes you want to read everything she’s ever written and anything she’ll ever write.

Content triggers

"When helping others becomes the framework through which you interact with the world, you’ll find yourself at the top of many minds."

<ul><li>Since today’s customers are not passive; they are even more suspicious of salespeople who don’t ask for permission to invade their privacy; a salesperson's job isn’t anymore that of a marketing rep, but the far more humble and noble of being a friend.</li><li>Customers today don’t like to buy from people who are intrusive. You can trick them once or twice, but the minute they find out, you’ll lose them for eternity. Them and about a million other people who’ll find out about it on social media. So instead of tricking them – earn their trust.</li></ul>

Focus on building trust

Being authentic, honest, and truthful is your best promotion, because if your customers trust you, then you will be the first thing that comes to their minds in case they need your goods or services.

What being top of mind means

Creating written content is a daunting task for many of us, from the solopreneur to the CEO. Lack of time and inspiration keeps us procrastinating and pushing this critical activity further down our to-do lists. Fear of being a bad writer also sabotages our efforts.Try the practice of “morning pages”. Rather than waiting for inspiration to strike, it’s easier and more helpful to adhere to a habit of daily writing. Writing every morning encourages and allows for more creativity and it will also help to dispel the fear of writing.

Create a writing ritual

If you treat your brand as an afterthought, you’re simply fortifying the barriers between yourself and opportunity creation. A vibrant, flourishing brand is one of your most powerful tools in creating trust and opportunity.Take a look at Tesla. If you’re not a luxury electric vehicle industry insider, you may not know much about the inner workings of the company. Chances are, however, that you’re familiar with Elon Musk’s reputation as a rocket scientist/climate activist/genius innovator.

Brand and thought leadership

<ul><li>Likability matters. It’s hard to trust someone you don’t like. Finding that balance starts with understanding yourself and your personality and exactly what kind of “likable” you want to be.</li><li>Familiarity is the other side of the likability coin—it evokes a sense of closeness, a feeling of genuine connection. Familiarity emerges at its purest in face-to-face conversation.</li></ul>

Likability and familiarity

Staying in touch with the needs of your audience and sharing information they can use is one of the best ways to give to and help them. The most scalable way to help them is through creating and publishing content. You can exponentially expand the number of ways you can help people and the number of lives you can effect through content.

Share your knowledge, experiences and resources with your audience

"When you educate people, you are empowering them. … Content’s potential as an educational tool is limitless. Use it to share whatever knowledge you have that others will find valuable."

If you can tangibly improve your target audience’s quality of life, even in ways that seem minute, they’ll begin to think of you as a positive force in their lives. Do this consistently and your audience will reward you with top-of-mind status.

That is because knowledge is power. When you educate people, you are empowering them.One of the most effective and easily scalable ways to unify these practices is through high-quality digital content.Content’s potential as an educational tool is limitless. Use it to share whatever knowledge you have that others will find valuable—industry insight, best practices, experiential learnings—and they will reward you with trust.

Education is the most important trust point 

A game-changing framework for staying top of mind with your audience―from the No. 1 company dominating content marketing What do many successful businesses and leaders have in common? They’re the first names that come to mind when people think about their particular industries. How do you achieve this level of trust that influences people to think of you in the right way at the right time? By developing habits and strategies that focus on engaging your audience, creating meaningful relationships, and delivering value consistently, day in and day out. It’s the winning approach John Hall used to build Influence & Co. into one of “America’s Most Promising Companies,” according to Forbes. In this step-by-step guide, he shows you how to use content to keep your brand front and center in the minds of decision makers who matter. He reveals: • how consumer needs and expectations have changed and what this shift means for you • how to build a helpful, authentic, and consistent brand that serves others just as well as it serves you • proven methods for using digital content to enrich your target audience’s lives in ways that build real, lasting trust Whether you’re a marketing leader engaging an audience of potential customers, a business leader looking to humanize your company brand, or an industry up-and-comer seeking to build influence, maintaining a prominent spot in your audience’s minds will increase the likelihood that the moment they need to make a choice, you’ll be the first one they call. There’s no better way to drive opportunities that result in increased revenue and growth. Business is never “just” business. It’s always about relationships. It’s always about a human connection. When you’re viewed as a valuable, trustworthy partner, the opportunities are endless. Position yourself for success by establishing and developing content-driven relationships that keep you and your brand Top of Mind.

Understand yourself and those around you.

psychology

Psychology

marketingandsales

Marketing & Sales

writing

Reading & Writing

books

Books

A game-changing framework for staying top of mind with your audience―from the No. 1 company dominating content marketingWhat do many successful businesses and leaders have in common? They’re the first names that come to mind when people think about their particular industries. How do you achieve this level of trust that influences people to think of you in the right way at the right time? By developing habits and strategies that focus on engaging your audience, creating meaningful relationships, and delivering value consistently, day in and day out.It’s the winning approach John Hall used to build Influence & Co. into one of “America’s Most Promising Companies,” according to Forbes. In this step-by-step guide, he shows you how to use content to keep your brand front and center in the minds of decision makers who matter. He reveals:• how consumer needs and expectations have changed and what this shift means for you • how to build a helpful, authentic, and consistent brand that serves others just as well as it serves you • proven methods for using digital content to enrich your target audience’s lives in ways that build real, lasting trust Whether you’re a marketing leader engaging an audience of potential customers, a business leader looking to humanize your company brand, or an industry up-and-comer seeking to build influence, maintaining a prominent spot in your audience’s minds will increase the likelihood that the moment they need to make a choice, you’ll be the first one they call. There’s no better way to drive opportunities that result in increased revenue and growth. Business is never “just” business. It’s always about relationships. It’s always about a human connection. When you’re viewed as a valuable, trustworthy partner, the opportunities are endless. Position yourself for success by establishing and developing content-driven relationships that keep you and your brand Top of Mind.

JOHN HALL

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