The Desert of Arizona
Sunny 47 Degrees
Sorry, there isn’t any magic fair dust for becoming an overnight authority. The point of today’s issue is to help you avoid wasting any time looking for something like that.
Becoming an authority in anything doesn’t come from following a certain magical strategy or a paint-by-number system.
Authority is not something you go and “get,” it is something you earn. It is not a destination, it is a reward for what you do on your journey. Authority comes from earning the right to be called an authority.
In other words, you have to be great at something. You do that thing out in the open where others can see it. People start to get the idea that you know what you’re doing. You keep doing that thing again and again and more people realize that you are very good at solving certain problems.
The magic happens because of your continuous demonstration. Demonstration sells in ways that selling can’t.
But it’s not the easiest thing in the world to do.
Becoming an authority or a trusted advisor reminds me of what it’s like to write a book.
Everyone wants to have WRITTEN a book. Very few people actually want to WRITE a book.
It sounds sexy to BE the authority, but getting there is just about putting one foot in front of the other with a clear direction in mind.
Becoming an authority is about finding a place to pitch your tent, and then using that spot to do great work. Then you wake up the next day and you keep doing that work.
One day, a passerby looks up at you and says, “Hey, you’re really good at that, do you think you could help me?” Soon, someone else comes along. And then another.
It starts like a dripping faucet. Then a thin but steady stream. Over time, the flow increases.
But you can’t expect instant in the authority game. Authority is a perception that is really the marketplace’s DELAYED reaction to things you did a long while ago.
I don’t have any magic fairy dust for transforming you into an authority. What I DO have is the system worked out for DEMONSTRATING what you do in a way that matters to your prospects. This is the “do it yourself” version. This is the “me do it with you” version.
Here’s the building block of authority: DEMONSTRATION.
If you’re not doing this, what are you doing? Authority doesn’t build itself, you have to earn it.