At the center of every industry you will find an inner circle of people who are the most well-known and valued people. They are known as a key person of influence, and you probably know who these people are in your industry. Their names come up in conversation for all the right reasons; they attract a lot of opportunities; they earn a lot more money than most people and it isn't a struggle; and they can make a project successful if they are involved and people know it.
These people enjoy a special status in their field because they are well connected, well known, well regarded and highly valued. They are treated with respect and others listen when they speak. Anybody and I mean anybody can become one of these people.
The world has changed and so must you. Your best thinking five years ago is your baggage today. The reality is many people are great at what they do, but they aren't fulfilled and they're stuck spinning their wheels trying to get to the next level. How do you breakout and move past the crowd? There's a simple formula that all business owners and entrepreneurs must follow, and it doesn't matter what field you're in, anyone can do it.
It's a formula based on five Ps, and if you follow them you'll stack things in your favor to quickly move to the top of your industry and become a key person of influence.
Pitch
Do you have a compelling answer if someone asked you "what do you do?" In today's market, if you don't have an amazing pitch, regardless of how great your product or service is, you will always struggle. You must be able to answer this with power and clarity. When I was on Shark Tank, I watched people fail to get funding because they couldn't pitch their idea properly.
Once people are engaged with what you do, next they will be interested to know some more. This is where you must know your stuff so well that it comes from your heart more so than your mind. You know you have it when you can talk passionately about your topic for three minutes or three hours. When people hear you talk about your pitch, it must tell them why you're doing what you do, and what the benefit is. Your perfect pitch is your foundation.
Publish
Whether via a blog, articles or even a book, getting your ideas out there is very powerful, and it's not as hard as you may think. Once you have a clear framework, you will find it easy to start filling in the gaps.
Your book is the "Title Deed" to your micro-niche, and it tells the world that you are an authority in your field. It's no coincidence that the word "Authority" has the word "Author" in it. These days you can publish very short runs of books and it's easy to make it available globally on Amazon.com. Add a few shining reviews and all of a sudden you're a published author(ity), praised by your readers with a global online distribution.
Productize
Until you turn your soft skills and talents into tangible products, you will always have to show up to earn a living. Turning your skill-set into an asset is an essential part of becoming a key person of influence. An information product (CD, DVD, download) opens up a world of opportunities. Behind every talented person or dynamic business are great ideas and those ideas need to be shared. An information product can also be a high value, high margin product that can add considerable profit to your enterprise.
Profile
The fastest way to build your profile is through both the traditional media and social media. Those in the media (TV, print and online) are seen as experts. It's an implied endorsement passed down from the media outlet to the guest on television or the person being quoted that he or she is an expert and credible.
If Google thinks you are a nobody, you are a nobody. When people do a search for your name, it must come up on the first results page. Provided your name isn't Brad Pitt, this isn't as challenging as you think. Invest a few days of focused effort and you can have a dozen social-networking profiles, a Twitter account with 400 plus followers, several YouTube videos and a dozen blogs.
With all that in place you are going to sky-rocket up the Google listings. Staying there will require you to be diligent, but if you are organized that can take less than 20 minutes each day.
Partnerships
Instead of networking for clients, try networking for joint ventures and partnerships. The only reason to go networking is to find leverage. The idea is to find relationships that can really make things happen for both parties.
Ask yourself these questions from people you meet at networking events:
- Do they have a list of potential clients?
- Are they interested in co-producing a product?
- Have they got a product that would be attractive to my contact list?
- Is there a beneficial contact I can put them in touch with?
Partnerships are about creating win/win opportunities for both parties.
You have virtually no downside in perfecting your pitch, writing your book, producing a product, using social media and talking to some people about a joint venture. The upside, however, is awesome. If you commit to doing these things, you will jump to a whole new level.