credibility advantage 2.0
DESCRIPTION
Tools for increasing Credibility. Specifically: 1) How to pre-position your credibility so prospects sell themselves, 2) How to ensure your overall brand (website, print materials, advertising and social media) create maximum credibility, 3) How to enlist "other messengers" to become advocates for you, 4) How to borrow credibility and leverage associations and relationships, 5) How to ensure maximum personal credibility (how you look, speak, and write) Created by Michael Lovas and Pam Holloway authors of Axis of Influence - How Credibility and Likeability Intersect to Drive Success, and The Credibility Advantage - Strategies and Tools for Increasing Business Results.TRANSCRIPT
(c) About People 2011. All rights reserved
1. Increase sales
2. Shorter sales cycle
3. Higher valuation
Credibility =
Trust & [Credibility]Increase Speed & Lower Cost
Trust Speed
Trust Speed
Cost
Cost
=
=
Trust Equation from Stephen Covey - The Speed of Trust
What is credibility?
Rate Yourself
Haven’t YetEstablishedCredibility
Among the Most Credible
In My Field
1 5 10
Credibility is a cluster concept
• Expertise
• Knowledge
• Trustworthiness
• Believability
• Integrity
• Reputation
• Experience
• Relevance
• Confidence
• Leadership
It doesn’t matter what YOU think.
Credibility is Perception. It lives only in the mind of other people.
It’s not your measure that matters.
Credibility is...
The confidence you inspire in
others to trust your ability to deliver results.
How do you communicate
credibility?
Tools for Communicating Credibility
1. Association
2. Expert Validation
3. Social Proof
4. FaceMore (not Faceless)
5. Thought Leadership
6. Get in Print
7. The Network
1. Association
You gain or lose credibility based on the people, brands and
organizations you associate with.
Your Industry
Your Profession
Your Company
You “inherit” credibility based on your perceptions of your profession (engineer, sales person, graphic artist), the company you work for and the Industry you work in.
You Personally
Inherited Credibility
2. External/Expert Validation
• Research• Certifications,
Licenses, Awards• Expert Reviews• Credible “Mentions”
3. Social Proof• Testimonials• Case Studies• Customer reviews• Social conversations
Research by Forrester (2008) &
Nielsen (2009) shows:
Most trusted information source
=“people like me”
Employ Other
Messengers
“Get someone else to blow your horn and the sound will carry twice as far.”
-- Will Rogers
1. INTERNAL: Demonstrate that you’re worth referring
2. EXTERNAL: Make it easy to do and rewarding for them
How can you enlist other people to become advocates for you?
Proactive Advocacy
• Pick a natural advocate.• Provide Meaning/Purpose: “I need your
help to.....”• Make it easy. “Here’s something you can
pass along”• Appreciate/Reciprocate. “Your help
means a lot to me. I’d like to return the favor by...
4. Face More (not Faceless)
• Show how things are done behind the scenes
• Show the real people
• Let them speak
Meet the folks in Peru who grew the banana I ate this morning
• Global perspective, local context
• Practical applications and specific How-to
• The go-to guy for.....
5. Thought Leadership
Example of Credibility Leveraging
6. Get in Print
• Book
• White Paper
• Article
• Blog
7. The Network
If small or solo, show how you’re part of a larger network of resources and support
YOU Personally:How to look, speak and
write credibly.
Your Personal Credibility
Yes, looks do matter...but it’s not what you think.
What does credibility look like?
Who looks more Credible?
Who looks more Credible?
Who looks more Credible?
What does credibility sound like?
The Sound of Credibility
•The lower the pitch, the more credible the voice.
• Lack of volume equals lack of credibility.
• Slower speed and pauses diminish credibility.
Credibility Language
It’s like...you know....well um...
you might want to do some social media stuff.
Cool, eh?
Take a look at what ABC Company says about
how they increased sales by 50%
I’m an expert in SMO and SEO focused on improving CTR and
PPC on integrated platforms.
Credible Language is...
• Simple, visual and relevant• Jargon-free• Questions-based
Simple, visual, relevant
And jargon-free
The more jargon-laden the language, the lower the believability [credibility]. - Pat Thompson, American Institute for Research
Ultimate Credibility Tool
“We think the best way to seem smart is to know all the answers,
when in fact the best way to seem smart is to ask the right questions.”
Dorothy Leeds, The 7 Powers of Questions
Let me show you how much I know about social media marketing.
VersusHow have you incorporated social media into your marketing strategy?
Example:
What does credibility read like?
• Accurate
• Fact-based
• Objective
• References
• Appropriate level of detail
• Relevance
Credible Writing
Distinguish Yourself! 1. Association
2. Expert Validation
3. Social Proof
4. FaceMore
5. Thought Leadership
6. Get in Print
7. The Network
8. Look, sound & write credibly
