Credibility Advantage 2.0

Credibility = 1. Increase sales 2. Shorter sales cycle 3. Higher valuation

Trust & [Credibility] Increase Speed & Lower Cost Trust = Speed Cost Trust = Speed CostTrust Equation from Stephen Covey - The Speed of Trust

What is credibility?

Rate Yourself 1 5 10Haven’t Yet Among theEstablished Most CredibleCredibility In My Field

Credibility is a cluster concept • Expertise • Reputation • Knowledge • Experience • Trustworthiness • Relevance • Believability • Conﬁdence • Integrity • 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 inothers to trustyour ability todeliver results.

How do youcommunicate 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. AssociationYou gain or lose credibility based on the people, brands andorganizations you associate with.

Inherited Credibility Your Industry You Your Company Personally Your ProfessionYou “inherit” credibility based on your perceptions ofyour profession (engineer, sales person, graphic artist),the company you work for and the Industry you work in.

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 trustedinformation source = “people like me”

“Get someone else Employ to blow your horn Other and the sound willMessengers carry twice as far.” -- Will Rogers

How can you enlist other people to become advocates for you?1. INTERNAL: Demonstrate that you’re worth referring2. EXTERNAL: Make it easy to do and rewarding for them

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 Peruwho grew the bananaI ate this morning

5. Thought Leadership • Global perspective, local context • Practical applications and speciﬁc How-to • The go-to guy for.....

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 ofa larger network of resources and support

YOU Personally:How to look, speak and write credibly.

Your Personal CredibilityYes, looks do matter...but it’s not what you think.

What does credibility look like?

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 I’m an expert in know....well um... SMO and SEO focused you might want to do on improving CTR andsome social media stuff. PPC on integrated Cool, eh? platforms. Take a look at what ABC Company says about how they increased sales by 50%

Credible Language is...• Simple, visual and relevant• Jargon-free• Questions-based

Simple, visual, relevant

And jargon-freeThe 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 seemsmart is to ask the right questions.” Dorothy Leeds, The 7 Powers of Questions

Example:Let me show you how much I knowabout social media marketing. VersusHow have you incorporated socialmedia into your marketing strategy?

What does credibility read like?

Credible Writing• Accurate• Fact-based• Objective• References• Appropriate level of detail• Relevance

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

For more information.....www.aboutpeople.com

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Credibility Advantage 2.0

by Pam Holloway on Jul 20, 2011

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Credibility Advantage 2.0 — Presentation Transcript