5 Steps to Influence

There is a power that is magical in business.  It comes from the ability to establish credibility.  Credibility goes a long way towards developing that magical power of influence.  Credibility comes from:

• Act with integrity.  (Integrity is not a set of values but the act of being consistent in what you say and what you do.  Even bad guys can have integrity if they claim to be bad and are in fact bad, they have integrity.  Often misused to mean a set of high moral standards.  Instead it is being who you say you are.)
• Have and know your core beliefs.  Where is your right and wrong?  Where is your line in the sand?
• Build win/win relationships.  Build relationships where win/win works.  Aligned values, goals and when possible make it fun.
• Lead the way.  Influence comes from successful experience.  
• Consider the future.  Thought leaders are often influential because they lead us in new directions.

 So there it is...what other steps can we take to be influential?

Swagger

How important is our image in business today?  It's easy, in the age of remote work and the internet, to forget the importance of representing well.  Shorts in place of suits, flip flops in place of wingtips are nice substitutions if you can swing it.  The question is, can we? 

Look at our global competition before deciding.  If you're happy to live with a single customer, certain that you can count on them to always be around then...who cares?  If you believe that if you aren't growing then you are shrinking, that there is someone in Mumbai or Hanoi or Beijing that wants your job and will throw their heart and soul into doing it better than you...just given a chance...  Well then off with the flip flops and on with the serious time to get into business face. 

When you know you are ready, you will show your swagger.  By the power of reciprocity, you will grow as a human and in your business.  Moreover, if your swagger is strong enough, you may just lead a few others to swag right along side.

Value

"What's it worth to you" the salesman asked.  "It meets your need, it's available and you obviously need it" he continued.  The customer stared into space with a dumbfounded expression.  "I don't get it.  What is the price" he asked.  The salesman a bit irritated said, "How much do you have?" The customer looked at the salesman in dismay.  "You are right, it does meet my needs and I need it, but I would never buy it here" he turned and walked away.

Of course that's not how business is conducted.  If it were, sales would be the most difficult job in the world.  Instead, the selling process is built around the framework of the value proposition.  It's a clear expression of what the benefits and costs are. Sometimes it's one sided and other times it's balanced.  It helps me, the customer to establish a measure of value.

Fine tuning the price of a product should involve a study of the elasticity of demand to a product (If prices go up will the customers follow?).  The value proposition is much simpler than pricing models.  It simply states:

All Benefits - All Costs = Value Proposition

Explain your offer to potential customers clearly.  It will help you find the right customers early and with a reasonable expectation of success.