Tag: Business Authority

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5 Ways to Build Authority With Any Prospect

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In a previous post, I outlined six ways to quickly win your prospect’s trust. But while trust is necessary for a good working relationship, it’s not enough. You have to establish authority as well.

When you call a prospect for the first time, you probably haven’t given them any reason to care about what you’re saying. They’re thinking:

    • Who is this person?
    • Why should I believe anything they say?
    • Do they even know anything about me?

Authority is different from trust. Establishing authority requires showing that you’re a specialist in a particular subject matter or process, and possess a particular skill set that can help your prospect.

Establishing authority is also necessary to stay in control of the sales process. If you seem like a hot mess, your prospects won’t believe that you’re able to truly understand their problems, much less help them come up with a viable solution. Sales reps who convey authority come prepared to calls, think a few steps ahead, and project confidence.

Generally speaking, being authoritative usually requires a person to be forceful, confident, and direct. But authority takes on a slightly different meaning in sales and is therefore expressed in different ways. Here are five techniques salespeople can use to build authority with prospects.

1) Start your calls with an agenda and a question.

Setting an agenda shows your prospect you’ve thought deeply about your business relationship and how to advance it in a productive manner.

Always ask your prospect to review your agenda and confirm it makes sense. Steamrolling your prospect is the opposite of authority — there’s a huge difference between being controlling and being in control (more on that later). Be flexible and willing to adapt if that’s what your prospect wants.

The question signals that while you’re in control, you’re not going to force your prospect into anything. You care what they have to say. Some examples of good opening questions include:

    • “How’s everything going [in relation to discussed goals or plans]?” Ask for a status update early on to quickly surface potential roadblocks.
    • “When we last spoke, we discussed X and decided on Y. Does Y still make sense?” Confirm that you and your prospect are on the same page. If you’re not, find out why.
    • “Before we get started today, is there anything you think I should know?” A mix of #1 and #2, this question gives your prospect the opportunity to discuss information that’s important to them — and may wind up being crucial to your sale.

2) Demonstrate your experience.

If a salesperson said to you, “Trust me, I’ve seen your situation a million times — everything will be fine,” how would you respond?

If you’re savvy, you’ll say, “Oh, really? Give me an example.”

Your prospect has no reason to believe that you have a track record of success unless you show them what you’ve done. Whether it’s sharing anecdotal examples, setting up a call with a satisfied customer, or providing a walkthrough of the sales process, your prospect will be far more likely to listen to what you say if you’re able to prove you know your stuff.

3) Work how the prospect wants to work.

What’s the difference between being controlling and being in control?

A controlling salesperson is rigid and inflexible. He won’t change his approach no matter what his prospect says, because he believes his way is the only way. And guess what? He probably doesn’t close a lot of deals.

A rep who’s in control knows this isn’t an effective tactic. She’s not afraid to change her strategies if it turns out her prospect needs something a little different. By being adaptable, she’s demonstrating that she’s an expert seller — all while making her prospect feel as comfortable as possible.

The takeaway? Always ask your prospect if they’re in agreement with you before taking a step. For example, you might say, “What I’d like to do now is spend 30 minutes taking you through X. Is that okay with you? Will you let me know if I start talking too fast, too slow, or if you have any questions?”

By getting your prospect’s buy-in, you’ve automatically made them a stakeholder in the process and confirmed that you’re proceeding at their desired cadence.

4) Be businesslike with a personality.

I love making people laugh. When people are having a good time, they’re more relaxed and more real.

Authority doesn’t mean being so lofty and out-of-reach that your prospects can’t relate to you. I use analogies to make my prospects smile — “moving faster than a hungry dog to a hot dog cart” is one of my favorites. Humor allows me to foster a connection with my prospect, who is then more likely to tell me the truth.

Here’s another way in which I bring my personality to selling. I like to ask whether the process has been easy or hard, stressful or relaxing, fun or a pain. This tells me whether the prospect has done this before and is following a set plan, or is winging it and needs a bit more help.

Like trust, authority is easier to gain if your prospect believes you’re genuine. You can’t get by on likability alone, but I always bring my personality to the table because the rapport I build with my prospects makes them more receptive to my direction. Ultimately, prospects are more likely to be forthcoming if they feel you’re genuine. And unless you understand their needs, you can’t tailor the sales process to their unique situation.

5) Recap.

At the end of every conversation, clearly list the next steps for both you and your prospect, and attach due dates. Email out a written summary after each call recapping what’s been done and what’s next, and ask for updates, changes, or questions.

Keep in mind that your prospects are busy people, and they depend on you to keep them organized and remind them of what to expect next.

It’s essential to stay in control of a sales process. You simply can’t close deals if your prospect doesn’t put stock in what you say. Moreover, you can’t successfully anticipate objections or accurately forecast deals without a plan and the ability to get your prospect to follow you. And to do that, you need to establish authority.

Source: hubspot.com ~ By Dan Tyre ~ Image: Canva Pro

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6 Ways To Communicate With More Authority

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It takes courage to voice your ideas and stick up for them. These tips can help.

Hierarchy is disappearing in many companies, and that’s opening the door for employees at every level to contribute–and even lead. The trouble is, many of us haven’t picked up the skills we need to make our voices heard. These six tips can help you get comfortable with communicating with more authority across your entire organization and even outside it.

1. DECIDE ON YOUR CONVICTIONS

It takes some courage to share your ideas at work. Especially if the goal is to influence people outside your immediate team, including those you don’t have any power over—your boss, a senior executive, a prospective client, you name it—you might feel like you’re stepping out of line.

But consider this: The word “courage” includes the Latin root “cor,” meaning “heart.” Don’t share ideas or beliefs that aren’t heartfelt. You need to have a strong conviction in your ideas before asking others to consider them. But if you believe you have a contribution to make, go for it!

2. DON’T HEDGE

Once you’ve decided that the point you have to make is worthwhile, state it boldly, clearly, and confidently. Never lead with an apology (“I’m sorry if I’m saying something you already know”), introduce caveats (“I’m not sure about this, but let me give it a try”), insert tentative language (“It could be that . . . “; “My best guess is . . . ”), fill in the background information first.

Get right to your point. Clarity and directness give you power and authority, especially when you’re trying to communicate with higher-level leaders.

3. STAND YOUR GROUND

Defend your ideas if it turns out that you need to. It may be tough to stand up to dissenting views, particularly if the opposition comes from people more senior than you. But remember that the ideas most worth sharing is likely to be at least a little controversial. So when you say something new, expect to be challenged, then rise to the occasion by showing why you’ve taken your position.

When you do respond, be careful not to be defensive or aggressive–that will only make you look less confident and undermine your message. Instead, acknowledge the other person’s point of view, and succinctly, politely explain why you see things differently. Remember that every challenge gives you an opportunity to reaffirm your point. Welcome it as an opportunity.

4. BE WILLING TO CHALLENGE OTHERS

I’ve coached leaders at all levels, and often senior officers tell me that they value thoughtful input that sparks dialogue—they like it when people challenge each other and share contrary views. “That’s what we’re paying them for,” one CEO told me. “We want their best ideas.”

So when you bring critical thinking to the table, do it in a collaborative spirit. When you challenge a plan, don’t just say, “You’re wrong” or “I disagree.” Instead, say, “I understand where you’re coming from, but let’s take your logic one step further.” Or ask, “Could we achieve the same goal more cost-effectively, by . . .” That dialogue builds better solutions than either staying quiet or getting combative.

5. ALWAYS SHOW RESPECT

It takes courage to communicate in the same open, confident way to everyone. Most of us are conditioned to address people differently, according to their relative authority. So keep that in mind. Don’t talk to senior leaders sycophantically. Phrases like “with all due respect” or “to be honest” sound condescending. By the same token, don’t let executives take over the conversation or silence you. There’s always a temptation to defer to those who have more power than you. But they won’t respect you for that. Ultimately, the best way to show respect for upper-level managers is by sharing your best ideas with them.

And when you address those less senior to you, show an equal degree of respect. Listen to them carefully, acknowledge their views, and build on their ideas wherever you can. Communicating forcefully isn’t possible if it doesn’t come from a place of respect, no matter where it’s directed.

6. BE AUTHENTIC

Finally, it can take extraordinary courage simply to be yourself while you’re sharing your ideas, especially if you work in a company on a team where you aren’t necessarily seen as someone to voice your views.

Sometimes that isn’t always personal–it’s cultural. As you look around at your peers, you might feel there’s a normal way of dressing, speaking, looking, and acting. There’s no need to resist corporate culture in your effort to become a more powerful communicator.

But you also need to have the courage to preserve your spontaneity, creative energy, vitality, and sense of humor. Suppressing those qualities won’t serve you, your message, or your company.

Source: fastcompany.com ~ By Judith Humphrey ~ Image: Canva Pro

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What Is Authority and Why Does Your Business Need It?

Authority is a term that gets thrown around a lot in the business realm. Clearly, most of us understand the concept of authority in a general sense. We’re supposed to respect people with authority, but how does this relate to businesses?

Your company must have authority, but why? What does it mean, and how come it’s so important?

What is authority?

In a business sense, companies with authority are seen to be on a pedestal above the rest. These businesses know a lot about their field – they’re experts. If consumers are looking for advice, or they want to know which business to trust with their money, then they’ll look for authoritative sources.

So, in many ways, your authority is your reputation. It relates to the amount of respect that everyone has for your company, and how people view your skills. If you’re not seen to have much authority, then you’re viewed as a business that’s low down in the pecking order.

Why does your business need authority?

We’ve already established one key reason – to gain respect and raise your reputation. As a consequence, this can have an effect on your sales figures. Imagine a consumer is faced with a decision. They want to buy something, and they’re looking at two businesses. One has been around for ages and has established itself as an authoritative source in the industry. The other is relatively new on the block, and nobody knows much about them.

Who will they choose?

Obviously, they pick the business with a sense of authority, because there’s more trust between the two parties. Think about it another way, you go to a doctor when you get sick because you know they’re qualified to help you over, say, your friend from down the street.

So, gaining a positive reputation is one reason, but there’s also another – SEO. Search engine optimization relies on authority. Google wants to display the best and most authoritative websites to its users. If you demonstrate this, then you get ranked higher. Therefore, you can see more traffic, leading to more leads, and more sales. The secret is learning how to build your authority in the first place. With things like Digital Score SEO, you can slowly build your reputation, alerting Google to your prowess. Then, funnily enough, as one of the higher ranking websites, you gain even more authority. People see you as a source of knowledge because you’re one of the top results. From here, the benefits grow!

Lastly, authority helps you develop better business relationships. Other companies are more likely to enter partnerships with an authoritative enterprise. They see it as a benefit to work with a company that’s already well-respected. As a result, you can start growing your business and entering new markets thanks to your new business relationships.

So, business authority means that you are highly respected, and people see you as an expert in your field. Your company should work on building authority as it can lead to the following benefits:

  • A positive reputation
  • Improved SEO
  • More leads
  • More sales
  • Better business relationships
  • Business growth

If you feel like something’s been holding your company back, then it might be down to a lack of authority. Fix it, then reap the rewards.

Source: robinwaite.com ~ Image: Canva Pro

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