People of influence are successful. Are you one of them?
Thisis part one of two “How to become a power influencer.”
Someidiot (er, I mean expert) wrote:Patience is the key to becoming a Power Influencer. Skilledinfluencers are patient; they pace their arguments, and ‘exhaust’them one at a time. It’s far better to secure agreementincrementally, step by step, reason by reason, than to unleash atorrent of reasons in one fell swoop. Stacking your reasonsinevitably means that some will get neglected, and it gives the otherperson the opportunity to choose to focus on the weakest reason andignore the stronger ones. One reason at a time ensures that each onegets its fair share of attention.
Huh?
If you are looking tobecome a person of influence to your customer, patience may be theonly element NOT on the list. Which got me thinking (whenever I read,see, or hear something dumb, or even inadequate, I always think, “Howcan I make this better.” Or in this case, what IS on the list ofbecoming a ‘power influencer?’
Are youseeking more influence with your customers? With your boss? With yourprospects? With your connections? With your associates andco-workers?
Have youever thought about what elements go into being an influential person?
Here isthe list, BUT don’t just read it – compare yourself and yourskill levels to it, so that you can develop your understanding ANDyour status at the same time.
A powerinfluencer is:
Smart. A personwho can reason, and be reasonable. A person who can think in terms ofanswers, rather than fret over circumstances. Someone who sees thebig picture, rather than the immediate urgency.
Shrewd. Beyondsmart, a shrewd person sees an answer and a game plan toimplement it. And the implementation is seen in favor of the other,rather than in favor of themselves. It doesn’t mean that you giveup your winnings (earning, commission, money), it does mean thateveryone wins, not just you.
Knowledgeable.Beyond smart, a knowledgeable person knows what’s going on indetail. Product knowledge, service knowledge, and experience. Notjust how to work it – but how to use it to profit and produce.
Successful. Aperson who has completed tasks successfully, and had successfuloutcomes. a person who let’s their record speak for them.
A Winner. Aperson whose history shows they know how to win, and they’ve wonmore often than they’ve lost.
Full of Answers.Influencers do not always push. Often they are called upon because ananswer is needed, and the caller has confidence or faith that theinfluencer knows the right answer, and knows the best answer.
Someone with ideasthat work. Ideas based on past experience, ideas based on bestpossible answer, and ideas based on a firm understanding of thecircumstance, will create influence enough to be accepted andimplemented.
Creative.Creativity is the mother of ideas. A creative person has studiedcreativity and combined it with the brainpower to never be at a lossof thought in any situation.
A thinker. Mostpeople never spend time thinking. That’s why most people are notpower influencers. Thinkers are also observers. They don’t justtalk — they look, they think, they reason, and then they respond.
Someone with a GREATreputation. If you seek to become a person of influence, otherpeople will have to corroborate your credentials and yourcredibility. You may think you’re a person of influence but in theend it’s not what you think, it’s what others think and whatothers say about you.
Someone with greattiming. Knows when to hold ’em. Knows when to fold ’em.
Someone with a greatattitude. I don’t think you can influence at the same timeyou’re whining and complaining. And maybe you should substitute thewords power influence with the words positive influence.
Well,that’s the end of part ONE. Yes, there are several more elements tobeing a “power influencer,” and I will reveal them all next week.
How areyou doing so far? More complicated than you thought? Relax – you’renot alone. Rereading and rating yourself on each element will giveyou a realistic picture of your present power to influence.
PLEASENOTE WELL. There is nothing on this list about using sales tactics orclosing techniques. No need to. Power influencers do not close sales;they create the desire for the customer to BUY.
Mirror,mirror on the wall, who’s the most influential of them all?
Thisis part two of two “How to become a power influencer.”
Based onan inane statement about how to become a power influencer, purportedby an “expert,” I decided to clarify the process in detail, sothat you could have a shot at becoming one.
Lastweek’s elements of a power influencer included: smart, shrewd,knowledgeable, successful, a winner, full of answers, someone withideas that work, creative, a thinker, someone with a greatreputation, someone with great timing, and someone with a greatattitude.
There’sa lot to becoming a person of influence. But the rewards will last alifetime.
Here’sthe rest of the list.
A powerinfluencer is…
Well read.Influence comes from a combination of thinking and reasoning that’snot just based on experience. Reading will help you better understandand clarify your own thinking, even refine your own thinking,and it gives you an additional resource to draw from as you’rebuilding your influential base.
Published. Forthe past 15 years, I have published a weekly article — more than 800individual writings that have helped and influenced others in theirthinking and in the actions that they take. If you seek to influence,you must do it in a multitude of formats. I promise that if othersare influenced by your writing, they will also be influenced by thewords you speak.
An author. Writea book that has both influence and prestige. Articles become books.Books become read. And the people who read them will be influenced bythe person who wrote them.
Service driven, notsales driven. Salespeople are only able to influence temporarily.Power influencers lead with service and their service leads to sales.
Friendly – wellliked. All things being equal, people want to be influenced bytheir friends. All things being not quite so equal, people still wantto be influenced by their friends. While friendly is not always thebest case for influence, I believe it is the best case.
Someone who hasgained the customer’s (other people’s) confidence. The moreyou perform, the more successes you have, and the more wisdom youconvey over time, the more confidence others will have in you.Confidence only comes as a result of performance over time.
Tells the truth allthe time. You can influence temporarily with a lie. But once thelie is uncovered, you can never influence again.
Gets the job done nomatter what. People of influence are also performers. They DO,not just say. They walk their talk. They don’t make excuses becausethey don’t have to. They’re the one person who is counted on in atime of need. They are reliable and relentless. They don’t leavethe job until the job is done.
Trusted. All ofthe already mentioned elements combine to form trust. One of them canbreak trust. If you lie, trust is gone. If you quit a job in themiddle, trust is gone. No one element builds trust. But the lack ofone element can destroy it.
Long-term oriented.Influence is determined by relationship and long-term thinkingprecedes relationship. It’s not about your quota. It’s not aboutthe end of the month. It’s about doing what is best for others overan extended period of time regardless of your self-imposed deadlines.
Not greedy. Ifthere are givers and takers in the world, people of influence areseen as givers. People who are always thinking about or talking aboutmoney are not as influential as people who are always talking aboutideas and serving others.
“A fit.” Oneof the most powerful but least talked about elements of relationship,trust, and influence is how comfortable people feel with each other,how easy it is to do business with each other, and how natural therelationship is formed. You don’t have to force it because it’s afit.
This listcontains elements of the IDEAL influencer. All people of influence donot have to have all these qualities, but the more they possess, thegreater their power to influence.
NOTE WELL: This listdoes not contain the words “has money.” Having money and beinginfluential are mutually exclusive. Maybe money gives you a slightadvantage, but all the other elements outweigh it. By a ton.
While thislist only took a few days to compile, it will take you years tomaster each element of influence. That’s the good news for you, ifyou are dedicated to become a power influencer. Most other peoplewill quit after reading this list. “Too much work,” they’llsay. “Not worth the effort,” they’ll whine.
GREAT!More room for you at the top.
