Business Influence: How To Get It, Keep It And Use It
Do you know the major key concepts at the core of all marketing and PR?
Influence. People will say the agenda is awareness, web presence, following, lead development, or the chance to be “telling our story,”.
But influence is more fundamental and more important than any of these other factors. The power to be present in a way that is not only accurate and authentic but its ability to shape understanding, thought, and desire and to compel the listener and viewer towards taking action.
Businesses want to move people toward purchases, political views, giving, new priorities, behaviours that align with that business, their world, and passions.
They don’t just want people to simply know who they are. They want them to invest emotionally.
The end game of course is that they want consumers to do something about it whatever the end goal is. It could be engagement, to work better or live better based on what they see and hear, to consider processes, products, to become a better and more powerful person, build a better business, better communities or, create a better world.
Imagine the power of not just inspiring people with words and articles but actually compelling them to take tangible steps.
The possibilities are staggering. This is the power of not just being seen, followed, and admired as a voice of influence, but of the ability to create action.
There are some key factors when leading and influencing others.
1. Avoid Imposing your values. You will never succeed in building influence if you are simply preaching to others. In fact, you’ll often provoke resistance and turn people away from your sphere of influence.
Presenting the possibilities in a way that invites your target audience to take a step closer to your beliefs or values leads people to follow.
This is organic as people grow their curiosity about you, what you are doing and why.
2. Make Meaningful Connections. Begin a conversation by asking someone what they are passionate about, beyond work or business.
When they respond with a usual answer this is your opportunity to delve further. To make the other person feel comfortable sharing.
The challenge is that what people care about makes them feel vulnerable, so they protect themselves. They can often feel very suspicious about why someone is asking. They may already have inset bias.
the purpose of this is to make them comfortable about something they are passionate about. to create a connection that they won’t forget about quickly.
3. Make People Feel Understood. In a conversation, repeat back to the other person what you believe they are saying about their interests or passion. Ask if you have understood them correctly, and be open to their clarifications.
Your willingness to genuinely understand will contribute to their openness and desire to understand your motivations as well.
4. Inspire. As you share your own interests, you gain the opportunity to awaken the interest in others to experience more about the thing you are passionate about.
Most importantly, their decision to go further will be a genuine desire and not the result of an effort to guilt them or to push them to action. This will lead to communication in a way for people to feel comfortable sharing their passions, overcoming feeling vulnerable.
Tapping into it will motivate them more than anything you try to impose on them. Missing it will make them feel misunderstood.
5. Support. You can inspire someone in a few minutes.
If the project takes months, they’ll need support. As you influence others, be prepared to support their efforts and to help them achieve increasing success. This will do more to compel their positive actions than any level of traditional marketing or coercion.
While the concept of natural influence sounds simple, it may prove to be one of the most profound discoveries in the business world.