It’s Monday and I have too many other things on the calendar today (and Shayla’s off work), so I’m going to be brief and very, very to-the-point.
I don’t often focus a lot on the “leader” part of Thought Leader, so I thought today would be a perfect time to give you three principles about how followers think and what you can do about it.
There is a lot more to talk about, and we will, but I think if you can just work on these three, you’ll be off to a good start.
Follower Psychology Principle #1: Followers are looking for someone in whom they can place hope and confidence, because they have none for themselves.
This means that everything you do, especially when it’s directed at people who are just being exposed to you for the first time, has to inspire confidence in first yourself, and then in the follower.
Follower Psychology Principle #2: The follower pays you to fix problems.
You can’t be a profitable Thought Leader telling people how to prevent something bad from happening to them. Nobody ever goes on a diet to keep from getting fat, right? They’re looking for solutions, not prevention.
Follower Psychology Principle #3: The person who does the convincing is the follower, not the leader.
Pop quiz hot shot: what’s one thing no one will ever disagree with? The answer: a conclusion they’ve arrived at themselves.
Instead of trying to convince your follower of something, especially in a sales situation, don’t try impressing your belief system about the product on the follower. They’ll resist because we all resist when we’re being sold to. Don’t lecture them. Instead, present the facts in an interesting story in an almost passive way, and let them draw their own conclusions.
Now here’s a story about two Thought Leaders.
One Thought Leader subscribed to my free daily email tips at You Can Be A Thought Leader. This individual woke up the next day in mysteriously much better shape. Everything was easy for them, and when they were behind the wheel of their car, which was always clean and had a full tank of gas, every single traffic light was green. And their bank account balance ended with more zeroes than it ever had before. They lived happily ever after in a loving relationship with a person even more attractive than they are.
Another Thought Leader struggled through life, and died unlamented, broke, and alone. Their body was never identified, and they were buried in an unmarked pauper’s grave outside of town by the garbage dump.
Which Thought Leader do you want to be? If you want to be like the first kind of Thought Leader, you know what you need to do. Sign up for my free daily Thought Leadership emails at You Can Be A Thought Leader.