“I’m always trying to turn things upside down and see if they look any better.” —Tibor Kalman A lot of very smart, capable people with something to say and holding back. Why? Because they don’t feel like they are smart enough. But what if I told you that being an Authority is about something else? …
“I wish I had invented blue jeans. They have expression, modesty, sex appeal, simplicity – all I hope for in my clothes.” —Yves Saint Laurent It’s easy to fall into the trap of piling on complexity to prove your worth. Gotta stack that value, right? Hold on. Don’t be so proud of what you know …
“The temptation to entertain instead of selling is contagious.” —David Ogilvy Are you a thought leader or just another source of information? Anyone can look smart when they get to pick what they get to write or talk about. That’s the easy part. The hard part is answering two questions: So what? And, 2. What …
Are You Getting The Job Done Or Just Goofing Off? Read More »
“The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.” —H.P. Lovecraft Maybe not everyone in the world has felt true love, but we have all been truly afraid. Fear is what drives us the most and motivates us the fastest. It’s the …
Make People Fall In Love With You By Making Their Fears Go Away. Read More »
“The written word is the strongest source of power in the entire universe.” —Gary Halbert Here’s a private message to those who help people improve their lives in some way — get rich, get happy, get skinny, get laid — but the rest of you can read along, too: If Gary Halbert was right (and …
“The past speaks to us in a thousand voices, warning and comforting, animating and stirring to action.” —Felix Adler I got some advice once that I thought was pretty good: if you want to do something, go find someone who did it and do what they did to get it done. Simple, right? Yeah. Effective, …
Use History As Your Authority Building “How-To” Book. Read More »
“We see that every external motion, act, gesture, whether voluntary or mechanical, organic or mental, is produced and preceded by internal feeling or emotion, will or volition, and thought or mind.” —Helena Blavatsky Let’s break that down; it’s a little wordy. Every motion/act/gesture is produced (e.g., caused by) and preceded by two things: Internal feeling/emotion. …
“If you haven’t found something strange during the day, it hasn’t been much of a day.” —John Archibald Wheeler Do you know why people naturally look up to you as an Authority? Hint: it’s not because of the information you tell them. I’d say it’s been commoditized, but it’s usually free. The reason people look …
Is Your Audience Bored and Unengaged? Here’s Why. Read More »
“Nothing is more difficult, and therefore more precious, than to be able to decide.” —Napoleon Bonaparte Are you an Authority, or just a person who is smart in public. Before you answer, realize that information has been commoditized and is usually free. There’s no money in that. If you’re an Authority, you job is to …
“Anything that isn’t opposed by about 40 percent of humanity is either an evil business or so unimportant that it simply doesn’t matter.” —Russell Baker Let’s reverse engineer that: How to “matter?” Be “opposed.” If you’re not loathed, you can’t be loved. If you show me Authority Builder who has no audience (or has an …
If you want to ATTRACT an audience, you must REPEL an audience. Read More »