aka what professionals, experts and entrepreneurs can learn about getting chosen from elections all over the world
This is NOT (not/NOT/noT) an article about politics. It is an article about the richest moment for everybody in a business: the moment of choice.
You see… when people ready to choose someone to help them with their problems actually choose, it is the beginning of the transformation for the person, for the world and for the expert chosen to do their best work.
I became obsessed with that moment of choice and how people choose people and elections are a clear example of choice in action. The word “elect” means to “choose”, after all. So what can we learn from elections (and I’m not thinking only about the recent elections in the US) and the moment of choice to grow our business?
Positioning Wins Elections…
… (and loses elections, too)
Positioning is the human activity that happens in our minds when we are confronted with other human beings. Our human brain very quickly decides about the “place” or “position” that this person will occupy in our minds.
In a matter of seconds the oldest part of our brain decides if this person in front of us is a “provider of resources”, an enemy, a potential sexual partner or somebody to be ignored.
During the latest elections in democratic countries positioning played an essential role but not only in the obvious sense of positioning the winning candidate as a provider of resources.
It played an even bigger role in the positioning of non-winning candidates who occupied the “to be ignored”/”more of the same”/”just another…” position in people’s minds.
This translates to our professional/expert businesses in the importance of standing out above the ocean of people who seem to be doing the same thing. Our businesses cannot afford the “just another…” positioning because that leaves an expert to have to compete on price and it’s very hard to grow a profitable, sustainable business that way.
One Core Idea…
It doesn’t have to be a unique idea. It doesn’t have to be a genius idea. It has to be an idea that gives people what they WANT.
In the case of elections in Western democratic countries, we are seeing today that the core big idea that has been winning elections is not unique or genius. It is actually pretty simple: people want a better economy.
This concept also translates to our business growth: we need to provide valuable, relevant, credible resources to that core desire/pain our audience have.
The Halo Effect…
In the case of candidates in an election, once they position themselves right, people immediately amplify in their minds the power of the person and (unconsciously) decide that this person will also be able to lead them in other areas, not just the economic growth of a country.
Guess what? This translates to our businesses as well. Once people position you as a provider of valuable, relevant credible resources, your positioning starts to get amplified in their minds. You might have started as their go-to expert in one topic (FB ads, teeth whitening, divorce, resume writing, the Paleo diet, for example) and now they see you as a go-to expert in your whole industry (online marketing, smiles, legal, career, health).
The BIG Difference
In election processes in democratic countries, the number of “perceived” options are limited.
In business, people have more and they also perceive they have many more options, mainly because of the Internet.
Hopefully, another big difference for business like ours is that we care to build relationships because we understand that to transform somebody’s life/career/business/relationships/health/spirituality we need to go through the process of choice with integrity and creating respect and goodwill. If not, it will be very difficult to even work with people long-term.
The moment of choice is the beginning, not the end of the relationship.
The BIG Business Growth Lesson
One of the smartest ways to grow a business like ours fast is to concentrate on the people READY TO CHOOSE someone to help them solve a problem they have decided they cannot solve on their own.
They are going to choose someone. Why not you and your business?
That clear focus needs to be met with the right positioning because your contribution and your good work deserve to be seen, respected and invested in.
Till next time, remember… your awesomeness is portable. You can take it with you anywhere
Ana
A 7-time best-selling author, Ana Rosenberg is an advocate for the success of modern professionals, experts and entrepreneurs who are changing the world with their good work. Ana specializes in advising service professionals, experts and entrepreneurs to help them build a profitable, sustainable business to be proud of by positioning themselves as Leading Authorities in their field of expertise. She is a host of Business Innovators Radio and a contributor to the Huffington Post, Small Business Trendsetters and International Business Avant-garde. Some of her best work lives @ AnaRosenberg.co.business.