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Within 30 seconds of Greg Habstritt walking onto the stage, I felt as if he had just punched me in the stomach!

Most speakers tend to ease into their presentation.  Not Greg (or Larry Wignet).  Almost the first words out of Greg’s mouth were:

“You can be interested in being successful…or, you can be committed to success.”

To be honest, he was talking directly to me.  I’ve wanted to be “successful” from since I was a young boy.  Along my journey, I made many sacrifices, all in the name of pursuing success. When Greg spoke those words, though, I knew then that I had never fully committed myself to success.  It was this lack of commitment that resulted in the first year and a half of horrendous struggle at my business.

My mind quickly scanned my journey.  The images replayed in my mind like a slideshow.  Missed opportunity here. False step there. Then, images of successes began to mount.  They all centered around a commitment I had made to pursuing success.  Sitting at that conference, having heard Greg Habstritt’s short but profound statement, it became evident to me. that once I made a sincere commitment to success – things radically began changing in my life.

You see, 95% of entrepreneurs are only interested in being successful.  They aren’t willing to burn bridges.  They aren’t willing to go all in on something.  It is this same 95% that struggle year in and year out to make a living.  The 5% who are truly committed to success are thriving.  They have more opportunities around them than they could possibly take advantage.

How about you?  Are you truly committed to success?

Here are a few questions to help you determine if you are truly committed to success:

Do you feel lost? – If you are unclear or uncertain about where your business and life are heading – then you are uncommitted.

Does money stresses you out? – Do you have enough money at the end of the month?  Or, do you have too much month at the end of your money?  When you think about money, do you feel calm and relieved, or do you feel tense and stressed?  If money stresses you out, there’s a good chance that you’re not truly committed to success.

Not enough time? – You can’t manage time, you can only spend it.  Are you spending it wisely?  The majority of entrepreneurs often feel like they don’t have enough time to get everything done.  Lack of time is symptomatic of the underlying issue, lack of commitment.

Do you lack  authority?  – Are you and your business just another option for prospects to consider?  Are you THE go-to person/company in your market?

Are you worried about the future? – Does the future excite you?  It should!  If it doesn’t, you probably suffer from the lack of a clear and inspiring vision.

Be completely honest with yourself.  Did you find yourself identifying with any of those questions listed above?   If so, chances are good that you haven’t fully committed yourself toward success.  Why?  Because if you were fully committed, you would discover that your life would have passion and purpose.

A true commitment to success enables you to quickly and confidently put aside short-term setbacks and failures.  Your eyes are fixed on your ultimate goal, and you become undeterred by minor difficulties.  With that said…

Starting today, what would you have to do to change your life?

Big doors swing on small hinges. It doesn’t matter where you are, how bleak and desperate your situation may appear, there is something you can do today to begin the process of changing your life.

Most people tiptoe through life only to arrive at death’s door safely. Are you tiptoeing, or are you taking chances and living life on your own terms? Are you well respected in your market?

The 5 Step Process to Becoming a Trusted Authority

1. Understand your market – It’s not about you.  It’s about them. The first step to becoming a trusted authority is to become immensely infatuated with your market.  You have to know what motivates them, what frightens them, what excites them, and what their biggest frustrations are.

2. Position – How do they perceive you?  What do they believe to be true about you?  What image comes to mind when they hear your name?  Remember, your position is initially set by your first impression in the market.  Though your position might change  with time, you would be surprised how often people and businesses remember that first impression.

3. Value – Do you bring value to them?  Does the value you bring exceed the cost of your product or service?  Key point:  your value is determined in the minds of your prospects.  The things you say, the things you do, the environment in which you operate; these simple things all influence how your market values you.

4. Community – For someone to view you as a trusted authority, you have to provide them with social proof that others trust you.  They want to know that they are not alone.  If you can foster a sense of community around your business, people will feel safer when coming to you.  More on how to do this later.

5. Leverage – You have to leverage everything you do if you’re going to become a trusted authority in your market.  On your journey toward becoming a trusted authority, you have to keep your eyes peeled for opportunities to leverage everything that you do.  Look for opportunities to complete a task once, and have it repeated by others.

Here’s a template to help you identify your market:

How to Use Social Proof

As we talked about earlier, social proof is an integral part of correctly positioning yourself in the market.  Fortunately, there are three simple ways that you can create your own social proof.

• Testimonials – Use your customers to explain their experiences with your product or service to prospects.  You can do this in a variety of ways, including video/audio interviews and written mail outs. The more mediums you use, the wider your audience pool will grow.  Here’s a great tool to help you collect and use testimonials. 
  
• Endorsements – Large companies are masters at using endorsements.  Unfortunately, most entrepreneurs don’t believe endorsements are within their reach.  However, if you are willing to go the extra mile, and do a little leg work, you can often find opportunities for endorsements.  There are plenty of local “celebrities” in your area, including politicians, business leaders and community advocates. 
  
• Case Studies – Here’s a simple formula for a successful case study:  Challenge, Solution, Result.  What challenge does your prospects face in the market?  What Solutions do you provide for this challenge (add in how your solutions are different than others)?  What result(s) can the prospect expect once they have signed on as your client? Follow that simple format and you’ll be well on your way to a successful case study.

Authority By Association

Here’s a simple technique you can use to gain authority in your market.  Ask a trusted authority in your market for their opinion about what it is that you do.   Example question:  “Why do you think having a great web strategy is important to you?”

Record, and use, their response.  Although they won’t be speaking directly about you, they will be speaking about what it is that you do.  You’ll gain some authority merely by having them talk about what you do.

What You Must Have to Become a Trusted Authority

You’ve seen it before.  Someone positions themselves as a trusted authority, and then a short time later they are a nobody in their market.  Their sudden departure from trusted authority status is the result of not having one of the following two things:

• Core Competency – To become and maintain trusted authority status, you must be competent about your subject matter.  This also means staying up to date and competent with changes in your market.
• Commitment to Serve – Remember, it’s not about you. To keep your position as a trusted authority, you have to truly have your audiences’ needs, wants, and desires over yours.  Those who violate this find their position in the market quickly crumbles.

How to Bring and Demonstrate Value in Your Market

Here are a few tips from Greg on how to bring and demonstrate value:

• Premium Packaging of What You Sell
• Establish Premium Pricing
• Break the dollar per hour mold
• Develop residual income

How to Build a Herd

Four steps to building a loyal following in your market.

• Communicate your cause – why do you do what you do?
• Identify the common enemy – who is trying to cause your audience to fail?
• Give people a place to belong – how can you make them feel like they are welcome and safe?
• Allow people to be identified – give them a voice.

How to Explode Your Visibility, Reach, and Influence

Everything up until this point has been mostly philosophical.  So, for those of you looking for actionable steps, the following are just for you:

• Performance based partnerships – Look around. Who is in a position of authority that you can partner with to leverage you expertise, and work?  Approach them about partnering with you.  Before you do, though, keep in mind they are interested in what you can do for them, not what they can do for you.
• Publish a book  – Even if you never sell a copy, there is nothing that can give you credibility like having your own published book.  After all, if it’s in print – it must be true.
• Product creation – Create a product that serves your audience.  A product that meets their needs, wants, and desires.
• Media/PR/Interviews – To get PR and media, you first have to do something that is newsworthy.  Make a commitment to do something that is newsworthy – but don’t forget it needs to  align with your market.

Conclusion

The path to success is one that takes inner reflection and action.  If you can determine what things might be holding you back, you can clear a path to move forward. If you can recognize what actions need to be taken to move forward, you can take the first steps towards success in your market.  By utilizing the ideas and facts laid out in this success frame, you can climb your way into the top percent of your market.    The question is, “Will you do it? Or just remain interested in it?”

Have a question comment about some of the suggestions in the post?  Have your own pathway to success plan?  Drop us a line in the comment section.