The other day, I was thinking about how to make yourself irreplaceable. …That’s the subject of this month’s issue of Authority Gold.
(You can register to get it at EducatedAuthority.com/newsletter …free, no charge.)
I don’t have the time or space here to get into everything covered in a multiple-page monthly newsletter, of course, but maybe the biggest factor in making yourself irreplaceable to your followers is to make sure you are their “go-to” for your topic.
And the way you do that before, during, and after the time you’re doing business together is called “positioning.”
Wikipedia has as good a definition of that term as anyone:
“Positioning refers to the place that a brand occupies in the minds of the customers and how it is distinguished from the products of the competitors.”
If your positioning is weak, you’re viewed as a commodity. One choice out of a thousand similar options.
If your positioning is strong, you really have no competition that comes anywhere close.
Needless to say, no one with weak positioning will be respected.
Needless to say, a “Thought Leader” (and I put that in quotes very intentionally) who is not respected is not going to be followed.
Finally, needless to say, a “Thought Leader” who is not followed is not a Thought Leader.
Here’s a quick and easy way to get an idea about the strength of your positioning:
Write down at least 10 reasons — of the top of your head — why someone would choose to follow you as their Thought Leader instead of any or all of your competition. These reasons must be unique to you; no one else should be able to legitimately make those claims.
Do it now.
So… how did that go? If you gave that sheet of paper to a competitor, would they see some of their strengths — things that they would also say about themselves?
If you’d like to jump into the deep end of this pool and claim the respect you deserve, register your complementary subscription to Authority Gold at EducatedAuthority.com/newsletter.
It will go out Tuesday, and back issues are never available to anyone for any reason. So get on the list before then.