3 Tips to Sell More as a Celebrity Authority

Whether you’re selling products or services, the one thing that has helped grow your business from the beginning is you! You’re an expert in your field, with incredible knowledge about whatever it is that you are marketing. But are you putting yourself out there? With time, entrepreneurs who do can become celebrity authorities in their fields. This is a proven strategy to generate new leads – something every business needs to grow.

So how can you become a lead-generating influencer that people look to and trust? Here are three tips from entrepreneurs who are creating their own personal brands and crushing it!

1) Be authentic. People pay attention to people they like but they ultimately buy based on trust. Chase your own dreams and be yourself instead of trying to be someone else. You have distinct interests, goals, knowledge and ways of working outside your comfort zone. By focusing on all the things that make you awesome and uniquely individual, your genuine self will shine through. This is the person that your customers will come to know and trust.

2) Nurture relationships. Generating leads – aka customers – is not an easy task. Once you’ve captured someone’s interest, you want to keep it. Can you offer something that nobody else is offering? This may sound difficult, but it just takes a bit of creativity. For example, every coffee shop sells coffee. By providing a great area for kids to play and read, Hawthorne Café in Milton, Ontario sells a lot of freshly brewed fair trade organic coffee, delicious desserts and savoury meals to parents who need a bit of a break. They also offer open mic nights for local musicians, poets and comedians, as well as seminars, kids clubs and many other events that support the community.

You can also build relationships by being consistent. If you have an email list, even if you’re starting out with only 10 people, start writing and publishing. Then share your stories to social media and your website or blog too. Your audience may not read everything or you may not be a great writer – yet! The important thing is that your customers are seeing you online and hearing from you regularly. They may not need your product or service today, but if they hear from you once a week, it will be impossible not to think of you immediately when they do.

3) Get personal. If all you ever do is talk about the things you sell, people will eventually get bored of what you’re telling them. But, they will never lose interest in you. Find connections with your customers. Be genuinely interested in their lives. Tell people about the cool things you’re doing, even if they’re not related to your business. This applies to conversations and written communications too. Think of your favourite entrepreneurs, social media influencers, brands and blogs. Do they only talk about whatever it is they want you to buy? Or do you know things about them, feel like part of their lives and relate to them in some small way? This is the feeling you want to nurture with your customers.

If you want to sell more and keep growing your dream business, you’ve got to get out there! Even if it puts you outside of your comfort zone. Eventually, this will turn you into a celebrity authority in your field. Remember the words of Zig Ziglar, the influential author, salesman and motivational speaker who empowered an estimated quarter billion people: “If people like you they'll listen to you, but if they trust you they'll do business with you.”