Empower Your Team to Create Demand & Authority in Your Industry

I’m no longer the only industry expert on the team, and I’m no longer the only salesperson, nor is my presence required to close every deal.

Every member of my team plays a role in creating demand – long before we ever engage a prospective client. Let’s walk through the Five A’s of creating demand, beginning with how my team is sharing in the authority and attention that I used to build my business in the first place. 

• Authority
• Attention 
• Audience
• Affiliate
• Assets

Authority

As a founder, you’re the face and the name of the service you provide and the industry you represent. People listen when you have something to say. Don’t let it become an ego trap.

For instance, when I’m asked to speak at conferences, I regularly refer the organizers to the appropriate team member. They’re professionals in their specific areas and, frankly, more qualified than I am.

By transferring my authority to members of my team, we’re doing two things:

1. We’re multiplying our revenue capacity.
2. We’re establishing the company as the authority in our business.

Attention

What good is authority if nobody’s paying attention, right? Businesses talk a lot about social media platforms and other forms of online content, which is great. I create attention with newsletter subscribers, our podcast, and our social following. I’m always looking for ways to capture people's attention.

Too often, founders are so focused on having avenues of communication that they forget about providing value to their audience.

• How can you serve your audience so that you keep their attention?
• Does a team member’s niche expertise give your audience insight they can't get elsewhere?

Audience

Once you have an audience, how do you use that as a sales tool?

For example, I have a website that gets close to 50,000 visitors. It’s a super-niche in the insulation category. When I talk to anybody involved in this super-niche, they can decide to work with us or with someone else.

The size of our audience gives us an edge. We give the new client an advantage by featuring them to our readers or listeners, and we’re doing so in a way that adds value to people who subscribe to our platforms.

Affiliate

An affiliate is an advocate. They’re reaching an entirely different audience who may have a problem you can solve.

For instance, your team is at a trade show. A vendor a few booths down is talking to a prospect who asks a question specific to your business — a problem the vendor can’t solve.

They want to be helpful to the prospect. They know and trust your company – and the person staffing the booth. That’s when they tell the prospect, “Hey, go talk to my friend. They’ll treat you right.”

The vendor doesn't want a commission, but they’re actively vouching for you.

Assets

You might argue that an audience is an asset — and it is. In this context, though, I’m talking about tools, technology, and the people who run them. Creative use of tech can make processes quicker, easier, or better in a way that no one else can duplicate. 

Technology that can become the proprietary solution for an “unsolvable” industry-wide problem is a valuable asset that creates demand.

Flickr and Etsy are two examples of how niche solutions have shifted the marketplace.

What Too Many Founders Never Learn

The asset you've created becomes more valuable when it doesn't depend on you. You can become a bottleneck, or you can build a team that multiplies your sales process and your growth.

With the first choice, your revenues are directly tied to your name, your expertise, and your calendar.

The second gives you options about how much or how little time you spend on your business.