This sounds cryptic but bear with me. First of all, I would like to thank a member of ASN Telegram who invited me to his BNI Premier meeting, where I learnt this concept.
C = Credibility, which I believe most of us are able to demonstrate it.
V = Visibility, which most of us may shy away from.
P = Profitability, which is achieved when we do both C and V.
In the world of business, trust is critical. When you appear credible, you build trust with your prospects. Credibility is very simple yet requires discipline to maintain it - so breaking it down here:
First meeting: Did you reach out, set up the meeting and send the calendar invitation? Were you punctual? Was the first impression you presented good? Did you send a follow up email to thank or follow up on action items?
Referral handling: If someone introduced or referred you to someone, were you responsive in a timely manner? Did you communicate expectations accurately?
Delivering: Did you deliver according or above expectations? Did you do what you say?
Testimonials: Did you share about the positive outcome or ask someone to do so?
Clean up any mess: Honesty is so underrated. And if you 'made a mess', did you own it and clean it up?
In my years of working in investing, being a 'credible' person leaves a deep impression and build trust over time. Trust is definitely not something to be underestimated. When deciding between two similar projects to invest in, the investor would likely choose an entrepreneur who can be trusted more and vice versa.
Visibility
As the name suggests, it is about reflecting about the value you bring, sharing about it and getting 'credit'. If you never share something you do, people can't know who you are and what you can do (unless they can read minds). It is your responsibility to create awareness, to earn the recognition you deserve.
Did you reflect and identify the achievements you have made?
Do you at least tell someone besides your family what you manage to do?
Say things as it is on your linkedin or facebook? (Sharing it in a factual manner isn't blowing your own trumpet. They are facts)
Or let photos on social say a thousand words?
TBH, I still find a lot of resistance to share about my 'achievements', outcomes etc. But one of the most useful and paradigm shifting course (free!) I took was #Iamremarkable, organised by Leesa, general partner @R3I Capital! Started at Google, this is run by volunteers worldwide - join one here. During the one hour course, you are asked to write down facts of what you have achieved and share them with the other attendees. By going through the motion, it somehow makes me less fearful about sharing 'facts' publicly.
My first step out of 'the shade' was this post. I was featured on A magazine in August but I only had the courage to share it publicly one month later. The outcome was unexpectedly positive. But this doesn't mean that you need to be featured on a magazine or newspaper in order to share it. Celebrate every small win is key.
Go beyond just creating content and posting
Creating content and posting is one thing but distribution can't be neglected. Distribution relates to sharing the content on platforms that have your target audience. More distribution = more eyeballs.
On the other extreme, you may have met people who are "empty vessels". That's why we stress on the 'credibility' part. And the fear of being labelled so often deters people from sharing what they do in the first place. I find the psycho-ing and telling myself that I'm a work in progress. There will always be someone more knowledgeable out that. And instead of thinking that I'm a fool if anyone points out my mistake, I re-frame that it is a lesson in disguise instead. "If I didn't share this publicly, I would have continue making that particular mistake."
Sometimes, life is all about re-framing.
Profitability
Profitability is a general term for opportunities/ better job/ recognition etc. Greater visibility creates more opportunities. If opportunities are likened to one pole of a magnet, visibility of a 'credible' sharing are like the other pole of a magnet. I'm definitely a believer of 'like attracts like'. By putting yourself out there, you attracts like-minded opportunities, like-minded people and good vibes.
And as we know, success is hard work + opportunity. You earn it!
Try it!
What is something that you can demonstrate credibility and visibility today?
We hope you enjoy our very first learning session of 'soft stuff'. Would love to hear your thoughts and we invite you to share your knowledge with the rest of the subscribers too! Submit your concept here or reach out to us at elise@asiastartupnetwork.com.
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