![]() |
|||||
![]() |
You get the picture. We all want validation and the simplest and best way to get it is to become friendly with someone we admire.
And now we get to Oprah and her half-billion-dollar secret.
As a talk-show host, Oprah isn't especially well-equipped. She is reasonably intelligent, is reasonably funny, and speaks reasonably well -- but she is outranked in all of those areas by many other talk-show hosts, including her mentor, Phil Donahue, and Montel Williams.
So why has she been 10 times more successful than the best of the rest?
In my view, it's this: Oprah is the ultimate validator. What she does better than anyone else -- what she has always done superbly -- is validate her audience.
It's not easy to do that. To validate someone, you need two things:
1. You must be in a superior position -- i.e., a position the other person aspires to.
Oprah talked about how it felt to experience and live through a traumatic childhood and how tough it was to keep her weight down.
Here was a celebrity who was one of us. America fell in love with her.
Oprah is -- at the same time -- an authority figure and a regular person. That is a very powerful combination.
The secret is not just to recognize that most of us feel inadequate but to find a way to give us the hope of eradicating that feeling. There are two ways I can think of to apply this to your career or business.
If you have established yourself as an expert or celebrity in your field, find a way to position yourself as the common man's expert or the rank-and-file celebrity. Be the intermediary between your market and the insider's world of knowledge/power/wealth that you have access to.
Stephen Hawking did this when he published a layman's guide to subatomic theory: "A Brief History of Time". That one book made him -- almost instantly -- the best-known and best-paid scientist in the world.
But explaining inside knowledge is only half of the game. The other half is in making a connection, finding a way to let your audience know that in your eyes at least they are just as important and worthwhile as anyone on the inside. Hawking never did that -- and that may be why he is "only" a millionaire and not a much richer man.
You can also use this technique to identify unspoken market demands and create new products. Callaway Golf did that when they came up with the idea of a golf club with a longer shaft and a larger and forgiving "sweet spot." Dubbed Big Bertha, the club makes it easier for golfers to hit the ball and hit it farther. Callaway realized that many golfers feel frustrated and intimidated by the game and, for obvious reasons, aren't willing to express those feelings in front of other people. As a result, Big Bertha became a blockbuster for Callaway.
The same principle is, at least in part, behind the hugely successful "Idiots Guide to â?¦" and "â?¦ for Dummies" books. In these cases, the publishers wisely take advantage of the fact that most people wish they knew more than they do about science, art, medicine, philosophy, and most everything else.
We all want to feel validated. So, if you can find a way to sell your customers what you sell them and at the same time befriend them and give them the feeling that they are worthwhile... well, in that case, the world's your oyster, Baby.
Think about your business, your market, and your customers. What do your customers know? What are they missing? How can you help them overcome any feelings of inadequacy related to those negative feelings?
If you can figure out the answers to these questions, you'll see your sales soar and will begin to get a lot more response from your market. Who knows? If you take it far enough, you might become as rich as Oprah.
Michael Masterson is the author of a daily newsletter called "Early to Rise". Please visit here to sign up for a free subscription. http://www.earlytorise.com/successcoach.htm
The Internet Marketing Center's top rated Affiliate Program is 100% free to join and gives you the ability to INSTANTLY GENERATE AN ONGOING STREAM OF INCOME without any cost or obligation on your part. To start maximizing the profit-producing power of your web site in the next 10 minutes, go to... ... and take advantage of the arsenal of Internet business marketing
tools they provide you with just for joining!
HOME PAGE || About Us || Contact Us || Privacy Policy || Terms of Use || Entrepreneur Coaching || Business Entrepreneur Blog || Subscribe to Newsletter || Free Books & Business Manuals || Famous Quotes || Buy website business || Link Directory – add URL || Write your own eBook || Small business resources || Internet Business Resources || Business Resources || Business Entrepreneur resources || Affiliate Income Resources ||
================================================= DISCLAIMER: The Business Internet MLM resources on this site are not intended to be a substitute for professional advice. While all attempts have been made to verify information provided in this publication, neither the author nor the publisher assumes any responsibility for errors, omissions or contrary interpretation of the subject matter herein. There is no guarantee of validity of accuracy. Any perceived slight of specific people or organizations is unintentional. This website and its creators are not responsible for the content of any sites linked to. The Business Internet MLM contents are solely the opinion of the author and should not be considered as a form of advice, direction and/or recommendation of any kind. If expert advice or counseling is needed, services of a competent professional should be sought. The Business Internet MLM author and the Publisher assume no responsibility or liability and specifically disclaim any warranty, express or implied for any products or services mentioned, or any techniques or practices described. The purchaser or reader of this publication assumes responsibility for the use of these materials and information. Neither the author nor the Publisher assumes any responsibility or liability whatsoever on the behalf of any purchaser or reader of these Business Internet MLM materials. Site content description: If you just want to make your own website, or as a business entrepreneur, even make a business website that is profitable an drives traffic to your existing business, Strategic Services make your own website resources and directory links will make it fast, simple for you to do with cheap internet hosting. This page has information to Business Internet MLM make your own website for fun or make a business website as a business entrepreneur wanting a home based business opportunity that earns you a top affiliate income with a company that provides the internet business entrepreneur with everything you need to make your own website as well as cheap internet hosting. Subject matter on the site includes information and directory links to topics on Business Internet MLM, how to make your own website, how to make a business website, the best provider for quality cheap internet hosting, Business Internet MLM, self help personal development training materials for business entrepreneur executive skills, Business Internet MLM, home based business opportunity outline for internet home based business opportunity, and getting internet home work income business development, including how to start a small business, Business Internet MLM, free sample business plan for home based business opportunity, Business Internet MLM, small business web site design tips, and help for Business Internet MLM making your own website, with a free sample business plan template manual and other business resource for business entrepreneur who wants to make your own website or Business Internet MLM make a business website with cheap internet hosting. This directory also has a section on Business Internet MLM, human resource website with HR articles, Business Internet MLM, free recruitment and career in consulting outlines, Business Internet MLM, human resource articles, latest industry business news updates and other free business resources being loaded on the site every week. ================================================= Back to Top of page Business Internet MLM back to Business Internet MLM HOME PAGE | ||||