Speed Up Your Authority, “Because”, More Mind Map Madness, and My Homemade French Fry Obsession (with a Killer Dipping Sauce)
Mary Rose "Wildfire" Maguire
Author & Lead-Gen Ghostwriter ????? | Authority Marketing for Financial Advisors | Host of "The Financial Advisor Authority Podcast"
Welcome to THE EDGE!
I love anything that speeds up my productivity.
And the cool thing is realizing that what can speed up your authority is what already exists… you just need to organize it in an effective way. I talk about a few ideas in The Leading Edge section.
I share a funny story about my neighborhood’s kids and a true “hack” you can use for your own sales offers. I also talk about one of my favorite organizational tools and how you can make it work for your weekly tasks.
And finally… more baking time with an outstanding homemade french fry recipe with a dipping sauce that I’m addicted to… Hint: Duke’s Mayonnaise is THE best for this sauce.
My mission is to not over-complicate things. You have enough on your plate without a dense newsletter that will give you heavy marketing lessons that will take a long time to comprehend let alone implement.
This newsletter is divided into four parts:
The Leading Edge: Focusing on YOU, leadership & authority building
The Sharper Edge: Focusing on your business, sharpening the axe to get things done
The Cutting Edge: Focusing on your environment, productivity tools/hacks, and decluttering your space
The Italian Edge: I’m a foodie. I’ll be sharing some of my favorite recipes and food-related items in this section.
Congratulations on filling your tank. You’re going to receive a lot of good ideas for free!
Establishing Authority: Accelerating the Speed of Trust – Part 1
The benefits of becoming an Authority in your field are numerous. To me, the biggest benefit is that you won’t have to work so hard to gain trust.
When you’re seen as an Authority, you can enjoy the invaluable advantage of rapidly building trust. By doing so, you transition from being seen as “just another salesperson” and instead become a respected thought leader, imparting valuable knowledge. Everyone wants the guru. And although you may not refer to yourself as one, realize that there’s a reason pilgrims will scale a mountain to reach the wise teacher at the top.
When you’re an Authority, you reduce the sales cycle. Instead of having to prove to someone you’re the one for the job, they now have to prove why you should take them on as a client. The script has flipped. Now they want to self-qualify in order to receive the opportunity to work with you.
They feel lucky to have scored a spot on your calendar. They want you because of who you are rather than what you offer. And it’s because you’ve shown them that you are a trustworthy advisor.
The key lies in leveraging your Authority to establish trust even before engaging with someone.
So how do you do that?
First, do a search audit for your name or business name. What comes up? Do you have a website? Do you have your name as a URL? If not, do everything you can to secure your name (firstnamelastname”dot”com or use .net or another extension such as .org, .co, or .biz).
You also want positive reviews. If your business was dinged on Google reviews or TripAdvisor, for instance, make sure you respond online to the negative comment. Be as helpful and gracious as possible. You may not be able to remove a negative review but those who see it will notice that you responded and were trying to rectify the situation.
By the way, I bought a carton of Happy Eggs because of negative reviews. Dozens of customers pelted their website to complain that the egg yolks were different colors. The company responded in a friendly, helpful way and explained the various ways that a hen’s eggs are affected. Who knew seasons could make a difference?
Anyway, I bought their eggs and they were great. I liked how they handled their complaints.
So, the first thing to do in order to create Authority is to develop a personal brand. To do that, you need to bolster your website with authority-boosting items:
1) Showcase your accomplishments – Have you given media interviews? Featured in a local media publication? Written a book? Provide visual clues by including media logos and images of your book. Even taking a screenshot of your article’s first page and using that image on your home page can work.
2) Feature an Authority Bio – This isn’t a typical Executive Bio. I have written them for my clients and myself. An Authority Bio highlights your accomplishments, achievements, awards, speaking engagements, and anything else that clearly demonstrates your expertise.
3) A Speaker’s Page – You want to build the perception that not only are you an expert but an author, a media personality, or a keynote speaker. Dedicate a web page on your website to list your areas of expertise and a list of organizations or groups where you’ve made presentations.
To celebrate this week as “Happiness Happens Week,” the originator of this idea is Pamela Gail Johnson. Pamela went beyond snapping up her name as a URL. She created a “holiday” that focuses on her area of expertise: happiness. Check out her home page to view a good example of a speaker’s page.
The way to promote yourself as an Authority is to create a plan. What I mentioned above is just the beginning. I’ll provide more tips in the next issue. And if you’re interested in getting an Authority Bio written for your website, contact me.
Using the “Because Reason”
I have some cute kids as neighbors. Two young girls, who have grown at least three inches this summer, have repeatedly asked me to buy a homemade bracelet.
These are the types of bracelets often made at summer camp or a craft class. Small colorful discs are held together by an elastic thread before being knotted at the ends.
I’ve always politely declined. Not because I don’t like them. It’s more that I rarely wear jewelry and knew I wouldn’t wear the bracelet. And any young little girls in my circle of family and friends who would like such a bracelet... are now in their twenties.
But, the next-door neighbor girl wouldn’t stop asking.
So, this week, she ran up to me and breathlessly said, “Would you like to buy a bracelet? Because we’re raising some money for my friend’s birthday party!”
Okay, kid. You got me.
Why was it easy for me to say no before but nearly impossible at that moment?
She used the magic word… because.
In his landmark book, Influence – The Psychology of Persuasion, Dr. Robert Cialdini wrote about the power of the word “because.”
A Harvard social psychologist, Ellen Langer, conducted an experiment. She asked a small favor of people waiting in line to use the library copying machine, “Excuse me, I have five pages. May I use the Xerox machine because I’m in a rush?” (Emphasis mine)
Ninety-four percent of those allowed her to skip to the front of the line. But when she simply asked, “Excuse me, I have five pages. May I use the Xerox machine?” Only 60% permitted her to jump ahead of them.
This proved a well-known principle of human behavior: when we ask someone to do us a favor, we’ll likely be more successful if we give them a reason for doing so.
Consider this when crafting your sales offers.
Or if you want your next-door neighbor to buy your kid’s homemade bracelet…
Productivity Tips: Use a Mind Map to Get Things Done
It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of mind maps. I use them all the time to organize my thoughts and include them in my book coaching home study program, “BOOK It!”
You're likely busy with day-to-day operations, meetings, phone calls, and multiple projects. It’s easy to get overwhelmed and lose track of important details or some great ideas. The good news is mind maps are a versatile and effective tool that can help you stay on track and be more productive. It's a great way to achieve clarity on what's essential and what can wait for later.
Allow me to wax poetic on the benefits of mind maps and provide practical tips on how to use them. You’ll streamline your workload and turbo-boost your productivity. :-)
First, let’s define what a mind map is and how it’s different from a regular outline.
A mind map is a visual diagram that represents ideas, tasks, and concepts. It's a fantastic way to organize information and brainstorm ideas. A mind map usually has a central topic or theme, and all the subtopics are connected to it using branches.
Mind maps are flexible, making them easy to adapt to the needs of your project. Besides, they're an excellent tool for boosting creativity, which can help you find solutions to complex problems.
How do you create a mind map? You can use the program I use, XMind, or other online platforms like Canva or Draw.io.
领英推荐
As an example, let’s say you want to get a handle on your weekly tasks. Write “Tasks – Week/Month” down at the center of your page or a digital tool. Next, add subtopics or categories that relate to your central topic. If one large weekly task was setting up an email autoresponder series, it could look like this:
These can be tasks, ideas, or concepts that are essential to your project. Once you've added all your subtopics, start creating branches. Each branch should represent a subtopic, linking back to your central topic. You can customize the design and structure of your mind map to suit your needs. Remember to keep it simple, vibrant, and easy to read.
With XMind, all I do is click the main topic and then hit “Tab” to create a sub-topic.
Mind maps can help you stay organized, promote clarity, and assist in project management. Here are a few more practical ways to utilize mind maps more effectively in your workday:
Brainstorming: Use mind maps to brainstorm new ideas and insights. You can visualize all your ideas on the screen or paper and organize them in a logical format.
Project Planning: Use Mind maps to plan your projects, from start to end. You can list out each task, set deadlines, and assign resources, making it easier to manage a project.
Note-taking: Use mind maps during meetings to capture all the important points, discussions, and decisions. This way, you won't miss any crucial information.
Problem-Solving: Use mind maps to categorize a problem, list solutions, and evaluate pros and cons. It helps you see the big picture and make better decisions.
Mind maps are a powerful productivity tool in your arsenal, from brainstorming to project management, note-taking, to problem-solving. Once you get into the habit of creating Mind Maps, you'll find that they not only improve your workday productivity but also help bring new perspective into your daily work.
It's a handy tool to have, and with practice, you can master the art of mind mapping and keep your business ahead of the curve. For some reason, I’ve found it much easier to think of ideas and project tasks when I use a Mind Map. My brain just seems to flow better with this method.
So, test it for yourself. I hope you find it as helpful as I have.
My Homemade French Fry Obsession and Killer Dipping Sauce
One night, I realized I was out of frozen French fries but did have some Yukon Gold potatoes on hand. The only thing was that we don’t own a fryer. I searched for “baked French Fries recipe” and found this winner.
Although this recipe won’t produce crispy fries, they are still delicious.
You can jazz up the seasoning according to taste. I go a little heavy on the garlic powder because I’m a garlic fiend and my husband seems to enjoy it, too. I also sprinkle some onion powder, Italian Seasoning, a little salt, and pepper. And sometimes I add Trader Joe’s 21 Seasoning Salute, which is a nice addition.
But that dipping sauce? Holy Cannoli, is it awesome! But I will say that originally, I used Trader Joe’s Chili Oil, which is basically red pepper flakes immersed in sesame oil. But it’s addictive, trust me. For me, it’s a much better alternative to ketchup. I make it while the fries are baking.
Here you go:
“Easy” Oven Baked Yukon Gold Potato Fries
Step 1 - Preheat the Oven
? Preheat oven to 425° Fahrenheit / 220° Celsius.
Potato Fries:
? 4-5 medium yukon gold potatoes / or baking potatoes
? 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
? 1 teaspoon pimentón (smoked Spanish paprika) or / smoked paprika powder
? ? teaspoon coarse sea salt
? ? teaspoon garlic powder
Sriracha Chili Mayo:
? 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
? ? piece garlic clove, finely chopped
? ? teaspoon sriracha, hot chili sauce
? 1 dash fresh lemon juice
Garnish:
? 1 tablespoon Italian parsley, finely chopped
? 1 pinch Maldon sea salt flakes
Let’s make it…
Step 2 - Bake the Potatoes
Step 3 - Make the Sriracha Chili Mayo
? Mix all ingredients together.
? Let’s stand for 10 min and serve on the side as dip.
These are soooo good. Perfect with a grilled burger!
Buon Appetito!
The Content Edge
Blog Posts:
?
Want to go beyond hunting for the latest marketing "shiny object?" Join us for thought-provoking, idea-generating weekly emails on Mondays and Fridays. We explore deep marketing principles that will make a difference for your business.
?
If you're ready to write and publish your own book, check out my "BOOK It!" Home Study Program. Summertime is a great time to slow down and focus on writing down your expertise. Reach out to me if you have questions.