Lead with an idea, follow with social proof

Have you noticed how many Experts talk about how much money they made? Or start selling themselves by sharing the big clients they have worked with?

Their email or LinkedIn post would start with “How I made a million dollars in 2024” or something similar. This comes from a place of insecurity. They are so afraid to lose the attention of the prospect that they turn to their achievements to hook them.

Quick! We have only 3 seconds to grab their attention! Let’s throw something at them that they can’t ignore!

I am no different

I don’t intend to take a higher moral ground. I have been guilty of using the same approach sometimes, especially when I am not optimistic about my abilities.

Faaiineee… I have never used the “how much money I have made” hook. But there have been instances where I have thrown my ‘successful case studies’ at prospects, hoping they would notice me and hire me… and, most importantly, not ignore me and make me feel like sh*t.

Effective thought leaders operate differently

If you look at Experts and Thought Leaders you admire, they almost always never start with a win. They depend on something else to do the heavy lifting.

An idea.

That is where they begin.

They bank on the power of the idea to grab and hold the audience’s attention. Don’t believe me? Go and watch any popular Ted Talk.

Sure, they use testimonials. As I said, social proof is important. But that is revealed much later in the process.