Last week, I got called by a CPA firm who wanted training for their people. This you must know: CPAs are not very good at selling. It’s not that they don’t have the expertise. That’s not it at all.
It’s that selling spooks them. It’s not in their comfort zone.
So, when I get a call from a professional services firm (or any company), I always start with one simple question: Do you have a platform?
After the weird looks they give me, I go on to educate them to what a “Platform” is.
Platform: definition, A position in the market that you occupy where people look to you for expertise.
Physical Platform
Just as you would speak at a conference from a podium (platform) the same thing applies here. In the physical world, it is you speaking from the stage, on a topic that you have some degree of expertise in, where all eyes are on you.
There, you don’t have to fight for attention. You ARE the show.
In the sales & marketing world, your platform could be a variety of things. LinkedIN is a platform. Any kind of social media could be a platform (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram). Your email list is a platform. A podcast is a platform.
Simply, it is a place where you command attention of the people you’re trying to reach.
Your platform is a positioning tool that raises you above the din of competition and market confusion.
You Have One Right Now, But You May Not Know It Read more