<div class="bbWrapper"><span style="font-size: 22px"><b>Issue #5: Jay Abraham's Strategy of Preeminence</b></span><br />
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Jay Abraham is one of the world's most experienced business consultants. He's behind the success of some big names, including Tony Robbins, Daymond John, and Ramit Sethi. His background is in direct response marketing.<br />
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One of the key concepts he teaches is his Strategy of Preeminence. Here are my notes on it (one from an interview I found in <a href="https://www.abraham.com/50-shades-of-jay/unlocking-your-inner-greatness/" target="_blank" class="link link--external" rel="noopener">50 Shades of Jay</a> and one from <a href="https://www.abraham.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/The-Strategy-Of-Preeminence1.pdf" target="_blank" class="link link--external" rel="noopener">a short document describing the strategy for insurance agents</a>).<br />
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I personally relate to this strategy way more than to Russell's Brunson's pushy approach. Note how Jay emphasizes the focus on another person and the need for empathy. Very little about money and pushing people, a LOT about serving them regardless if they pay you or not. (<a href="https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/members/23590/" class="username" data-xf-init="member-tooltip" data-user-id="23590" data-username="@Andy Black">@Andy Black</a>, you'll love it).<br />
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<span style="font-size: 18px"><b>Strategy of Preeminence in 90 seconds</b></span><br />
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There is a concept called the “strategy of preeminence” that I teach. It takes about two hours but I will give you the ninety-second version.<br />
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First, you establish yourself and your relationship with everybody as their most trusted advisor. As their advisor, your job is to give them the best reason, most heartfelt external perspective on what’s best for them. You have a “you attitude,” “you” meaning “them” and not yourself. Always focus on them.<br />
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Number two, you try to put into words the gnawing feelings, the desires, the frustrations they feel that are never verbalized.<br />
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Number three, you tell them the truth as you see it.<br />
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Number four, you never let them do things that are not in their best interest.<br />
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Number five, you tell them what you see life to be in your own words, and you don’t hold back even if they won’t like you for it, because you see yourself as their most trusted advisor.<br />
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Number six, I told you, you fall in love with them, not your business or your product.<br />
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Number seven, realize that it’s not what you say that makes people buy from you, that makes people hire you, that makes people give you raises, it’s how much more value you can give them that they desire, prize, and really want.<br />
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Number eight, you make yourself stand out as the only viable solution they’ve got, to a problem you alone understand and verbalize, or an opportunity you alone see and can really put words to.<br />
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In addition, you stop working harder for your business or your job than you let the business and the job work for you. You do that by understanding how to harness the power of geometry. Geometry is harnessed when you let multiple activities work together to produce a geometric or exponential result.<br />
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You will find that in order to be successful you have to first want to make other people successful, in order to be loved, you have to first love, in order to be interesting you have to first be interested. The mere opposite of what you want is what you have to give first and then you will get back the desired result or outcome in droves.
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And here are my notes from the document for insurance agents:<br />
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<b>1. I’m not trying to sell you – I want to serve you</b><br />
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Preeminence means being seen in your market as the most trusted advisor for life. You are there to make a profound and sustaining difference in their lives and you’re there for them, forever, whether they monetarily reward you or not. <br />
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Preeminence champions the roles of team members, suppliers and customers. Its focus is on the best interest of the receiver. It boils down to, “I’m not trying to sell you – I want to serve you.” It’s not about buying insurance or an annuity. It’s about having a richer retirement, saving taxes or creating a meaningful legacy. It’s about speaking to what is important down deep.
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<b>2. Fall in love with your client</b><br />
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The key is to fall in love with your client. If you can’t live to benefit and protect others, you’ll never achieve preeminence.
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<b>3. An important mindset change</b><br />
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At the heart of it all, you also have to believe that what you’re doing is for a greater good, that you’re selfless in your business goal to serve the client better and more fully than anybody else does. The money will follow, but that is just an acknowledgement that you are serving others in ways they value and want to reward.
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<b>4. Surpass all others</b><br />
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The definition of preeminence is “surpassing all others.” Here is an important point: this is not dependent on your product – this depends on you and the profound difference you can make.<br />
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The difference starts with your intention before the transaction ever occurs. From there, it’s only a matter of time before the people you want to affect most – i.e., your most coveted prospects – will do business with you.<br />
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Why? Because you care more, do more, serve better and provide a better outcome. Bottom line? You’re a better choice than anyone else out there.
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<b>5. Empathy is the key</b><br />
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The primary basis for the entire preeminence strategy is a keen commitment to empathy. Empathy is understanding how the other side in a transaction feels and sees the situation far beyond that transaction. It is understanding their hopes, dreams, needs and feelings.<br />
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Preeminent companies and producers always sell leadership in every communication. They convey, in everything they do and say, that they want to lead others to greater results and greater happiness.
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<b>6. Give advice, not information</b><br />
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There is a world of difference between giving information and giving advice. Information is inconclusive. Giving advice is definitive. Advice is converted into action. That’s why those who practice the strategy of preeminence tell people, “Here’s what you should do, here’s why you should do it and here’s how.” Being specific is incredibly powerful.
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<b>7. Give your customers clarity</b><br />
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Clarity: it’s important for your customers to define for themselves their biggest frustrations, challenges and opportunities. In most cases, they are paralyzed because they cannot put their dreams into words, and they just have a vague idea of what they really want... so they can’t take action.<br />
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You want to give them clarity by asking them, “What would the picture look like if your business were operating the way you really want it to?” (just asking this is a positive change for people.)
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<b>8. Give your customers certainty</b><br />
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Certainty: companies that practice the strategy of preeminence always come from a position of hopefulness. They genuinely have a better and higher wish or hope for the client or prospect than they even had for themselves. They have the best wishes for every single prospect with whom they come in contact, even if that person never does business with them in their life. <br />
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And it is this hopefulness that gives their customers the courage, the belief, the strength and the desire to establish a long-term, loyal, lifelong relationship with that company.
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<b>9. Be trustworthy</b><br />
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Trust: always provide customers and prospects with views and viewpoints they can absolutely trust. Never put your interest ahead of your customer’s. Refuse to sell more or less of what they need. Always provide what is in your customer’s best interest.
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<b>10. Lead</b><br />
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If you can go to someone like that and say, “I understand your frustration, and I think I can help. Here’s what I perceive you really want, and I’d like you to tell me, first, it that’s right or wrong. And once you and I agree on your ultimate goals and dreams and wishes, then we can move forward with a plan to make them come true. And I believe that I can do that for you.” But, it all starts with taking the customer’s point of view.
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<b>11. Do you want to sell stuff or transform people?</b><br />
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Do you want to spend the rest of your life and career merely selling stuff – or would you rather spend every second... of every hour... of every day of the rest of your life transforming lives and families’ futures?
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<b>12. Tell your creation myth</b><br />
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Tom Peters, the author of In Search of Excellence, put it this way: “He who has the best story, wins.” Preeminent business people have a story and a track record with their market. Their success depends upon how well they communicate it.<br />
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The term “creation myth,” doesn’t mean that you’re making anything up. The word “myth” is used to evoke the lovely, lyrical notion of a tale as old as time – a story of origin, history, and purpose. Think back to how you found your way into this market in the first place. What drew you to it? If you just stumbled into it, what kept you there? What do you like about your market? What do you dislike? Go even deeper. Think about your greatest achievements in this market. Then think about your greatest failures. Use it as a way to be honest. A truthful “I feel your pain” story can be an incredibly effective tool for connecting with your market. The more honest you are, the more you will gain your market’s trust – and the more trust you have, the more you can ethically advise prospects on what they should buy.
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<b>13. Make it easier for your customers</b><br />
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<li data-xf-list-type="ul">Reduce the height of the hurdles. Lower the hurdles they have to jump over.</li>
<li data-xf-list-type="ul">Talk about frustrations or desire they really feel.</li>
<li data-xf-list-type="ul">Let them know you care. People worry about whether they stand out, whether they’re unique, whether people will care.</li>
<li data-xf-list-type="ul">Genuinely help them out – give your customers a chance to buy more often (don’t make them buy less than they want.)</li>
<li data-xf-list-type="ul">Give them an example of how things work. Most concepts are too difficult for most people to buy into the whole cloth on first blush.</li>
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<b>14. Always make the client the center of attention</b><br />
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If in the past your business has been “subject” focused, how can you make it “individual” focused? Here are some tips to help you communicate, write, think, and talk, with a “read” focus rather than a “subject” focus:<br />
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<li data-xf-list-type="ul">Start each sentence with the word “you” rather than the words “I” or “me.”</li>
<li data-xf-list-type="ul">Talk about the end result, the feelings that your product will bring – not how it will work.</li>
<li data-xf-list-type="ul">Ask your customers what they want.</li>
<li data-xf-list-type="ul">Listen.</li>
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