When you lack impressive external results (like revenue), build authority by highlighting your effort. Documenting a massive volume of work, like creating thousands of content pieces, serves as a powerful and controllable form of proof that builds trust.
Don't wait for big-name customers to build credibility on landing pages. Any third-party validation helps build user confidence in their decision. Feature logos of technology partners or even minor industry awards you've won to create a sense of trust and legitimacy.
For content without direct attribution, prove its value by systematically collecting qualitative feedback. Create a 'Trophy Room'—a document with screenshots of positive social media comments, Gong call mentions, and Slack messages—to tell a compelling story of impact beyond hard metrics.
For new creators without revenue milestones or case studies, credibility can be built through demonstrating immense effort. Instead of saying "I made $100M," say "I created 35,000 pieces of content." This shifts the proof from outcomes you can't control to inputs you can.
To rapidly build influence and trust, commit to creating valuable content daily for a year with zero sales pitches. Focus solely on educating or entertaining. This counterintuitive approach bypasses the audience's natural aversion to ads and positions you as a genuine authority, leading to faster growth.
High achievers operate with a discipline of consistently getting their thoughts and experiences out of their head and into a shareable format. Whether an internal email, a LinkedIn post, or a video, they are constantly asking, "What do I know that needs to get out?" This practice scales their influence and solidifies their status as an expert.
Longer content (podcasts, long videos) allows for exponentially more "reinforcing cycles"—instances where you provide valuable advice and build trust. A two-hour video can provide the same exposure as 480 short clips, building deeper influence.
The foundation of a strong personal brand is not self-promotion but demonstrated value. The process is twofold: first, achieve something notable or put in extraordinary effort to gain unique insights. Second, share what you've done and learned. This provides genuine value to others, which is the core of brand building.
Consumers equate effort with quality and devalue work perceived as instant, like AI output. To combat this 'labor illusion,' stress the human expertise, years of research, or complex system development that enables the AI. Focus on the effort invested in the process, not just the speed of the result.
The relationship between content volume and business results can be surprisingly linear. The speaker attributes his company's scale directly to producing 100 times more content (35,000 pieces/year vs 365) than competitors, leading to 100 times the prospects.
Stories are more than just engaging content; they are the most powerful form of proof. A story acts as a 'dramatic demonstration' of your point, showing rather than telling. Since customers buy based on proof, not promises, storytelling is a non-confrontational way to build credibility and drive sales.