How You Can Be Perceived Better than the Other 99%
The Mogul Message Newsletter 8 June: For any business, perception fuels your success, and being in the 1% is the only option.
Hi there!
Gosh the weeks seem to fly by!
And, it’s already June - 50% of 2024 down and out.
So, what are your plans for the next months?
In this newsletter issue, I’ll be sharing some thoughts on success, and the role perception has in it.
For many of us, whether we’re founders, creators, or 9-5’ers, we will be gunning for something by the end of the year.
I’m with you on your journey.
However, be warned, these thoughts are a little on the dark side!
Afterwards, I’ll be sharing some good Substack finds.
Enjoy!
Your customers always gravitate to what they “percieve” is good.
Alex, my friend, has made millions for his clients.
The secret? Being perceived as someone who can turn the money tap on.
Alex consults with a lot of offline businesses. Restaurants and cafes are one of his specialties, and he's helped them zoom into 6-figure businesses.
So, how does he help them?
Well, with any new business, you don't have many customers.
Now, there's a HUGE issue with this...
Question: what goes through your mind when you see a new restaurant with empty tables?
"The food must be off."
or,
"I'm sure the service is terrible."
This is what 99% of us would think.
So what did Alex do for his clients? He got them to hire actors, students, and anyone to line up outside and then fill the establishment. The restaurant provides some food and drink in return.
For a small investment, the restaurant in return gets a huge impact on perception.
People pass, and now they are saying:
"Damn, this new place is busy, the food must be good - I should go there this weekend."
Funnily enough, there is a term for this, and it's called the "empty restaurant syndrome."
Full restaurant = great food/service. Not full = bad food/service.
Now let me give this meaning to you as a business owner or founder...
How can you avoid the empty restaurant syndrome?
Want your business to be perceived as a winner and raise it as Alex did with the hired people at the restaurant?
Three tips that will improve how you are perceived
These are some black hat tips for you. So, I hope you're not surprised...
1. Appear hot by being scarce
This one is good if you are providing services. You should never be available 24/7. People always check your booking page to see how many slots are taken. No slots taken? Empty restaurant effect.
Tip: Give the impression that you are in demand! All you need to do is be scarce and limit your availability. For example, only take calls Monday-Thursday 1:00 pm-5:00 pm. Even if all your slots are free, you raise your status by limiting when you can have meetings.
2. Promote your client wins all the time
Empty restaurants are terrible places to eat. That being said, no one works with those with no clients.
Tip: Always talk about your clients and the wins you got for them. These make stories for you that are hard to resist. Furthermore, share them all the time. Even if you have no clients today, talk about a client you had last week, last year even.
3) Be the one that stands out
If everyone is zagging - then you zig. If everyone says you have to be blue - you go yellow. I'm sure you get the drift.
Tip: The quickest way to boost your perceived status is to forcibly differentiate yourself from your competitors. It doesn't even have to be logical. In many cases, being different for the sake of being different is good here.
Final thoughts
The world revolves around the perception you create.
And to get started in business you'll need everything to work in your favor.
I'm going to leave you with this quote:
"Perception is reality. If you are perceived to be something, you might as well be it because that's the truth in people's minds." - Steve Young
I can tell you from experience there is so much truth in this for all business owners (big and small).
So, avoid the empty restaurant syndrome if you want to win with your business.
I'm sure you'll agree that being in the 1% is where you want to be.
It may seem tricky, but you'll be surprised how many of us do it - it's not just a survival tactic, it'll help you thrive.
Some useful posts I read during the week.
Here are some new posts from others that I’m sure you’ll like:
On soloprenuership
You Have To Hype Yourself. No One Else Will Do It For You. from
How to finish things & achieve big goals from
and
On startups
VC's Framework for Evaluating an AI Startup's Tech Stack. from
Founders Everywhere: Craig Goodwin (Bleach Cyber) from EverywhereVC
Other cool things
Is your writing too slow? You’re picking the wrong ideas from
Why am I afraid to show you who I am? from
Thank you for reading!
Until next time, take care and stay well.
And, have a great weekend!
Got any thoughts? I'd love to hear from you! Share your experiences in the comments.
Hey my friend - you’ve got some good stuff here! Thank you for the mention. Much appreciated brother 🙏🏼