Getting mental about positioning

An Email Players subscriber once asked: === So this is kind of a long question: I was reading your Kindle Book on Positioning and I quote you from chapter 2 "Once upon a time ( couple years ago ) I wrote a funny little book about dogs. It's a funny little read, with lots of great tips. Yet my only "credentials" are I had owned a handful of dogs throughout my life"...... And you go on to say you never had any training or veterinary education. Or had ever been to a training or obedience class. Your book is about positioning but my question is about mental positioning. Where does being a poser start and someone worth listening to begin when doing info products? So you go on to say you did an interview on the radio that positioned you as an expert, which you admit out of your own mouth say you weren't. So in your opinion do you have to be an expert? Have done the thing? Or Had a great success yourself to do an info product? Or as many are saying now " be a reporter" or R. Higdon ILT? I mean even take Jim Camp (who I heard about and bought from before you but you have definitely brought to my attention things I didn't see) his whole system for the most part comes from Dave Sandler and he never gives him credit, ever that I've heard. Now I realize he has done many things to make him an expert but he has never anywhere I've heard even mentioned Sandler. If I study you and then change things around a little is that ok? Even what you use as one of your best headlines about " moral objections to….. Well that comes directly almost word for word from either Halbert or Carlton's Lesbian secrets letter( I ran across it a while back and have it in a swipe) yet you're always over and over saying be original etc.. In Relation to Making Info Products I'm simply trying to figure out what makes someone a source worth listening to or is it simply the quality of info they provide whether they have done it or not? The only person I've heard addressing this sorta is Bob Bly but I would be curious about your take. === Let’s take a wack at ‘em: 1. Never heard of Sandler, but Camp was the first to say and admit he did not invent anything. He merely studied great negotiators throughout history and arranged everything into a system, including Coach Woody Hayes, Abraham Lincoln, US founding fathers, Peter Drucker, commanding officers in the Air Force, Emerson's essay on compensation, and 100 other volumes, sources, and people — so many, I can't remember them all. 2. Re: expert Being an "expert" at something can simply mean you know more and/or have more experience on that subject than the masses, not that you are necessarily a PhD or 50-year veteran on the subject, which is why expert-ism is almost a commodity in the age of Google. Being positioned as a leader is far better than a mere expert. The model for this way of thinking is the great Paul Hartunian who sold scads of book via radio interviews about how to find the love of your life in 90 days or less. Yet to my knowledge he has zero formal credentials or decades of experience (in a talk he once said when he was younger he couldn’t get a date with a pocketful of $50’s) on the subject of relationships other than doing some fun research to write the book which has helped probably thousands of people. 3. Way I remember it: Tony Robbins did not invent NLP but he understands it enough to teach it, and knew how to market it, with the actual inventors not making any money off it to my knowledge. That never sat right with me, personally. But someone was going to do it eventually. Not knowing at least marketing 101 is an unacceptable and unforgivable business sin nowadays, no matter how educated or experienced one is. 4. As far as templates go... Using a headline template like "How to" or "Warning: Do not..." has nothing to do with being a poser. But ripping off an entire headline word-for-word, especially to sell to same market in a competitive environment is low class & amateur at best (and yes, I am no fan of when Ogilvy did it to create his Rolls Royce ad), and can probably even be outright criminal at worst. 5. Experience trumps credentials but credentials are great for positioning. 6. If you learn something that's not common knowledge from a particular source it's good to give credit. 7. See my teachings on cookie jar of knowledge for more on what I think about this subject if that interests you. === Okay, that’ll do it for today. One thing that can instantly make someone stand out in a field of experts, and even ex-spurts, is knowing how to approach content creation in a way that (1) sticks in the mind (2) sells at a premium (3) gets taken more seriously and consumed, benefited from, turns into referrals, etc. Enter the October Email Players issue. Lots of thoughts, ideas, strategies, for creating such content. Goes way beyond what you see being taught by life coaches shooting videos in their car on the way to lunch or 21-year old philosopher kings hiding behind cartoon avatars talking about on the subject who lack any real experience in creating such kind of content. Very valuable stuff. And only Email Players subscribers will possess it. To check out the Email Players newsletter go here: [https∶//www.EmailPlayers.com]( Ben Settle This email was sent by Ben Settle as owner of Settle, LLC. Copyright © 2023 Settle, LLC. All Rights Reserved. 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