Max Cred Factor #1: Credentials

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When you buy a book, do you judge it by its cover? Of course you do, even if you deny it. The title, the design, and most importantly, the status of the author, all influence your initial perception and may even determine whether you pick it up and examine it more deeply.

Credentials are the first of our Seven Cs of Max Cred because they are your book cover: they often precede you into your persuasive communication encounter and send signals that influence your credibility before you even open your mouth. In a sense, credentials are your “pre-paid credibility.”

Credentials may be your minimum ticket price to personal credibility, because without some credentials you probably won’t get an audience. Your credentials tell the listener why you are better qualified to speak about the topic than anyone else in the room. They are something you have already earned that contributes to credibility, but the audience still decides how to perceive them and how much weight to place on them to grant belief.

Credentials confer status and authority. Your actual and perceived credentials make it easier for listeners to accept your ideas because they give you an elevated status relative to that particular topic. People won’t easily yield in their opinions to someone they consider equal or below them, but they tend to defer to authority, so they may open their minds to someone who has a superior claim.

Credentials are relatively objective and measurable: a PhD outweighs a Master’s, a Master electrician is more credible than a journeyman, a professional athlete is more credible than a weekend warrior. Because credentials are measurable, they also make it safe for others to rely on you, because if the decision goes wrong for some reason, they can show that they exercised prudence and care. That’s why a lot of corporate buyers are heavily biased in favor of established brand names.

What constitutes a valid credential?

You can think of your credentials as your personal value proposition for why they should listen to you. What special advantage do you have that makes you the person most qualified to be speaking about that particular topic to that audience at that time? There are a number of ways to differentiate yourself:

Education/certification: These are what most people think of as formal credentials. Influence expert Robert Cialdini tells the story of when he consulted with a group of physicians’ assistants who were frustrated by their patients’ failure to follow their instructions to exercise. He noted that their examination room did not have any credentials on the wall, and suggested they post their diplomas. According to Cialdini, the PAs “reported a huge difference in patient compliance.”[1]

Titles: A title carries a lot of weight with just one word. To demonstrate the amazing power of a title, researchers once posed as doctors and called 22 separate nurses’ stations and prescribed a drug to patient over the phone. Despite the fact that the nurses did not see the doctor, the drug was not on the authorized list, and the dosage was twice the maximum daily dose, 95% of nurses tried to comply with the order until stopped by an observer!

Experience: The amount and quality of experience both matter. You may have been at it longer than others in the room, or you may have unique experience. There’s almost no limit to what experience is relevant, depending on what the situation is. I delivered a speech once about toxic sales environments, and led off by telling the audience about how I once got fired for doing the right thing for a customer.

Organization or Brand:  In another experiment noted by Cialdini, researchers took 12 articles that had been accepted previously by journals, changed the only the name of the authors’ prestigious universities, and resubmitted them. Of the nine that were not detected, all but one were rejected.  Think about that: the readers of these journals are educated, sophisticated individuals, and yet they changed their judgment based only on the brand.

Special expertise/information/research: You have specific information that no one else in the room has. The strongest special expertise credential is personal eyewitness testimony, but anyone who takes extra time to learn a topic more thoroughly than others can create their own credentials.

Commonality with the group: Groups tend to give more credibility to “one of us”. I tell salespeople in my classes that, as a small business owner, I know only too well what it’s like to work on full commission. You can speak for them because you’re one of them; but you are also different enough that they should listen to you.

Your look: Rationally, how you look should have no bearing on the quality and truth of your message, but it actually has a lot to do with it.

You can’t do much about your physical appearance, but you can control what you wear and how you wear it, and it can definitely affect your credibility, especially in business. Joe Navarro, a former FBI agent and jury consultant, says men in ”business uniform” are perceived by jurors as being more honest and reassuring.

It’s not about spending a lot of money on clothes or wearing an expensive watch. The most important thing is to be neat and well-groomed, and look as if you care. As Navarro says, casualness can kill credibility, according to focus group studies.

On the other hand, being too formal can have its drawbacks, if you are dressed too differently from everyone else. The rule of thumb I’ve always followed in my training is to dress one level up from the group norm. If they’re casual, I’ll wear slacks and a long sleeve shirt; if in business casual, I will wear a sports coat, and so on.

How to present your credentials

For one reason, the paradox of status is that while people respect it, they don’t like it rubbed in their faces. Even in the US where we have a high tolerance for braggadocio, it can get tiresome. Just this week I heard a lawyer presenting to our City Commission use at least half his allotted three minutes to telling them what a great lawyer he was. He mentioned the fact that he had tried two cases in front of the Supreme Court, then went on to recite his years of experience, some big cases he had worked on, and his various certifications. I remember thinking at the time that he had me at the word “court” and then lost me when he kept going way beyond that.

Yet, if you do have strong credentials, it’s foolish not to let your audience know about them. Max Cred is about getting every possible advantage, so let’s look at ways to make sure your credentials are known without harming your credibility.

Have someone else toot your horn. If it’s a formal presentation, it’s a good idea to have your sponsor introduce you to the group and tell them your credentials. There are two advantages to this. The first is that you don’t come across as too full of yourself.  Second, it’s more believable coming from someone else, even if they know that person has a vested interest in touting you

But if you get someone to introduce you, don’t leave it to chance. Make sure you have gone over with them how they should introduce you; even better, write out the points you want them to make.

Weave them in. The most subtle way to present your credentials is to imply them by the use of stories, examples and questions that demonstrate to the audience that you have “been there and done that.” I often open my sales training classes by telling the story of the day that I accidentally learned the most important key to sales. I remember one time in North Carolina when I told that story to skeptical group, and one sales manager said, “Boom! That’s worth the entire class!”

Questions also work well, especially when you ask them about an issue they face that is not common knowledge. I’ve often found in my initial sales calls that there’s always a turning point and a palpable difference in the room when the prospect says, “That’s a good question.”

Don’t overreach. The quickest way to shatter your credibility is to overpromise and underdeliver, which you can prevent by being clear—first of all to yourself—about what you can and can’t do.

Be transparent about your weaknesses. Don’t overspend your credentials; be open about conflicts of interest if asked or even before… One of the occupational hazards of being asked to speak on account of your expertise is the audience’s suspicion of your motives. There’s nothing wrong with being paid to speak on behalf of someone, but you should always be transparent about it.

Frame your credentials. I don’t specialize in a specific industry so when people ask me how much expertise I have in their industry, I usually have to tell them it’s roughly zero. But then I tell them that allows me to bring a fresh approach and ask the stupid questions that may not sometimes turn out to be so stupid after all.

Show, don’t tell. This may sound funny in a chapter on credentials, but I truly believe that your best credential is a cogent argument, and that brings us to the next of the Seven Cs: Content.

ACTION STEPS AND POINTS TO PONDER

1. Prepare the perfect introduction you would like someone to use in your next presentation.
2. Write down one or two stories you can use as an opener to demonstrate your credentials without actually stating them.
3. Write down several opening questions that will demonstrate your competence on the topic.

[1] Influence: Science and Practice, Robert Cialdini…