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As the old adage goes, if a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? What about your marketing strategy? If you have the best product, service, widget, or invention and no one knows about it, does it truly exist? If the most talented person, the most innovative product, the greatest sales pitch to pass one's lips is created and no one is around to witness it, does it, he, or she exist?

The point is, you need an opportunity to do business, in order to do business. And regardless of your paradigm, whether you are a recording artist or owner of a small family–owned and operated bakery, your craft, talent, or passion is indeed a business and must be treated as such, if you expect it to evolve and earn money. Sure, I understand it is your passion, and it is easy to get caught up in the love of it, but at the end of the day, your passion is a business. Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, and Beyoncé are all brands, and despite all the fun it appears to be, they are in the business of sales: merchandise sales, record sales, concert sales. So yes, you need an audience. You can't sell something to an inanimate object. You need a real, live, breathing, responsive being to act as your audience, who essentially is going to purchase your product, idea, or talent.

In the performance and entertainment arena, you need an audience to develop a fan base from. You can't become famous if no one has ever heard of you. Even if you have the most incredible powerhouse singing voice known to man, if no one has ever experienced your game-changing talent, it is entirely irrelevant. The late Michael Jackson, formerly known as the King of Pop, exuded more talent in one pinky than some of us in our entire body. Yet, if Michael Jackson had a severe case of performance anxiety and put on historic concerts only in the privacy of his bathroom, with a shampoo bottle acting as his microphone, would he have left a legacy? Of course not! Because no one would have ever known of his talent. If no one has ever heard you or heard of you, you will never develop a fan base, get bookings or gigs, land a record contract, or become famous.

You could have the most amazing keynote speech, or be the most incredible speaker, trainer, or consultant, but if no one knows of your expertise, accomplishments, or capabilities, chances are you will not be recognized by the elite speaker bureaus and booked for speaking gigs worthy of your talent.

A career as a sales professional is no different. It can be rather frightening entering a career field that is solely or mostly based on commissions, such as a real estate agent or an automotive sales professional. Without the appropriate level of visibility, market awareness, and branding, you are going to have minimum success and starve (metaphorically speaking and sadly, in some cases, literally). On the other hand, a commission-based career can be extremely rewarding.

The field of sales is one of the most incredible careers one can embark upon. It allows you the ability to make as much money as you can earn, yet a large majority of those who enter the sales arena crash and burn, and are forced to leave their sales position for a traditional career or job with limited growth potential and no opportunity to earn massive revenue – and not because they lack the skill, ability, or talent, but because they lack an audience – someone to listen, someone to purchase whatever it is that they are selling. Why? Simply because they lack the knowledge to effectively prospect for new business, become visible, generate leads, and create new opportunities to do business.

To be clear, it doesn't matter what industry you are in. It doesn't matter if you are a sole proprietor, small business, corporation, doctor, lawyer, psychologist, dentist, chiropractor, singer, musician, speaker, sales professional, entrepreneur, or author/writer/blogger. Everyone needs visibility. Everyone needs an audience. Skill, desire, passion, likeability, intelligence, hard work, dedication, tenacity, desperation, need, and having a great product or service just aren't enough. The bottom line is that you are either visible or invisible. So unless you're David Copperfield or a ghost, being invisible isn't a desired result for any profession. So how can you become visible? Congratulations, my friend, for recognizing the importance of visibility (mind-set) and your commitment to reading this book (skillset). You have taken the first step toward visibility awesomeness!

With the sensory and content overloaded world we live in, it is difficult to become findable, never mind relevant, especially if you lack a strategy, resources, content, and a commitment to stay the course. This book is going to give you a methodical, proven approach to create a massive visibility strategy, while creating an unfair advantage over your competition, and consequently increasing your profits – a respectable goal for any business owner.

There is fierce competition out there, competition that comes in all shapes and sizes. And believe me, I've seen it. They are ready to inherit your customers the first opportunity they get. Chances are, when I say the word competition, a vivid picture of your direct competitor that offers similar or the exact products and services that you do comes to mind. You may even envision their horrid logo or obnoxious jingle, or hear the chant of their lame slogan, “ABC Competitor does it best, yup, no guess.” But what about the competition of attention and stimulus? We live in the technology age, with tons of digital pieces starving for our attention – for example:

● Social media (the number one form of communication)

● Telephones (phone calls and texting)

● The Internet (surfing)

● Television, Netflix, Hulu, etc.

● Movies

● Sports

● Video games

● Radio

● Print (magazine, books)

● Nightlife (bars, clubs, casinos)

● And much, much more

You need to focus on how you, your company, and your product(s) are going to be found. How are you going to stand out against all of the noise from all of those different sources? You have to have a focused strategy, with a beginning, middle, and end in mind. I should probably mention here, early on, that I am a Franklin Covey Certified Trainer and Facilitator and continuous student of the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. I have adopted the seven habits into my personal and professional life and frequently apply these principles to all that I do. You will hear me mention these habits from time to time as they have become deeply rooted within me.