You’ve probably been asked this question a million times. By your clients, at the gym, by your cab driver and even at bars & restaurants. But what answer do you give them?

It’s not that hard to become a Key Person of Influence and it certainly doesn’t take years to achieve. There are just five things that you need to have in place to demonstrate that you are a Key Person of Influence: Never finish a pitch on a flat note. You want to finish with a story, an idea or a vision for the future that gets people excited. People don’t often remember everything you said but they will surely remember the way you left them feeling. Become a Key Person of influence is an inspirational and easy read which outlines essential steps to establishing yourself as a vital player within your industry, opening up new opportunities, connections and meaning within your current industry.

As a personal branding specialist, I read a lot of books on the topic of leadership, branding, and influencing.

One of the key differences between Key Persons of Influence and everyone else is that KPIs don't go out looking for clients, they go looking for partnerships.' There are always a few nuggets in anything you read. This book follows the common format of spending about a third of the book selling the book and then work to systematize the secrets of success in a five step formula. Though there are good fundamentals for those early in their career or taking the initial plunge into independent consulting or solopreneurship, I found much of the book to be very basic and to be centered on the quest to build a digital business leveraging many of the now-common tech and platform channels. Perhaps that is simply a reflection of the book's age as it was published in 2016. The formula is referred to as the Five Steps. The author goes into each step in detail to ensure you understand how to execute each. People wanting to improve their business and not sure how to best make the use of the opportunities available to them in this day and age (e.g. social media, networking, global economy, self-publishing and other opportunities).

Economy, environment, technology and global mindset has shifted rapidly in even just 5 years. Have to shift your business model etc. Your best thinking 5 years ago is your baggage today. The book is perfect for anyone who is keen to clarify and define their position in their industry and become someone who is recognised for the work they do and the person they are.I was not overly sold at first but I had this book at a discount (Daily Deal). Not only I was surprised by the usefulness of the content but I was also impressed with the Audible narration once I have bought that version as well to listen to the book during my long car drives. The narrator is excellent and his enthusiasm and passion match the message of the book. I felt as though I was at a motivational seminar. The book wanted me to be energised, motivated, believe in myself and take action. Each one is covered in detail throughout the book. Moreover, the framework is a fantastic way to ensure you complete each step one at a time. It enables you to layer on top of the work you’ve done so far. It is written in a simple, easy-to-digest way but causes you to constantly think and rethink about the best way for you to establish yourself as a KPI in your industry. Take 30 minutes to read, 10 minutes to write about what you learned, and 5 minutes teaching someone else for the best retention Final Thoughts Suggest that you have a way of solving this problem and share your ideas freely. Educate people on the key insight you have for making sure this problem is solved properly. There is no value in coming up with an idea that doesn’t solve a problem in a better way than is currently available. There’s no point pitching an idea unless you understand what the problem is that you’re able to resolve.