You’ve probably seen it: Someone with half the skill, half the experience, charging double. Getting invited to bigger rooms. Landing premium clients. Or promotions. Or press. And you’re left wondering:
“What signals are they sending that I’m not—yet?”
The truth? It’s usually not skill. It’s signal.
Whether you’re a founder, a service provider, or a professional, people decide your value before you ever pitch.
So the real game isn’t just doing good work. It’s being positioned as the obvious choice.
There are only 3 ways to grow revenue:
More Clients (Acquisition)
More from Current Clients (Retention)
Charge More (Pricing)
Acquisition is expensive. Retention (my favourite) is sustainable but takes time. But pricing? That’s the fastest lever — if your value is visible.
And that’s where the ASSAAAP Framework™ comes in. Seven credibility levers that quietly shape perception — and turn “good” into “go-to.”
💡Quick Clarification Points
Before we jump in – 2 quick points:
Do you need all seven? No. Some may not even make sense in your space. This is a menu – pick the lowest effort and highest impact one to start.
Does this replace actually being good at what you do? Does this promote style without substance? No! “The point is: some of the best experts are invisible — robbing the world of their genius.
I built this framework for founders, consultants, and professionals who are great at what they do, but struggle to communicate that value at a glance.
🔐 The ASSAAAP Framework™
7 ways to make your value undeniable
1. Accreditations
Degrees, certifications, industry standards. They fast-track trust, especially in regulated or enterprise spaces.
A plate of pasta at your local Italian? $15. A plate of pasta at a Michelin-starred restaurant? $85+Same ingredients — different signal.
→ What formal credibility are you overlooking?
2. Social Proof
Testimonials, screenshots, case studies. They’re not vanity — they’re conversion assets.
💡 Try @shoutout.io to create a “love wall” of your reviews.
→ Are your results easy to see?
3. Speaking
When you’re seen alongside other credible voices, your authority rises. TEDx is great, but panels, podcasts, and webinars all count.
→ Use @ListenNotes (free) OR PodMatch (paid) to find aligned shows. → Don’t wait to be invited. Pitch yourself.
4. Awards
You don’t need to be discovered. You can nominate yourself. I’ve done it — no PR, no entry fees.
Even if you don’t win, the nomination process forces you to reflect and own your growth.
5. Affiliations
People trust those who move in trusted circles.
Oprah didn’t start famous — she aligned with world-class thinkers. Steven Bartlett built credibility by hosting influential people before he became one.
Affiliations are perception shortcuts. They quietly answer, “Should I trust you?”
Provided there is a fair value exchange on both sides, it’s one of the fastest credibility levers you can pull. In a noisy world, proximity matters.
→ Are you putting yourself in rooms that reflect your future, not just your past?
6. Advisors
A respected name on your board or proposal can significantly impact how people perceive you. It’s the Michael Jordan effect — borrowed trust builds faster than explained trust.
Unlike affiliations, which show where you belong, advisors show who is backing you.
→ Who already believes in your brilliance and would vouch for it? Ask them.
7. Publish
Newsletters, podcasts, books, whitepapers — whatever fits your lane. Publishing consistently turns quiet experts into visible authorities.
Thought leadership isn’t about going viral. It’s about showing up so clearly, they stop asking why you charge what you charge.
🥖 Final Thought: The Parable of the Breadmaker
I’d like to conclude with a story that altered my perspective on pricing: The Parable of the Breadmaker.
A baker made the best bread in town — but sold it for one copper coin. He worked 18 hours a day, barely surviving. One day, a merchant saw him turning customers away and said, “Double your prices.” The baker resisted. But eventually, he did. He lost half his customers… but made the same money in half the time. With the extra hours, he improved his craft, raised his prices again — and only the customers who truly valued his work remained. A year later, he worked less, earned more, and loved his business again.
The moral?
The price you charge is how valuable you tell the world your work is. And the world often believes you — as soon as you do.
I’d like to hear from you.
Which of the 7 credibility levers was your favourite or most resonates with you? Let me know in the comments 👇🏽
My personal favourite? Number 5.
Because with the right who, almost any how disappears.
✍🏽 Until next time
This has been Yemi, reporting from the RevOps front line ✌🏽
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Start Point
Our cybersecurity scale-up client had a strong presence in the US and EU and wanted to deepen enterprise engagement in EMEA.
Our Process
Partnered with the VP Growth to clarify retention and GTM objectives
Curated an invite list of 11 senior leaders (CISOs, Heads of Product, and Directors of Customer Success) from global banks, telcos, and cloud platforms
Hosted a private, trust-led roundtable under Chatham House rules
Extracted Voice of Customer themes on onboarding friction, perceived risk, and procurement blockers
Activated follow-up conversations within days, converting interest into a qualified pipeline
Fed insights back into sales enablement and the customer journey map, extending value beyond the session
Outcome
The roundtable delivered immediate and strategic wins:
1 six-figure deal closed, 4 warm leads added to pipeline, and 5-star feedback from participants.
The insights strengthened GTM positioning and were repurposed across campaigns, helping the client build momentum in under 30 days.
Start Point
Our Enterprise Software SaaS client had experienced significant growth in the US and EMEA regions – and was now seeking to expand into China.
Our Process
Engaged the key stakeholders
Elicited & captured the current process
Mapped the current process
Identified opportunities for optimisation
Developed a theoretical future state process model
Once approved, we helped our client implement the model and scale into the Chinese market.
Outcome
We designed a streamlined, optimised business process model that helped our client outsource its Chinese Operations to strategic partners in a way that is scalable.
Start Point
Our PayTech/ FinTech client had recently completed Series D funding and was seeking to expand into the MENA market.
To do this – they needed to clarify & streamline their business process AND they also needed to clearly illustrate their business process to aid regulatory approval in the new markets.
Our Process
Engaged the key stakeholders
Elicited & captured the current process
Mapped the current process
Identified opportunities for optimisation and process control gaps.
Developed a theoretical future state process model
Stimulated the future state process model to calculate costs, resources requirements and ensure all process control gaps had been handled.
Once approved, as part of our handover, we helped our client document the process and train relevant stakeholders
Outcome
We helped our PayTech client obtain regulatory approvals quickly and efficiently.
On receipt of the regulatory approvals, our client was able to implement their international scale up programmes quicker using the process maps and documentation we created.
They were also able to make appropriate cost and resource plans to support the expansion.
