--- title: The Power of Invisible Forces | The Sales Blog description: You can see formal authority on an organizational chart. You can see who has the biggest box at the very top of the page. You can see who has smaller boxes towards the bottom of the page. You can see that the people with the big boxes at the top of the page have more […] image: https://www.thesalesblog.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Screen-Shot-2012-11-11-at-8_55_53-PM.png --- ### [Now booking SKO meetings for 2026/27! 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You can see who has the biggest box at the very top of the page. You can see who has smaller boxes towards the bottom of the page. You can see that the people with the big boxes at the top of the page have more responsibility, and they have the accompanying formal authority to go along with it. What you can’t see is who has [influence](http://thesalesblog.com/blog/2012/05/19/proximity-to-power-is-power/). You can’t see whom the people occupying the big boxes trust. You can’t see whom they go to for advice. You can’t see the informal authority. But it exists nonetheless, and you need to know where it resides. Influence is an invisible force. You don’t have to have formal authority to have influence. Some people have titles, and titles represent formal authority too. But titles don’t tell you about anything about who the real leaders are within an organization. Organizations have formal leaders and spiritual leaders. The formal leaders may have the formal authority, but the [spiritual leaders](http://thesalesblog.com/blog/2011/06/10/no-one-makes-you-a-leader/) own the hearts and minds. The real leaders hold the influence, make change, and lead the organization. You can’t see spiritual leadership. You can’t see who owns the hearts and minds of those around them. But you need to know who the spiritual leaders are. Leadership is and invisible force. It doesn’t depend on a title. There are people within your dream client companies who have real problems and challenges. You can guess at who might have those problems and challenges, but you can’t see [pain](http://thesalesblog.com/blog/2011/11/13/building-dissatisfaction-and-a-compelling-case-for-change/). The people with real dissatisfaction are the people that are most receptive to your message. They’re most likely to lead you into the rest of the organization. You can’t see pain. You can’t see receptivity either. But you need to know who is dissatisfied and who wants help making positive changes. Pain is an invisible force. So is receptivity. It could be almost anywhere. Invisible forces rule your life. Like gravity, magnetism, and radiation. Invisible forces are also at work in the deals that you are pursuing. Even though you can’t see these invisible forces, you can observe them. And you can use them your advantage. #### Questions What are the invisible forces at work in your company and client companies? What invisible forces are at work in the deals you pursue? How do you observe these invisible forces? What actions do you take based on the forces you encounter? ###### Tags: [Sales](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/tag/sales) [2012](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/tag/2012) Post by [Anthony Iannarino](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/author/anthony-iannarino) on November 11, 2012 Written and edited by human brains and human hands. ![Anthony Iannarino](https://www.thesalesblog.com/hubfs/ai-blog-profile-crop.jpg) Anthony Iannarino is an American writer. He has published daily at [thesalesblog.com](https://www.thesalesblog.com) for more than 14 years, amassing over 5,300 articles and making this platform a destination for salespeople and sales leaders. Anthony is also the author of four best-selling books documenting modern sales methodologies and a fifth book for sales leaders seeking revenue growth. His latest book for an even wider audience is titled, The Negativity Fast: Proven Techniques to Increase Positivity, Reduce Fear, and Boost Success. Anthony speaks to sales organizations worldwide, delivering cutting-edge sales strategies and tactics that work in this ever-evolving B2B landscape. He also provides workshops and seminars. Connect with Anthony on LinkedIn, X or Youtube. You can email Anthony at [iannarino@gmail.com](mailto:iannarino@gmail.com) [Follow me on my website](https://www.thesalesblog.com/anthony-iannarino) [Follow me on Facebook ](https://www.facebook.com/thesalesblog) [Follow me on LinkedIn ](https://www.linkedin.com/in/iannarino/) [Follow me on Twitter ](http://www.twitter.com/iannarino) [![AISA-square-ad-SKOs-26-27](https://www.thesalesblog.com/hs-fs/hubfs/AISA-square-ad-SKOs-26-27.jpg?width=400&height=400&name=AISA-square-ad-SKOs-26-27.jpg)](https://www.thesalesblog.com/authority) [![ai-cold-calling-video-sidebar-offer-1](https://www.thesalesblog.com/hs-fs/hubfs/ai-cold-calling-video-sidebar-offer-1.jpg?width=318&height=179&name=ai-cold-calling-video-sidebar-offer-1.jpg)](https://www.thesalesblog.com/free-cold-calling-video) ![salescall-planner-ebook-v3-1-cover (1)](https://www.thesalesblog.com/hs-fs/hubfs/salescall-planner-ebook-v3-1-cover%20(1).jpg?width=768&height=994&name=salescall-planner-ebook-v3-1-cover%20(1).jpg) ### Free Sales eBook: Sales Call Planner Planning your sales call improves the likelihood of making a successful call, and it demonstrates to your dream client your professionalism. 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What we’re doing right now **is working**, even in this challenging economy. **Would you like some help?** [![Solve for Sales](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/2922376/d3a4938b-2008-4a27-8b44-7b2223f6d035.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/2922376/d3a4938b-2008-4a27-8b44-7b2223f6d035) ### Join my Weekly Newsletter for Sales Tips Join 100,000+ sales professionals in my weekly newsletter and get my *Guide to Becoming a Sales Hustler* eBook for FREE! --- ```json { "@context" : "http://schema.org/", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Anthony Iannarino" }, "dateModified" : "2022-06-16T3:28:24 PM", "datePublished" : "2012-11-11 21:12:56", "description" : "You can see formal authority on an organizational chart. You can see who has the biggest box at the very top of the page. You can see who has smaller boxes towards the bottom of the page. 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