The Recognized Authority

This is a special episode to mark the end of Season 1 of the show. In this episode, your host Alastair McDermott shares behind-the-scenes details from the podcast. He also shares his Top Ten Tips on Building Authority , based on the conversations he has had with guests and other authorities. Finally, he shares details of his upcoming book, 33 Ways Not to Screw up Your Business Podcast which is com...

Sharing your knowledge, and building relationships with industry leaders. Podcasting is one of the most effective, and efficient, ways to build authority. But like any channel, the devil is in the detail - you have a lot of strategic decisions to make around format, content, audience and promotion. In this episode, Adam Schaeuble and Alastair McDermott discuss podcasting strategies to build author...

We know that video content is engaging, builds trust, and is a fantastic way to demonstrate subject matter expertise. Video even has substantial advantages in the social media algorithms. And despite all that, most of us are still procrastinating over creating video. Why is that, and how can we change it? In this episode, Alicia Henderson and Alastair McDermott discuss why we should be creating vi...

Building your authority means publishing — that horribly clichéd phrase "putting yourself out there". For many people, that feels like you are exposing yourself to criticism, possibly even ridicule. But part of building authority and trust is just that, the willingness to take that risk and share even in the face of potential criticism. So how do we deal with this? How can we build our own confide...

Guesting on other people's podcasts is one of the quickest & most effective ways to build your authority and connect with a new audience. If you're interested in learning how to get booked on podcasts, then we have a masterclass in podcast guesting for you here! In this episode, Dustin Riechmann and Alastair McDermott discuss a five step framework to podcast guesting, how to find the right sho...

Selling is the single most important part of any business. It's the lifeblood as it leads directly to revenue and cashflow. But sales is a challenge for everyone, especially for experts who are introverts and hate the thoughts of being seen as pushy and "salesy". It feels incredibly difficult to sell yourself and your services when you're an introvert. In this episode, Leah Neaderthal and Alastair...

The funnel is the backbone of sales, both online and offline. It can be very easy to get overwhelmed by technology and options when setting up your sales and marketing funnels, but fundamentally they can be quite simple. In this episode, Marianna Carlini and Alastair McDermott discuss how to create a simple but effective sales and marketing funnel, the different types of funnels you can choose fro...

"Building a personal brand" is often used as a euphemism for "building authority". But is it really the same thing? What does it mean when we say we are building a personal brand?  In this episode, Elizabeth Harr and Alastair McDermott discuss what a successful personal brand looks like, the 4 key elements of a personal brand strategy, and the signature styles that you can choose from when develop...

Building a business is time-consuming, and as business owners we often feel the pressure of "hustle culture". Is it possible to be successful without sacrificing quality time with your family?   In this episode, Justin Breen and Alastair McDermott discuss the power of networking at a high level, how to find the right partners, and how to build a successful company while still putting your family f...

How to Deal with Scarcity Mindset The "R-word", is starting to appear more often in my social network timelines, and has come up in conversations I've had with my coaching clients recently. Recession is a real fear. But that fear can have a toll on our brains, a real cost. The scarcity mindset can impair our decision-making and lead us to make choices that actually lead us into more scarcity. It c...

LinkedIn is a vitally important social network for most of us in the B2B space. All the stats show that engagement on LinkedIn is growing rapidly: our clients and prospective clients are spending more time there, more content is being published, more events being attended, and more business conversations are happening. But that also means there's more competition — so you need to do things the rig...

Last chance to join Authority Labs. 1 seat remaining. The next iteration of the Authority Labs mastermind group is starting next Tues 27th Sept. Authority Labs is a high-touch group program aimed at helping experts & consultants - like you! - to build authority rapidly. There is one seat remaining in this cohort.  In this episode, I interview Rene Morozwich, one of the original members of the...

As consumers, we love to binge on content. Netflix discovered this a few years ago and started releasing entire seasons of TV shows in one go.  Podcasters know this because we get messages from listeners saying things like "Hey, I found your show at the weekend and just listened to 35 episodes". (It's astonishing, but it really does happen!)  YouTube creators know all about it, and try to make it...

Creating & publishing content is time consuming. And yet it's an essential step in building authority. But if our target audience never sees our content, all that time and effort goes to waste. How can we ensure our audience sees our content? In this episode, Justin Simon and Alastair McDermott discuss content transformation, why & how to repurpose your content in a way that saves time, an...

Values are what we stand for, the principles or philosophy we live by. But for many businesses, their values don't mean a whole lot.  In this episode, Jeff Large and Alastair McDermott get into the weeds on business values, discussing why they're important, how they can help you build a good foundation for success, and why they don't work. They also discuss why podcasts work for business, what you...

If you're like most consultants & experts, you can spend significant amounts of time creating new presentations, editing slides and documents. Yet often your hard work goes to waste when you decide not to use them. There is a better way. In this episode, Carol Cox and Alastair McDermott discuss why you should create a signature talk, a simple framework to use for a signature talk, and how to r...

It can be exhausting to be a self-employed consultant. Often you're working more hours than you did when you worked your last corporate job. You are hustling to complete client work, fill your sales pipeline, and create content that meaningfully differentiates you from your competition. In this episode, Louise Courville and Alastair McDermott discuss what it means to create a category of one, how...

Publishing is a crucial part of building authority, and there are myriad formats and platforms to choose from, including social networks, podcasts, and email. Today's on-air coaching call features Judson Rollins, a pricing consultant who helps cargo transport providers increase their margins & grow their bottom line.  Judson and Alastair McDermott discuss how he can use podcasting, YouTube and...

One of the best parts of running your own expertise-based business is that you get to choose the business model & strategy that you use. But with so many options available it can be hard to figure out the best way for you.  In this episode, Monique Mills and Alastair McDermott discuss how to start a consulting business, how to think about innovation, and how to price expert services. They also...

The consulting marketplace is very crowded. Standing out from the crowd is essential if you want to avoid being lumped in with other providers, being seen as a commodity. But how can you differentiate when you are offering similar services? In this episode, Austin L. Church and Alastair McDermott discuss how to position & package your offer in a different way so that you are differentiated fro...

What does it mean to be radically authentic? In this episode, Gill Moakes and Alastair McDermott discuss how radical authenticity can help you stand out in business, how to figure out the captivating part of who you are, and how to share that with others. They also discuss how to be intentional about what you say and publish, how to make content creation easy for yourself, and how that can lead to...

Demand generation is the new buzzword in marketing, challenging the status quo. But is demand generation really different, and is it superior to lead generation? In this episode, Chris Walker and Alastair McDermott discuss why demand generation is important, how it is fundamentally different from other approaches to marketing, and how you can implement demand generation even as an independent cons...

Getting noticed by the right people - for the right reason - is what marketing is all about. But getting noticed isn't easy when there's an entire internet competing for attention. So how do we do it? In this episode, Jim James and Alastair McDermott discuss why and how to get noticed, the practical elements of PR, and what are the elements of viral content. They also discuss how to curate a book...

Creating and publishing content is essential to getting visibility and building authority. But content creation can be hugely time consuming, from writing initial outlines and drafts to actually writing long form content, or recording, re-recording and editing! Is there a way to work smarter, not harder? In this episode, Jaclyn Schiff and Alastair McDermott discuss content transformation: why and...

Point of view is something that can distinguish you from the crowd. It’s important, perhaps even essential, in building your authority and personal brand. It’s also one of those concepts in marketing that is frustratingly hard to define: it seems to incorporate perspective, tone, voice, positioning, branding, and – above all – opinions. In this episode, Alastair McDermott takes a practical approac...