The Authority Builder Podcast

When you have a business, it’s tempting to be all things to all people. But when your target market is too big, says Josh Turner, you don’t reach anybody effectively. This B2B marketing expert recommends ways to laser focus your marketing so you can generate as many leads as you can handle. Josh is a big fan of one social network in particular. He shares how he’s learned to use it to turn more pro...

For many of us, self-promotion is tough. We were raised not to brag. Laura Posey, Chief Instigator at Simple Success Plans, faced that early on in her consulting career. But when she realized one key fact about herself (you have it too), she never hesitated to promote her services proudly… and brings in a steady stream of appreciative clients as a result. In this episode, Laura also shares a short...

The popular image of an entrepreneur is going solo… being independent. But my guest this week, copywriter and joint venture expert Bob Serling, advocates a different approach that allows you to leverage the expertise and contacts of others. You can use his strategies if you’re selling a product or seeking clients for your professional services… even trying to find work on a new career path. Your b...

If you’re transitioning from being a freelancer to building your own company - and you’re struggling (who isn’t?), you don’t want to miss this talk with Laura Roeder. She was a freelance designer and is now CEO of a 30-employee company that offers the popular social media automation tool, Edgar. As the owner/founder, you’re often the bottleneck slowing your company’s progress. Laura has solid tips...

Have you ever fallen into the trap of comparing yourself to others? Their success… their achievements… actually, have nothing to do with you, says my guest this week Dov Gordon. Dov helps people in the corporate world transition into becoming six-figure consultants and coaches. But anyone who’s struggling to grow a new business can benefit from his strategies. In this episode, he shares techniques...

If you teach businesses how to boost their social media profile, create webinars, or similar… check out a new approach to working with clients from Hugh Culver of Stand Out Social. There’s an alternative to teaching that will ensure they follow through and see results. And when your clients succeed in this way… you succeed because they hire you again and again - automatically. This is how Hugh gre...

Having an ambitious goal is all well and good, says my guest this week Craig Ballantyne, author of The Perfect Day Formula and creator of related business coaching programs and workshops. But, cautions Craig, a goal without a plan will get you nowhere. It’s all about preparation and consciously putting the right elements in place so you have a clear of what you must do… a support system to keep yo...

A successful salesperson is slick and manipulative, right? No deal, says my guest this week, financial advisor and master salesman John Curry. During his 40 years in the field, John has refined the real foundation of sales. It’s quite simple: identify what you client needs, then help them get it… even if that sometimes means sending them to a competitor. Your role should be more like a trusted adv...

Even in the Internet era, an in-person sales presentation can be a very effective way for certain businesses to market their products or services. This week’s guest, Joel Erway, Chief Strategist for the Webinar Agency, has found a way to blend these direct sales methods with digital marketing strategies to create a blockbuster selling tool. He does it with webinars - but unlike any you’ve seen bef...

Perfection is your biggest enemy, says our guest this week, Michael Zipursky of ConsultingSuccess.com. Michael says it’s an issue holding back many of the consultants and professional service providers he’s worked with over the years. Michael sees tremendous value in what he calls “Imperfect Action.” Don’t spend all your time fine-tuning your offer, value proposition, product, or service. Just put...

My guest this week weathered intense setbacks early in his career. But Joshua Long actually looks back almost fondly on those times because he knows it shaped who he is today and allows him to see solutions when his clients can’t. Joshua is a consultant specializing in helping B2B companies overcome revenue plateaus, reduce risk, and experience rapid growth. To achieve those types of breakthroughs...

How to Make Money from an Audience with Dorie Clark “Build it and they will come.” -said no successful business owner ever If you’ve turned on the Internet lately, you’ve heard the whole “build an audience” deal. While that’s great advice, there are usually two critical things missing… How do you build it? How do you turn the audience into paying clients? After all, not everyone’s going to sell an...

Attitude and confidence - sometimes against all odds - have been the keys to the success of my guest this week. Steve Sims worked his way up from very humble beginnings to become an expert marketer in the luxury space and the founder of Blue Fish, a high-end personal concierge firm. Steve says there’s no such thing as failure - just lessons about what not to do next time and inspiration to move fo...

What would you do if faced with an unfulfilling job, a tragedy at home, or a negative self-image that had been holding you back from true success your whole life? Bryan Falchuk tackled all three head on and in the process transformed his career and life - and worked off nearly 100 pounds at the same time. This coach, best-selling author, and founder of Newbodi.es did it by going to the underlying...

When you’re in start-up mode with a new business, especially one your boot-strapping yourself or with a few partners, it’s tempting to go all out: long hours, no time off, just work. But, shares Demio Co-Founder David Abrams, that’s actually a recipe for disaster. By slowing down, you can focus on your business and find the clarity to solve problems… and fine-tune your long-term strategy for growt...

You probably use social media in your business. It’s the thing to do these days, right? But you might also be frustrated because you don’t know if it’s actually bringing money in the door.   There is a way to measure your ROI from Facebook, says today’s guest, Kim Walsh-Phillips, CEO of Elite Digital Group.    Kim explains how you can see direct results in leads, sales, and your bottom-line – by u...

As a freelancer or professional service provider, you live and die by your clients. Problem is, you could be so immersed in the day-to-day work – and the rush to land new clients – that you aren’t really building a long-term, sustainable business. And you don’t have the chance to create a real plan for growth.   The solution: make the effort to step back from some of the time-consuming tasks assoc...

Something’s been really bothering me lately and until just a few weeks ago I couldn’t put my finger on it… I work with a wide range of business owners. Some with businesses in the multi-tens of millions of dollars in revenue. Others just starting and over the $100,000 mark. Some grow really fast, almost effortlessly. Others take what can be a painfully slow road. And that bugs me. I’ve been trying...

As a professional service provider – graphic designer, consultant, accountant, doctor, etc. – if you’re not one-on-one with a client or client project…you’re not making money, right?  It doesn’t have to be that way, says my guest this week, Dr. Jeremy Weisz. He wants to help you stop trading time for dollars and multiply your revenues as a result.  His method for doing could be a big mindset shift...

When the going gets tough, the tough... Get connected...   When crisis hits--in business or in your personal life--the tendency is to withdraw. But you should actually be looking to your network to help you overcome setbacks.   Succeeding in business is, at its core, all about relationships.    If you’ve neglected your network. My guest, John Corcoran, and I will be discussing ways to warm up your...

If you have a professional service firm… you can’t miss this one. Have you ever done a project and ended up making less than you estimated? Maybe even lost money? The project went off without a hitch. In fact, you over-delivered. It may be hard to believe… but that’s where you went wrong. June Jewell of AEC Business Solutions stops by to share the dangers of “culture traps” that allow professional...

Have you ever seen that wooden wall that Marines must climb as they race through the obstacle course in basic training? It’s 30-feet high, straight up.  In business, we like to construct walls just like that and plant them right between ourselves and our goals. We do it unconsciously…even as a protection…and often we don’t even realize we’ve put up the wall we’re staring at. My guest on this week’...

Sure, finding new customers is important. But by leveraging your relationship with existing customers and giving them new products and services they want, you can actually increase revenue without spending more on marketing.    How do you do it? Listen to them, get in their heads, and understand them at a deep level, says my guest, Jason Friedman, founder, and CEO of CX Formula, who’s worked with...

Business seems to breed complexity. In fact, if you feel overwhelm or stress it's likely due to the fact that your business has reached a level of complexity that you can no longer manage it with your current thinking, systems, and resources. Recently, I sat down with Dan Kuschell. If you don't know Dan, he's the CEO of Genius Network and he's started 11 businesses. In this interview, Dan covered...

The days of needing a physical office, full of employees, to build a highly successful (and profitable business are behind us. In this Unstoppable CEO interview, I talk with Mitch Russo--author of The Invisible Organization. Mitch is an expert in building "virtual" organizations. Organizations with distributed workforces, where the team doesn't meet at the office at 8 am every day. Mitch isn't you...