The Business of Authority

How do you define your competition? Talking Points Why you need to define your competition Brand neighborhoods Communicating with competitors Being choosy about who you work with Empathizing with potential clients An authority versus_ the_ authority What you can learn from sales interviews Defining yourself as well as the competition Researching the competition Quotable Quotes “I think it’s import...

The benefits of packaging up your expertise in novel ways. Talking Points The Lambda School Changes in Schwab’s financial planning model Value pricing Packaging your expertise Making your knowledge affordable to the people who you want to help Prioritizing money Connecting the dots for clients Diversifying your income stream Starting smaller at the beginning Knowing how your product can transform...

Do you know how to build trust? Talking Points Defining trust Pre-sale trust and post-sale trust Domain-specific trust How to project an image that elicits trust from the right kind of audience How consistency builds trust Why clarity is important Who should extend their trust first Building trust during sales calls Making an impression that inspires trust Designing a website that builds trust Mak...

Do you know when to say yes – or no? Talking Points Mile markers for when you want to say yes or no Knowing the difference between opportunity and distraction Creating a strategy for choosing yes or no Conscious yes How saying yes to the wrong things can spiral Outsourcing when you need to say no Recognizing the kinds of people you want to say yes to Recognizing what is and isn’t a good fit The ef...

Do you want to switch your niche? Talking Points Pivoting from one niche to another Avoiding customer confusion Building credibility with a new audience Getting recognized in the new niche How to handle audiences that don’t mix Handling social media during a pivot How to manage your website during a pivot Whether you can leverage your existing audience Opportunities to leverage the old business Qu...

Can you state your positioning in five words? Talking Points The single client need A minimum viable positioning statement Choosing a target market or ideal buyer that is specific enough Choosing the right language when describing what you do Describing outcomes that you know your clients will want Brand neighborhoods Getting new clients by focusing on a smaller segment Quotable Quotes “Basically,...

What are some practical examples of leverage? Talking Points Using your time in a way that it’s most valuable Paying to have work done so that you can focus on more important things Not giving up the things you like doing that are beneficial Setting up a standard operating procedure How to leverage getting on more podcasts Knowing what to delegate Billable hours Writing down your operating procedu...

Guest Todd Tresidder joins us to talk about generating wealth by creating leverage in your business. Talking Points How Todd came to start Financial Mentor Understanding compounding wealth 3 Primary asset classes How entrepreneurs and freelancers can use leverage Leveraging knowledge and experience Delegating tasks The freedom of having a structure The time leverage angle 10X exercises Scalability...

Relationships are key to being in an authority business. Talking Points How relationships manifest between clients and consultants Different ways of connecting with people The network effect You may be surprised by how willing people are to talk if you approach them the right way How connecting with one type of person can potentially open up a whole new branch of connections Helping other people c...

How do you decide whose voice to listen to? Talking Points How to develop filters that help decide who to listen to Figuring out where someone is coming from when they give feedback Responding to unwanted feedback When you should be open to new opinions Avoiding echo chambers When asking for feedback, make sure that you ask specific questions Giving graceful feedback The role of your spouse Quotab...

Should you build a course? How do you get started? Talking Points Once you create a course, it’s really hard to change it later Formulate a big idea and know your audience for the project Writing or speaking can help you get feedback on your ideas and help you get them into shape before creating a course Look into your options for where to develop the course Shorter courses are easier to sell You...

Do you know how to develop an authority mindset? Talking Points An authority mindset includes wanting to help others who need your expertise The difference between an abundance mentality and a scarcity mentality Knowing when to say no Listening more than you speak Pricing mindset Courage and confidence The courage to specialize in a specific niche Putting yourself out there Having a thick skin Eve...

Why “selling” shouldn’t be a dirty word. Talking Points Despite the pushy salesperson stereotype, most things are not sold to consumers in pushy way You can sell without acting like a pushy salesperson Words like marketing or negotiating are often more palatable than selling Selling is necessary, because people won’t just show up to buy unless you put in the effort Reframing the concept of selling...

Where are you on the spectrum? Talking Points It’s important to clarify for yourself why you’re offering speaking services The difference between a speaker and a consultant who speaks How speaking provides challenges for the speaker The differences between subject matter expert speaking and inspirational speaking The overlap between speaking skills and consulting skills How to know which things to...

Does your location matter? Talking Points Building trust online Competing online means competing globally Translating the skills needed to work locally to the skills needed to work remotely Going to meet-ups and conferences The best platforms for approximating in-person interactions online Content marketing Using video and audio Quotable Quotes “Going from virtual to in-person or vice versa – I th...

You have to know when to hold ‘em and know when to fold ‘em. Talking Points Signs that it’s time to kill off a product or service that you’re offering Differentiating between second-guessing yourself in the middle of a project and actually being ready to end the project Recognizing when a product or service that you’re offering is no longer making you happy Acting thoughtfully When changing things...

Are you ready to raise your rates? Talking Points Price points It can be easier for service providers to raise prices than for people who produce products to raise prices Hourly rates vs. price for a project Talking to clients about your rates How to raise rates with long-term clients How to quote per-project prices Pricing products instead of projects Pricing based on the benefits that you’re pro...

Meet David A. Fields, author, speaker, and consulting firm expert. Talking Points How David got into the consulting space David’s website redesign David’s books, and the difference between the first and second books David’s writing process How books work as a marketing vehicle How David pictured his book fitting into his business model The difference between traditional publishing and self-publish...

There are lots of ways to measure growth. Talking Points Not all growth is good Growth is often measured by the number of employees, but that may not be the best measurement Q Scores The difference between strategy and tactics Other ways to measure growth Progress vs. growth The importance of valuing yourself and your services Measuring growth by the number of clients Measuring growth by social me...

Is it a good idea to use tweets for testing? Talking Points Paul Jarvis’s experience testing with tweets Why you need to identify an audience before running with a project What to do if you don’t already have a large email list or Twitter following Why you need to be able to describe your idea in a sentence or tweet What the market is good at Why it can be helpful when your followers shut down you...

Today’s Guest is Paul Jarvis, designer, consultant, and author. Talking Points Paul’s background in tech and what he does now How Paul handles picking new projects and working with several different projects Paul’s testing process How to do things at scale without taking more time What Paul does with projects he no longer has time for How Paul attracts an audience for his projects Why Paul chose S...

Bestsellers don’t just happen on their own. What do you have to do to create one? Talking Points Big ideas Why you need to be entranced with your big idea A distinct point of view Delivering content that serves your ideal audience Build your email list Start building an email list a year before you launch Write the book that your audience wants or needs, but in your voice Approach where they are,...

How to find a marketing style that you feel good about. Talking Points A lot of people have a false impression of marketing and sales and dislike marketing and sales because of that. Marketing is a way of making a change in the culture It’s easier to notice bad marketing models because good marketing doesn’t feel like marketing Marketing should help people as much as possible for free Pushy hard-s...

Meet Chris Do, founder and CEO of Blind and The Futur. Talking Points Chris’s background The vision for The Futur Chris’s plan for funding his projects Growing from $17K to $1.6M in annual revenue in 4 years The benefits of using YouTube Whether content can stand on its own without design Motivation and intent When to work with other people and when to go solo What things can and can’t be outsourc...

What is the key difference between freelancers and business owners? Talking Points Freelancers are business owners, they just don’t always know it Freelancers end up spending their time working in their business instead of on their business The difference is a difference in mindset. To be a business owner, you will need to think like a business owner Freelancers who want to grow have to start thin...