The Business of Authority

Are you ready to construct your new normal? Talking Points How to prepare yourself for the recovery from this phase Taking your own new normal and your clients’ new normal into account Re-evaluating decisions and expenses Giving yourself permission for things to change Finding new niches and opportunities through being helpful Questioning assumptions Make time to really listen to what people are s...

How are your habits changing? Talking Points How a change in routine can end up having an effect on your habits Habits are about long-term goals Anchor habits Taking an inventory of daily habits Maintaining a sense of control with self-control How personal routines can pay off in your business How bad habits emerge during uncertain times Being more conscious of bad habits Habits that lead to a hea...

What can you do right now to build trust with your clients, buyers and audience? The Trust Equation to measure your trustworthiness How to become more trustworthy Why we and our clients are more emotional right now What to do when you feel the desire to put your head in the sand How to increase your intimacy with your clients Making generous offers (including risky gifts) What’s the “right” way to...

What you need to hear before you cut your fees. Talking Points Why you might be considering cutting your fees right now Why you should avoid making assumptions about your clients’ needs and financial standing Having the conversation with your clients Avoid making decisions out of fear Change is going to happen regardless Getting clear about your value Products with the least personal investment Wh...

What’s your implied promise to your market? Talking Points A listener question from episode 100 (the Seth Godin episode) What your buyer is paying for Less tangible value-adds How brand relates to trust The “one-firm” firm Maintaining consistency Your implied promise Meeting client expectations Quotable Quotes “The premium piece, the over and above part of the fee, is the part that they’re not pay...

How positioning plus pricing equals profits. Talking Points The concept of value pricing Price vs. hourly rate Setting acceptable prices Paul Newman’s Rolex How to differentiate yourself from the competition so that price isn’t the only distinction How big corporations choose between different prices How positioning affects your leverage Ways to set prices How your prices can rise over time Having...

  What to do when your business is unsellable at the moment Staying client focused while so much remains in flux How to apply your skills to the new reality your clients are in now Avoiding a hoarder, everyone-for-themselves mentality Why helping clients and your audience is your best path forward Avoiding sounding “tone deaf” in your communications Stepping up and being a leader for those you ser...

How can you prove your authority? Talking Points What evidence of authority looks like Client testimonials Clients talking you up Social media following Regular speaking gigs Getting big guests on your podcast Having a published book Focusing on interviewees that your target audience will recognize Third-party validation from a trusted brand Building relationships with major players in your field...

When does prospecting build authority? Talking Points What prospecting means for an authority 3 different pivots When prospecting is the perfect play Shifting to a different audience Techniques for getting your message out Being a good listener Being interested in order to be interesting Getting feedback that starts conversations How to ask for feedback How reciprocity helps build a network Practi...

What’s the V-word? Talking Points Vision shame Where the confusion around vision comes from Imagining the way the world could be if your big idea comes to fruition How your mission relates to your vision The big V and the little V Your values How vision helps you filter out distraction and keep moving forward Changing outcomes for the future How to articulate a vision Finding the vision in the sto...

What three questions should you ask yourself during the sales process? Talking Points Why you need to answer some questions yourself during the sales process What resources you need to serve the client Calculating how your time and costs are incurred on behalf of a client Whether the job allows you to work from your genius zone Knowing when to say “no” to working in a different way Knowing how to...

Do you know the difference between branding and positioning? Talking Points Understanding branding Stories, actions, and visuals Narrow or broad focus Positioning as a first step Not being limited by your existing skills Learning new skills When branding becomes critical Being intentional about your branding Telling your story your own way Personal brands Figuring out which stories and visuals wil...

Are you making time to write? Talking Points Jonathan’s plans for 2020 Doing more work without being a workaholic Why Jonathan created a Slack channel Making the time to write Writer’s block Developing and sharing your point of view Honing your ideas and your audience Focusing on the transformation of your ideal audience Making a commitment to write Thinking of writing as giving The importance of...

Can you be an introverted authority? Talking Points Adam Grant’s book Giver and taker personalities in sales Why givers make more sales When people want someone to be dominant and when they want authorities to connect as humans Authenticity Putting ego aside Methods of giving things away The evolution of business practices Otherish Finding a way to give while also getting your own needs met Quotab...

Are you in the best position as a soloist? Talking Points The definition of positioning April Dunford’s components of effective positioning Positioning people vs. products Focusing on the clients that already love you How a soloist can think about forming a positioning team Positioning vocabulary Charting your point of view Alternatives and competitors Listing your true competitive alternatives Ta...

Do you know how to position your product or service? Talking Points April’s background Why positioning is important What positioning is Email for lawyers Problems caused by weak positioning How solos can identify positioning problems Choosing criteria that ensures clients will be happy in the end Positioning the business itself versus individual offerings How publishing a book affected April’s inb...

Do you know how to sell confidence? Talking Points When clients are buying confidence The availability of ideas The link between trust and confidence Choosing who is going to be a good fit When clients don’t have confidence in themselves How trust factors in Building your authority so that they know who you are Corporate coaching Parachute consulting Building trust without face-to-face meetings Un...

Listen to Joe Jacobi, winner of our five in five challenge, talk about the art of a good start! Talking Points Joe’s background Whitewater canoeing The progress from winning a gold medal to performance coaching How lingo can obstruct a good dialogue Translating your belief system to client transformations When Joe started writing and coaching What Joe liked about the five in five challenge Whether...

How well do you know your audience? Talking Points Translating what you do into the language of your audience Knowing your goal Picking an audience Learning what your audience is talking about Speaking to your audience in a way that gets your message across Where to find audiences who are talking about the problems you want to solve Locally focusing Conversations in service of a mission Using the...

Is selling subscriptions for you? Talking Points How subscription services became mainstream Applying the subscription model to a services firm The Porsche passport Consider what the buyer is actually buying with a subscription service Buying an experience instead of a product The types of clients who would be interested in a subscription service The safest type of service to sell by subscription...

Are you ready to move from execution to strategy? Talking Points How to get out of execution when you get stuck 3 layers of strategy What would cause someone to want to move from execution to strategy When the client suggests features that won’t work How to sell and price strategy Opportunity cost Separating clients who are interested in strategy from those who aren’t Why people in the strategy sp...

Get ready to specialize! Talking Points Focusing on a smaller market may seem counterintuitive, but establishing a niche works Horizontal specialization It’s easy to think of horizontal specialization first Pitfalls of thinking too much about yourself Consider training Platform specialization How platform specialization differs from horizontal specialization Piggybacking off of a platform’s market...

Who do you need on your team? Talking Points The different categories of assistants you need The right hand How many of the things an assistant could be doing are you doing yourself? Your cheerleaders Your drill sargeants Coaches Peer groups A few sages Growing through reading books, listening to podcasts, and finding personalities that communicate in a way you understand Binging on content Crosso...

What can you do when your niche turns into a rut? Talking Points Are ruts always bad? What to do when you feel stuck Narrowing your niche may help you get out of a rut Importance of picking the right niche How to identify the group that you’re trying to serve Looking beyond the edges of your rut Your unique twist on your specialization Thinking more broadly about your skills Being adamant about bo...

Are you wrestling with imposter syndrome? Talking Points Why you feel imposter syndrome Using your fears like a compass The authority mindset Taking feedback Recognizing when something is a learning experience Deciding what’s best for your audience and how to have the maximum impact Feeling uncomfortable is a sign that you’re going in the right direction The confidence that comes with overcoming i...