The Likeable Expert Podcast

It's Friday the 13th.  And while a black cat crossing your path may signify bad luck, a blue penguin carries no such baggage.  So listen on safely...

Long-lasting, instant results are terrific. The problem, and particularly where growing a business is concerned, is that you tend to get one or the other.  In today's podcast I explain why relationship building is worth the wait. 

Do you lie awake at night wishing you were more charming?  Would you like to take an all expense-paid vacation to the South Pacific?  Are you reluctant to publish content out of concern for what others might think?  I totally can't help you with the first two, but the third ... listen on for more! 

In today's podcast we talk about the importance of figuring out a simple, consistent way of explaining what you do - and then memorizing it so you can use it at a moments notice.

It's 2015, a year whose digits add up to the number 8. That's just one more than the number of days in a week. Coincidence?  Anyway, today we talk about networking and relationship-building, and how approaching this in a slightly different way can have tremendous value for your business.   

Today's podcast is the last of the year. Read it and then feel free to shut down until January 1.  In the meantime, today we talk about the value in specifying whom - exactly - you'd like to work with. 

One of the toughest parts of selling is knowing who's ready to buy. What if, however, your sales approach didn't depend on that knowledge?  Intrigued? I can't say that I blame you. Listen for more.

There are a lot of t hings you can do to imporove your marketing.  Today we talk about just one.

It's Halloween, but you know what's even scarier? This is the 350th edition of this podcast and you haven't listened to them all.  Today we talk about squaring off against large competitors. It can be scary ... for them I mean. Read on as I offer some suggestions for outmaneuvering the big guys (get your slingshot ready). 

Today we talk about writing. And, in particular, how small changes can have a big impact on whether or not you are heard! 

I know you're working hard to make your business grow. But I also see you hesitating, waiting until everything is just right to launch that new web site, roll out that new program or make a change you've been considering.  Today's podcast focuses on the importance of moving steadily and quickly on the road to solo professional success. 

Today we talk about the importance of consistently describing who you are and what you do - a rarely urgent and therefore often overlooked aspect of your marketing. 

Today's podcast, based on a recent experience I had while traveling, offers two suggestions for plugging two (or more) holes in your marketing. 

Today's podcast discusses the power of being who you are when marketing. Specifically, the benefits of highlighting the fact that you are a solo professional and not a larger firm.   

Today's podcast talks about selling things to people that they already want to buy. In my experience, that makes finding clients a whole lot easier. 

Often, in life, there is one factor that accounts for much of the difference between success and failure.  When it comes to getting the clients and work you want, that one factor is a narrow niche.  

Word of mouth is an important (maybe the most important) part of how solo professionals find great clients. Using it to your advantage, however, requires an understanding of how it works.  Today's podcsst offers two specific suggestions for improving your words and mouths.   

For many solos, the scariest part of being in business for themselves is the risk of failing.  Today's podcast encourages you to focus less on the risk and more on the potential gain. 

For many solo professionals, selling is a troublesome topic. We know, of course, that it's necessary. Nonetheless, it often feels, if I may, icky.  Today's podcast talks about the value of questioning, both in improving your sales results and in removing the ickiness. 

Today's podcast, you'll be disappointed to learn, isn't funny. But it is, for a change, useful.  A few months ago I made a big change to the format of my newsletter. Today, and now that I have enough experience and data with the switch, I explain why and share the results. 

The problem with marketing in the 21st century is that there are too many options.  In light of that, today's podcast offers a suggestion. Four of them, actually.

There's a lot of talk these days about the need for "super-short" content. I don't buy it. Today's podcast explains why. 

Taking charge and sharing a point of view can be intimidating. But it's what distinguishes experts from the crowd.  Today's podcast offers some suggestions on why and how you need to step up as the expert you already are. 

You can learn a lot by following the lead of big companies. You can make some big mistakes too.  Today's podcast offers a case study of sorts to demonstrate what not to do when communicating with clients and others. 

If you're like most solo professionals, you know a lot more than you give yourself credit for (shame on you).  Today's podcast offers some suggestions on how you can sell those insights, and in a way that will thrill both you and your clients.