The Authority Builder Podcast

You became an entrepreneur to achieve financial freedom. But, says CPA and financial advisor Maddie Brown, too many business people have a mindset about money that ensures that will never happen.

If you neglect your financial records.

If you’re not sure how – or how much – money flows from customers to your pocket.

If you blame the economy or other “outside forces” for problems.

If you’re always on the lookout for IRS letters.

If you’re afraid of looking at or even thinking about your finances.

Then you need Maddie’s advice…now. (It’s a judgment-free zone.)

In the interview, we discuss…

• The E+R=O equation for achieving your biggest goals
• How to know if you need a new CPA (many businesses do)
• The only way to overcome setbacks
• Using “proactive” accounting to boost revenue
• The question you must ask yourself about your business now
• And more

When you’re struggling in business, whether you’re having trouble getting started or you’ve plateaued, the tendency is to blame yourself. But that way of thinking could be the root of the problem, says business transformation expert Nina Cooke.

Until she adopted the right mindset, Nina struggled in her corporate career and as an entrepreneur – even though outwardly she had “made it.”

She reveals the switch she made that allowed her business to thrive and for her to be much happier on a personal level… and how you can take steps to experience the same transformation.

We also talk about…

• Why everybody isn’t going to like you – and that’s okay
• Avoiding the fake beliefs that hold you back
• How to listen to yourself to discover what you really want
• A simple technique for eliminating self-doubt
• And more

You start a business… you run it successfully for decades. But, asks Molly Grubb, what’s your exit strategy?

The nightmare scenario – you get to the end and don’t have a sellable business or one you can pass on to the next generation.

Molly helps people avoid that situation.

Try this exercise: If you took a two-week vacation with no contact with your business… what would happen?

If the prospect has you running scared… you won’t be able to sell. But Molly has some solid tips for creating an exit plan, which you should be working on right now.

We talk about…

• How to minimize your tax obligation when selling your business
• Avoiding tasks that waste time and suck energy
• Solving the two problems business owners struggle with most
• A painless process for delegating
• And more

Listen now…

You have goals for your business (hopefully). A good first step.

Let’s kick it up a notch, says Scott Beebe, and create your vision. It’s the only way to get what you really want out of your business and your life.

Scott, founder of My Business on Purpose, outlines seven things that you must consider when putting together your vision. All these elements work together to create a plan for you to follow and give you the motivation to get it done.

You already have your vision, Scott says. You just need help pulling it out of your head.

To that end, Scott offers up a free Vision Tutorial during this episode.

Tune in to find out…

• How to be realistic but ambitious with financial goals
• The North Star you need when things get tough
• What you should be asking yourself before work each day
• The unexpected value of outside perspective
• And more

It’s clear that if you’re marketing products or services online (and who isn’t these days), video has to be part of your strategy, says Jason Hsiao, co-founder of Animoto, an intuitive video creation platform. And here’s why…

Market watcher Tubular Insights has found that 64% of consumers make a purchase after watching a branded video. And 51% of marketers surveyed by Insivia say video is the content with the best ROI.

Video boosts leads and sales for every type of business.

Sure, it can be intimidating. But Jason has some simple tips to create professional looking videos with content you already have. He also shares some great free resources - so stick around until the end.

We also talk about…

• How to stand out in social media with your videos
• The 5+ most effective video formats
• The 2 most intimidating things about video – and how to conquer them
• Taking advantage of the “humanizing” effect of video
• And more

In all of our work with clients, there’s a theme…

And I believe it extends to virtually all businesses…

The theme? That you’re sitting on, and ignoring a valuable asset in your business.

Your existing database of prospects.

The story of leads generated, then forgotten is an epic tale of missed opportunity and lost profit in business.

Why?

Because it’s damn hard to follow-up consistently.

In fact, three big barriers tend to freeze most people before they ever get started…

1. Writer’s Block - As the kid’s say…The struggle is real! Trying to figure out what to say in a newsletter, a simple follow-up email, a LinkedIn message, or even a voicemail keeps many professionals from ever following up.
2. Being Boring - Boring follow-up is almost the same as not following up at all… ‘cause your boring follow up won’t be read. :-(
3. Being a Pest - We all know that it’s hard to annoy a prospect into become a paying client. And you run the risk of being mightily pest-like if you show-up with self-centered, ill-conceived, or salesy follow-up.

So, most business owners just punt and do nothing.

Yet, they’ll work tirelessly to fill the pipeline with new leads. (The single most difficult and expensive activity in business.)

Today, in Part 3 of our podcast “mini-series” on escaping the curse of being “the best kept secret in your market” we bring it all together…

Today, I’ll show you how to take what we covered in Part 1 and Part 2, to create “forever follow-up” that does the most important thing you need to have before a sale is made…to create trust.

And I’ll explain how to do it without ever putting quill pen to parchment or even mousing-over the Microsoft Word button on your laptop.

P.S. After you listen to this episode, take a deeper dive into this topic so you can get it working in your business over at our new mini-site: sellingprofessionalservices.com

This is Part 2 of our podcast series on escaping obscurity. Today, I share the 3 secrets to creating momentum in business development.

Most people look around and see the “overnight” successes that are popular in the business press and on the web, and think that’s normal.

The truth is that there is no such thing as an overnight enduring success.

All enduring successes in business have a foundation under them, built up over years.

The foundation acts like a flywheel and creates momentum that becomes unstoppable…

The trick is creating the momentum.

In today’s episode I share how to do that (and the one key ingredient that’s hiding under your nose).

Listen here…

And, if you’ve not gone there yet, you’ll want to visit sellingprofessionalservices.com—a new site where we’ve collected our best thinking on, well…selling professional services. We cover more than what I could share on today’s podcast.

-Steve Gordon

P.S. If you missed Part 1 of this series get it here.

P.P.S. Stay tuned next week…I’m going to show you how to package up everything from the first two episodes and use it in your firm.

An old friend once told me there are two types of prospects…

The ones you know, and…

The ones you don’t know.

While that’s trite and true, I think it’s better said this way…

There are prospects that know you, what you do, and when to call you…

And ones that don’t know you exist.

The fundamental problem in business is figuring out how to move people from “don’t know you exist” to “know when to call.”

That’s the escape from obscurity.

And, if we’re honest, very few businesses make it out of obscurity.

They don’t die. They stay in business (often for decades), but never reach their potential.

They stay “the best-kept secret” in their market.

Today’s episode begins a 2-part deep dive into creating your own escape plan from obscurity.

Listen now...

-Steve Gordon

P.S. We’ve created a new mini-site where we’ve published our blueprint for escaping obscurity. Check it out at sellingprofessionalservices.com

Whether you’re in startup mode or trying to get to the next level, personal and business finance expert Jordan Goodman has some solid advice what to do and what *never* to do with your money.

There are some funding sources out there that would have been unheard of just a few years ago, including some that you *must* stay away from.

It might surprise you to learn you can also contact creditors, ask them to reduce your debt, and… they’ll do it happily. A perfect solution when you’re going through a rough patch.

Tune in to find out…

• The best place to put your cash for an 8% return – it’s definitely not the bank
• The unique way crowdfunding works for small businesses
• An easy process to make debt “disappear”
• Why you might qualify for Storybook Lending
• And more

Too many professional service providers feel uncomfortable selling, says Brian Greenberg. But you can be a trusted advisor and do right by your clients – and still market yourself effectively.

For Brian, that means selling without selling. We unpack what exactly that means and how to do it so you land more new customers and make more money while marketing more efficiently (that means you get to focus on what you love to do).

Stick around until the end – Brian gives away a free audio version of his book… and there’s a contest (closely linked to this episode’s topic) to win another great freebie.

Check out the interview to find out…

• How to do business ethically and transparently – and leverage it
• The question you must ask yourself when making any decision
• The single best way to secure the right reviews for your business
• The power of “barnacle SEO” and the best way to implement it
• And more