I used to think imposter syndrome was just a concept to describe a reluctance to promote oneself, but apparently it’s a thing. And it turns out there’s more to it than just a reluctance to step up.

In this interview Suzanne Mercier enlightened me about how ‘insidious’ imposter syndrome is and the impact it has on us, particularly in business.

Suzanne is the founder of Purpose to Profit, a consultancy focussed on helping leaders find purpose in their work, and the author of Liberate Leadership - How the IMPOSTER SYNDROME undermines leadership capability and what to do about it. Suzanne came from a background in marketing and advertising, including being the first woman appointed to the board of George Paterson Advertising agency, before learning about the imposter syndrome in 2008. She has since made it a major focus of her work.

It’s a fascinating interview and will be of particular interest to anyone who sells or promotes their expertise, in any line of business. 

What imposter syndrome is - a deep-seated belief about your own worth or value

Personal uncertainty = self doubt

How we get disconnected from our talents and our abilities

The research dates back to the 1970s

70% of people have imposter syndrome

How Suzanne’s background in advertising let her to wanting to know more about the imposter syndrome

How men and women experience imposter syndrome differently

Why ‘fake it till you make it’ isn’t an option for men

How women suffer from perfection more than men, and how it affects their work

The gap between who you are and how you show up

How we change our perception of ourselves as we grow older

The difference between men and women when applying for jobs and developing their careers

Why Suzanne walked away from a board position in a leading advertising agency

Suzanne’s transition to running her own business

How the idea of competition affected Suzanne’s performance in her own business

How we compare ourselves unfairly with others

Unconscious behaviours of experts and thought leaders as a result of imposter syndrome

Reluctance to promote and reluctance to claim the title of an expert or thought leader

Minimum Viable Product - your path to avoid perfection

Perfection is a symptom of imposter syndrome

The impact of nature and nurture on how we present in the world

How we take things more personally than we need to 

The impact of criticism and labelling in our youth

The early warning signs of imposter syndrome - it’s hard to see

Suzanne’s public demonstration of imposter syndrome

How to detect when your inner dialogue is fuelling imposter syndrome

Your emotions are an important clue

Pay attention to how you speak to yourself

Procrastination vs publication

Fear of judgement and rejection

What to do when you detect you have imposter syndrome

A hack isn’t the ideal solution

Coping behaviours don’t serve you either

Connecting fears with beliefs

Claiming your strengths and successes

A daily process to assist with this

Finding your purpose to help overcome your insecurities

Changing your vibration or state

356grateful.com

How to work with Suzanne

Imposter syndrome and the ego

The state of low self esteem vs the trait of low self esteem

Suzanne Mercier Useful Links:

Suzanne Mercier on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/suzannemercier/

365grateful.com - http://365grateful.com/

Purpose to Profit - https://purposetoprofit.com.au/

Imposter Syndrome Quiz -  https://imposterhood.com/imposterhood-quiz

Suzanne’s book - Liberate Leadership - How the IMPOSTER SYNDROME undermines leadership capability and what to do about it 

Help Me Leverage Useful Links: 

Brett Jarman on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/brettjarman/

Help Me Leverage Website  - https://helpmeleverage.com/

Brett Jarman on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/brettjarman/

Brett Jarman on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/BrettJarmanDotCom/ 

Brett Jarman on Twitter - https://twitter.com/Brett_Jarman 

Brett Jarman Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3lnriUQ1A9a3RaDbwnRCEg 

Experts On Air Website - https://expertsonair.fm/ 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode I talk to Chandell Labbozzetta - NLP Practitioner, trainer, speaker, author and owner of Life Puzzle. We discuss the human mind, psychology and how we think and act, particularly in the context of business and sales.

Chandell battled her own mental health demons to become an accomplished salesperson, a leader of sales teams, and now a trainer, showing others how to adopt advanced communication and sales skills. 

She is the author of Confident Closing - Sales Secrets That Grew A Business by 400% in Six Months and How They Can Work For You!   

Can you add this paragraph to the show notes please?I read the book recently and was uplifted by the stories Chandell shared of how different personality types adapted once they knew more about what makes us tick. A read I highly recommend.

Chandell’s book ‘Confident Closing - Sales Secrets That Grew A Business by 400% in Six Months and How They Can Work For You!’ 

Sales is more about human nature than anything

What is the ‘itty-bitty shitty committee’ 

Business is 80% psychology and 20% strategy

Sales is the art of influence 

How to have a passion driven business 

The negative connotations of sales

Why there is so much angst around selling and sales

Money is just a certificate of appreciation

The psychology of selling and what NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) is

The importance of intention with NLP

The fear of objections when selling

How to practise NLP

How to know if you’re a confident closer

What confidence means to you 

The most underleveraged point in your business

How Chandell teaches the NLP processes 

It’s not about the information, it’s about the implementation

One of Chandell’s success stories, going from a 50% closing ratio to a 100% closing ratio

Perception is rejection 

Challenging your own assumptions

The Life Puzzle Philosophy

The importance of reflecting on your own behaviour

Chandell’s biggest achievement in business

Intergenerational mental health

Feeding salt to horses - an analogy for sales

Chandell's Links

Life Puzzle Website  - https://lifepuzzle.com.au/

Chandell Labbozzetta on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/chandelllabbozzetta/ 

Chandell’s Book on Amazon - https://www.amazon.com.au/Confident-Closing-Secrets-Business-Months-ebook/dp/B00S4A6PL6 

Life Puzzle on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/theLifePuzzle 

Life Puzzle on Twitter - https://twitter.com/TheLifePuzzle 

Life Puzzle on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/lifepuzzle_/ 

Help Me Leverage Useful Links: 

Brett Jarman on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/brettjarman/

Help Me Leverage Website  - https://helpmeleverage.com/

Brett Jarman on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/brettjarman/

Brett Jarman on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/BrettJarmanDotCom/ 

Brett Jarman on Twitter - https://twitter.com/Brett_Jarman 

Brett Jarman Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3lnriUQ1A9a3RaDbwnRCEg 

Experts On Air Website - https://expertsonair.fm/ 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Anyone in the business of selling their expertise knows that writing a book is a great way to build your reputation and authority.

A published book establishes your credibility as an expert and separates you from the rest in your industry. It also increases your chances of being invited as a guest speaker to industry events.

For all the advantages a book has though, it may be better for you to launch a podcast instead. The list is outlined below but listen to the full podcast for more details,

1 - A podcast is easier to start

2 - It's easier to speak and talk about your expertise than it is to write

3 - A podcast is quicker to publish

4 - There are more opportunities to 'launch' a podcast

5 - A podcast is more responsive to what's going on in the marketplace

6 - Podcasts are a great way to establish relationships

7 - People 'subscribe' to podcasts but don't subscribe to books

8 - Podcasts are syndicated to multiple platforms

9 - A podcast can be leveraged into a book

Of course if you can do both a podcast and a book, which you can do if you follow reason #9, then you can get the best of both worlds.

Help Me Leverage Useful Links: 

Brett Jarman on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/brettjarman/

Help Me Leverage Website  - https://helpmeleverage.com/

Brett Jarman on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/brettjarman/

Brett Jarman on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/BrettJarmanDotCom/ 

Brett Jarman on Twitter - https://twitter.com/Brett_Jarman 

Brett Jarman Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3lnriUQ1A9a3RaDbwnRCEg 

Experts On Air Website - https://expertsonair.fm/ 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Do you ever wonder where you sit on the business owner spectrum? You may be a business owner but there’s a thin line between successfully running a business and just being self-employed.

I interviewed Ben Fewtrell, co-owner of MaxMyProfit, who told me business owners who are merely their own employees is more common than you think.

Ben, along with his business partner David Carlin, runs the NSW-based company, whose detailed and comprehensive e-Learning programmes help Australian business owners build a better business.

The coaching business is based on the Business Exceleration™ Blueprint, a five-stage business growth system supported by an online hub of tools and resources.

Ben has been in the business coaching industry since 2001 after being involved in a franchise, and later branching out on his own to build a business with employees.

In this interview, he talks diversifying, building a business through social media and mastering the transition from delivery to leadership.

Topics covered in this podcast:

Things you didn’t know about Ben - his time in SagaCity

What’s the principle behind the Business Accelerator Blueprint?

The checklist for every business

The 5 stages of running a business

Helping business owners get back to doing what they love

Transitioning from self-employed to business owner

A book is your best business card

Building your business through social media - YouTube pros vs cons

Sideline business - landscape photography

Building authority with a Facebook Group - Business Brain Food

A blog post a day - building a rapport with guest bloggers

Ben’s a big fan of Gary Vaynerchuk

How Ben leverages his expertise

Creating YouTube content for B2B

Franchising the business - a natural next step

Finding the right franchisees

Franchise market response

Ben’s selective employment process

The dirty little secrets of the business coaching industry

Ben’s transition from delivery to leadership

Building a business for the second time

What would Ben do differently?

Useful Links: 

Ben's LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/benfewtrell/?originalSubdomain=au 

Ben's Website - https://maxmyprofit.com.au 

Ben's Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/maxmyprofit/ 

Ben's Twitter - https://twitter.com/MaxmyprofitAU 

Ben's YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCznDihIdwZcmwwKC-r7Ez5A/featured 

Help Me Leverage Useful Links: 

Brett Jarman on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/brettjarman/

Help Me Leverage Website  - https://helpmeleverage.com/

Brett Jarman on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/brettjarman/

Brett Jarman on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/BrettJarmanDotCom/ 

Brett Jarman on Twitter - https://twitter.com/Brett_Jarman 

Brett Jarman Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3lnriUQ1A9a3RaDbwnRCEg 

Experts On Air Website - https://expertsonair.fm/ 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What do you have to do to win an award as “Digital Person of the Year". When I came across Joe Purves’ profile on LinkedIn, which included mention that he was a winner of the AMY Award for "Digital Person of the Year" for 2017-18 it piqued my curiosity.

It sparked a conversation that ended up with me interviewing Joe for the Authority Accelerator podcast.

Joe’s profile describes him as ‘a curious and passionate digital creative professional, specialising in Responsive Websites, iOS Apps, Android Apps, TV Apps and Creative Campaigns’.

While he certainly is that, after our interview I can say that there is a lot more to Joe than ‘digital creative professional’.

I would add to that description, a tireless businessman with a knack for creating and leading teams to do great things. Joe and his team at Digital Media Group (DMG), which has now merged with Geronimo, another leader in digital media, is behind a lot of the apps that Australians use on an everyday basis, CommBank, ABC iview and Stan among others.

And despite his gruelling work schedule, Joe is a prolific networker. If you connect with him on LinkedIn, don’t be surprised if you get messages from him at 1 am. And it probably won’t be sent while he’s sitting up in bed on his smartphone. It will be while he’s on a break before he puts in another hour or two of work.

What we didn’t cover on the interview, but I do know to be true, are that Joe likes clean air, crayons, Photoshop and carrot juice with ginger. I’m with him on all of those except Photoshop (It does great things but I’d rather someone else drive it than me).

And Joe dislikes cold weather and Comic Sans. We agree on both of those!

I hope you enjoy the episode. Here’s a taste test of what we cover...

Bringing the right team on board to merge the business

The growth of Joe’s business and the surprise he had with how quickly and big they have grown

Joe delves into detail about how he was involved in mobiles before smart phones came out

The frustrations of working for mobiles before they became smartphones

Joe explains how he grew his team of 12

The different roles Joe played within his business and the importance of mentoring

Joe explains how he has never been a control freak but rather a collaborator

Joe’s true passion is in creation and design

The importance of having a strong client relationship and some examples of Joe’s clients

The product that will help change the world

The different industries that Joe’s client are

The agile and collaborative way Joe and his team work

Harmonising the business goals with user needs

Geronimo is designed for the people therefore they can span across different industries

The importance of a project manager within the business

When you isolate the client that’s when issues start to happen, have the client join you on the journey

How Joe copes with the volume of projects

Joe explains the importance of making sure they’re happy, healthy and connected

The challenge in building the right team

Flexible workplace

The ridiculous hours Joe has been working and his strategy for weaning those hours down

Why you have to see an app as a business

Joe Purves on winning ‘digital person of the year’

Joe’s motto is to design with purpose

Useful Links: 

Joe Purves LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/digitaldesigner/ 

Digital Media Global Website - https://www.dmg.com.au/ 

Help Me Leverage Useful Links: 

Brett Jarman on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/brettjarman/

Help Me Leverage Website  - https://helpmeleverage.com/

Brett Jarman on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/brettjarman/

Brett Jarman on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/BrettJarmanDotCom/ 

Brett Jarman on Twitter - https://twitter.com/Brett_Jarman 

Brett Jarman Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3lnriUQ1A9a3RaDbwnRCEg 

Experts On Air Website - https://expertsonair.fm/ 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On today’s episode, Jessica Rhodes and Margy Feldhuhn share insight on the podcasting world. Jessica started the world’s first podcast booking agency in 2013. Jessica was motivated to start a home-based business. Since starting, the business has grown from a virtual business to a full brick and mortar operation. Jessica started as virtual assistant booking people on podcasts. She soon realised booking was in high demand and she enjoyed that aspect most. Her business coach, her dad, taught her how to scale and create a brand and business around a service.

Jessica then created a team of virtual guest bookers. Two years ago, Margy joined as a booker. She then became the first full time employee. Now she is partial owner in the business.

In this episode, learn more about Jessica and Margy’s business journey, why Jessica flipped the business model and Margy’s journey from first employee to partial owner. Jessica and Margy speak about podcasts in general, business building and how to leverage clients.

Episode Highlights:

What is Interview Connections?

How did it start?

Timing is everything in business

Advantage of using a booking service

What a podcast interview booking agent does

What a One Sheet is and what is included on it

Shifting the mindsets of clients, breaking through the confidence barrier and putting yourself out there

Range of subjects guests cover

Success stories

Margy’s transition to partnership

Strategy calls

Womensplaining

Useful Links: 

Interviewconnections.com - https://interviewconnections.com/ 

Instagram @Womensplaining - https://www.instagram.com/womensplaining/ 

Rock The Podcast - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/rock-the-podcast/id923134962?mt=2 

Help Me Leverage Useful Links: 

Brett Jarman on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/brettjarman/

Help Me Leverage Website  - https://helpmeleverage.com/

Brett Jarman on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/brettjarman/

Brett Jarman on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/BrettJarmanDotCom/ 

Brett Jarman on Twitter - https://twitter.com/Brett_Jarman 

Brett Jarman Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3lnriUQ1A9a3RaDbwnRCEg 

Experts On Air Website - https://expertsonair.fm/ 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On today’s episode, Adam Houlan shares his social media insight. Adam is the CEO of a digital marketing agency and International Keynote Speaker specialising in Social Media for business. Adam has written three books; The LinkedIn Playbook, Social Media Secret Sauceand a collaboration with about 30 other authors called Better Business, Better Life, Better World. He is a social media expert, with an emphasis in LinkedIn. He lives in Gold Coast, Queensland and is considered one of Australia’s leading experts in harnessing the power of LinkedIn for business.

Adam believes one of the biggest problems is the myth that you can go online and pitch out an offer and your ideal clients will just flock to you. It doesn’t work like that. Many people are pitching all the time; pitching product, pitching services and pitching themselves.

Adam believes pitching is important but suggests spending more time on building relationships. People are on social media to be entertained or educated, not to buy. It’s about knowing how to appeal to people when they are ready to buy. Learn more about social media strategy, using social media as a business tool and how to optimise social media in this episode.

Episode Highlights:

Return on investment and social media

The biggest cost is time

All the work you do before determines the success

One successful campaign doesn’t equal a successful business

Algorithms change, people’s habits change

Social serving

It can be months or years before you are able to see ROI

Tangible and intangible aspects of ROI

Business mistakes people are making on social media

What is an influencer

Benefits of being an influencer

Useful Links

Adam Houlahan LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamhoulahan/ 

LinkedIn Playbook - https://www.amazon.com/LinkedIn-Playbook-Contacts-Customers-Connect-ebook/dp/B01LXSZKS9 

Adam's LinkedIn 4 Week Course - http://www.adamhoulahan.com/free-4-week-linkedin-course/ 

Adam Houlahan's Website - https://www.adamhoulahan.com/ 

Useful Links: 

Brett Jarman on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/brettjarman/

Help Me Leverage Website  - https://helpmeleverage.com/

Brett Jarman on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/brettjarman/

Brett Jarman on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/BrettJarmanDotCom/ 

Brett Jarman on Twitter - https://twitter.com/Brett_Jarman 

Brett Jarman Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3lnriUQ1A9a3RaDbwnRCEg 

Experts On Air Website - https://expertsonair.fm/ 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Team-based planning is something we work on with our clients at the beginning and end of

the year as a top and tail activity. But what exactly is team-based planning? Who’s involved? And what are the benefits?

Episode Highlights:

What is team-based planning?

What are the benefits of team-based planning?

How long should planning take?

Who's involved in team-based planning?

When do you carry out team-based planning?

What do you need to start planning?

What’s the difference between team building and team-based planning?

Help Me Leverage Useful Links: 

Brett Jarman on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/brettjarman/

Help Me Leverage Website  - https://helpmeleverage.com/

Brett Jarman on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/brettjarman/

Brett Jarman on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/BrettJarmanDotCom/ 

Brett Jarman on Twitter - https://twitter.com/Brett_Jarman 

Brett Jarman Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3lnriUQ1A9a3RaDbwnRCEg 

Experts On Air Website - https://expertsonair.fm/ 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Marketing and sales is a numbers game but often we pursue the wrong numbers. Social media In particular often diverts our attention from the real game, making sales, to a false game, chasing likes and shares, etc.

Likes and shares are great but in and of themselves they are meaningless. Hence why they are often referred to as ‘vanity metrics.’ And for a consultant or coach looking to build a business, they can often be a distraction. The prospect of something going viral and creating a flood of leads may sound attractive, but for most consultants or coaches, a flood of leads isn’t actually what you need. A handful of leads can often be more than enough up until you are truly ready to leverage.

Episode Highlights:

Why bother with Authority Marketing?

The number one objective of authority marketing is to create a body of work that shows you have substance and expertise.

Marketing and sales is a numbers game but often we pursue the wrong numbers.

Setting Expectations From Your Authority Marketing Efforts

The Real Measures of Success For Your Authority Marketing Efforts

Why Vanity Metrics Can Sabotage the Success of Your Authority Marketing

You don't need to reach a lot of people with your authority marketing efforts in order for it to be successful.

Help Me Leverage Useful Links: 

Brett Jarman on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/brettjarman/

Help Me Leverage Website  - https://helpmeleverage.com/

Brett Jarman on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/brettjarman/

Brett Jarman on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/BrettJarmanDotCom/ 

Brett Jarman on Twitter - https://twitter.com/Brett_Jarman 

Brett Jarman Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3lnriUQ1A9a3RaDbwnRCEg 

Experts On Air Website - https://expertsonair.fm/ 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Show notes

Thought leadership can be a scary prospect.

It’s one thing to know your subject matter well, but to call yourself a thought leader? That can seem like a stretch for most. After all, that spot’s already been taken hasn’t it?

This is why you might struggle to maintain momentum with your authority and content marketing efforts. There may be a handful of industry leaders who get all the attention so it seems like your efforts fall on deaf ears. It’s not an all or nothing game though.

Episode Highlights:

Exploring the idea of finding the ‘middle ground of thought leadership.’

What is a thought leader?

Thought leadership isn’t just for A-List players. It’s an incremental journey but you have to claim your space.

Why the Imposter Syndrome is Keeping You Trapped on the Serengeti Plains (and what to do about it)

Finding the Middle Ground of Thought Leadership. It can be pretty fertile territory and it’s there for the taking.

Is it too crowded at the top of your industry? Claim some space on the way to the top and watch what happens.

Still waiting for someone to tap you on the shoulder and call you a thought leader? Try tapping yourself.

Do you have the courage to call yourself a thought leader in your industry? Do you even need any courage?

Help Me Leverage Useful Links: 

Brett Jarman on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/brettjarman/

Help Me Leverage Website  - https://helpmeleverage.com/

Brett Jarman on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/brettjarman/

Brett Jarman on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/BrettJarmanDotCom/ 

Brett Jarman on Twitter - https://twitter.com/Brett_Jarman 

Brett Jarman Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3lnriUQ1A9a3RaDbwnRCEg 

Experts On Air Website - https://expertsonair.fm/ 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.