The Recognized Authority

How do you give yourself the maximum chance of winning your ideal clients? What are the characteristics of clients that you are uniquely able to help? How do you know if your messaging is right?

In this episode, Emily Omier and Alastair McDermott discuss the differences between strategy, positioning and messaging, how to get more referrals, and how to make it easier for your clients to make a purchasing decision.

They also discuss being authentic, contrarian and developing a point of view.

“If you can't say what your product is in under eight words, you have a positioning problem.” -- Emily Omier

🗒️ Show Notes 🗒️

Access all the links mentioned in this episode in the show notes here: 

👉👉 https://therecognizedauthority.com/accelerating-revenue-growth/ 👈👈

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For consultants, traditional marketing can often feel like an inappropriate tool for the job. In fact, sometimes it even feels like we're screaming into the void. But what's the alternative?

In this episode, Michael F. Schein and Alastair McDermott discuss how to use hype to grab attention, create curiosity, and build a tribe of like-minded people. They cover some fundamental strategies to achieve your business goals, including lessons from rock stars, cult leaders and business "celebrities".

They also discuss working on your point of view, networking, and why doctors recommended bacon as part of a healthy breakfast!

“I went out and I learned everything there was to know about SEO and funnels and the latest social media tools, and it didn't help me much at all.  What I realized is that people have things in the reverse order: marketing should be anything that gets you up to bat to make sales.” -- Michael F. Schein

🗒️ Show Notes 🗒️

Access all the links mentioned in this episode in the show notes here: 

👉👉 https://therecognizedauthority.com/marketing-is-for-morons/ 👈👈

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As a consultant, it can often be difficult to be seen as meaningfully different from your competitors. Every consulting firm has  - or claims to have! - smart people, great methodologies and tools, and every website talks about how they can solve complex business problems in a variety of industries. So how can you stand out from the competition?

In this episode, Shannyn Lee and Alastair McDermott discuss why positioning is crucial to your consulting business, why people fear positioning, and how your perspective and ideology helps differentiate you from your direct competitors.

They also discuss how experimentation can help you find what energizes you, the different business models for consulting firms, and why they are happy to be a training organization!

“Positioning is fundamental business strategy, it affects everything that happens in the day to day of your organization. When you're well positioned, you're very clear about every move that you choose to make, or anything you choose to walk away from, and there are lots of benefits that happen as a result.” -- Shannyn Lee

🗒️ Show Notes 🗒️

Access all the links mentioned in this episode in the show notes here: 

👉👉 https://therecognizedauthority.com/why-positioning-is-crucial/ 👈👈

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⭐ Like what you heard? Please help share the podcast by leaving a rating & review

🤗 Connect with Alastair and The Recognized Authority:

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In this episode reposted from Philip Morgan's The Self-Made Expert Podcast, Alastair and Philip discuss what the journey to authority looks like, why you should cultivate expertise, and how publishing develops your thinking.

They also discuss when authority matters, how you know if you have authority, and the importance of specialization in building authority.

➡️ Learn more about Authority Labs: https://therecognizedauthority.com/authority-labs/

🗒️ Show Notes 🗒️

Access all the links mentioned in this episode in the show notes here: 

👉👉 https://therecognizedauthority.com/journey-to-authority/ 👈👈

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✉️ Subscribe to the email list at TheRecognizedAuthority.com

🎙️ Record a question or voice message for the show at TheRecognizedAuthority.com/question

⭐ Like what you heard? Please help share the podcast by leaving a rating & review

🤗 Connect with Alastair and The Recognized Authority:

➡️ LinkedIn ➡️ Twitter ➡️ YouTube

LinkedIn can be a fantastic source of leads for consultants, but there's a lot of noise on the platform, especially since the start of the pandemic. 

In this episode, Louise Brogan and Alastair McDermott discuss how to do lead generation on LinkedIn without spamming people or burning yourself out.

They also discuss Louise's specialization journey and how she niched down to just LinkedIn.

“That is where you get business on LinkedIn - you don't get it out on the newsfeed, you get it in the messaging inbox.” -- Louise Brogan

“Stop thinking of LinkedIn as a lead making machine, and start thinking of it as a place where you go to build a valuable network of contacts.” -- Louise Brogan

🗒️ Show Notes 🗒️

Access all the links mentioned in this episode in the show notes here: 

👉👉 https://therecognizedauthority.com/using-linkedin-for-lead-generation/ 👈👈

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🎙️  Record a question or voice message for the show at TheRecognizedAuthority.com/question

⭐ Like what you heard? Please help share the podcast by leaving a rating & review

🤗 Connect with Alastair and The Recognized Authority:

➡️ LinkedIn ➡️ Twitter ➡️ YouTube 

When we first start our consulting business, very often we come in with a specific idea of how it's going to look, what our services are going to be, and how we're going to sell them. But the great advantage of being independent is the ability to change the rules, to choose a business model that suits us as an individual. 

In this episode, Chris Williams and Alastair McDermott discuss the different business models that an independent consultant can choose, from high-ticket strategy projects, to coaching to group offerings, implementation projects and even hybrid options.

They also discuss how to have more fun and make more money in business! And of course, they talk about the importance of specialization!

“Folks, if you've not already figured it out by now: market specialization, niching down, picking out your avatar, your customer profile -- whatever you want to call it -- is so important.” -- Chris Williams

“You've got to own your expertise and believe it first, that's where that's where it all starts. And then all of a sudden you can get a vision for where it can go.” -- Chris Williams

🗒️ Show Notes 🗒️

Access all the links mentioned in this episode in the show notes here: 

👉👉 https://therecognizedauthority.com/choosing-the-right-business-model/ 👈👈

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✉️ Subscribe to the email list at TheRecognizedAuthority.com

🎙️ Record a question or voice message for the show at TheRecognizedAuthority.com/question

⭐ Like what you heard? Please help share the podcast by leaving a rating & review

🤗 Connect with Alastair and The Recognized Authority:

➡️ LinkedIn ➡️ Twitter ➡️ YouTube

There are different stages to growing a consulting business: the strategies you adopt when you're getting established can be different to those you use to scale later. 

Several weeks ago I attended a marketing conference called The Uprising, an event run by Mark Schaefer. I spoke with many of the attendees and speakers. One of the people I met was Alisa Meredith, and when we spoke, she invited me to come on to her live stream to talk about growing a consulting business. 

This is our conversation, which covers topics from referrals and positioning, to pricing and product ladders. 

My thanks to Alisa for having me on her show, and allowing me to use it as a podcast episode here!

“In terms of the number of clients that I need, I'm standing under the Niagara Falls with a small glass I need to fill up. 

If there's somebody next to me filling their glass, it's not going to hurt me.” -- Alastair McDermott

“If you're starting a consulting business, try to build up a nest egg of cash first. That gives you the power to say no to bad projects. 

You've got to get yourself into the situation where you can say no to poor fit projects as quickly as possible.” -- Alastair McDermott

🗒️ Show Notes 🗒️

Access all the links mentioned in this episode in the show notes here: 

👉👉 https://therecognizedauthority.com/grow-your-consulting-business/ 👈👈

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✉️ Subscribe to the email list at TheRecognizedAuthority.com

🎙️  Record a question or voice message for the show at TheRecognizedAuthority.com/question

⭐ Like what you heard? Please help share the podcast by leaving a rating & review

🤗 Connect with Alastair and The Recognized Authority:

➡️ LinkedIn ➡️ Twitter ➡️ YouTube

The path to authority is a route to creating leverage and value beyond simply billing for your time. Authority allows you to work with clients who energize and inspire you, it allows you to stop pitching and instead have sales conversations with pre-sold clients and buyers.

In this episode, Rochelle Moulton and Alastair McDermott discuss Rochelle's new book "The Authority Code" where she outlines how to position, monetize and sell your expertise.

They discussed the importance of having a vision in finding your niche, building your authority and knowing your audience or customers.

“The limit to your price is the value that you create for your clients.” -- Rochelle Moulton

“You have to embrace your vision, not just for your authority, but for your business. Vision is where you get to be selfish, you get to say "this is what I want to do out in the world.”" -- Rochelle Moulton

🗒️ Show Notes 🗒️

Access all the links mentioned in this episode in the show notes here: 

👉👉 https://therecognizedauthority.com/position-monetize-and-sell-your-expertise/ 👈👈

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✉️ Subscribe to the email list at TheRecognizedAuthority.com

🎙️ Record a question or voice message for the show at TheRecognizedAuthority.com/question

⭐ Like what you heard? Please help share the podcast by leaving a rating & review

🤗 Connect with Alastair and The Recognized Authority:

➡️ LinkedIn ➡️ Twitter ➡️ YouTube 

There is a direct connection between niching down and earning more money.

In this episode, Geraldine Carter and Alastair McDermott discuss positioning and specialization.

Geraldine outlines the direct connection between your specialized positioning and your ability to command higher fees.

They also discuss pricing new service lines, and how consultants tend to undercharge significantly.

“Underpricing is by far the number one pitfall when creating packaged services. When I work with my clients, and they tell me what they're going to charge for a certain thing, it's typically under by half, sometimes three times.” -- Geraldine Carter

“The more focused your position is in the marketplace, the easier it becomes for you to understand how to add value to your clients' businesses. You deeply understand where they get stuck, you start to see the patterns. You provide more valuable solutions faster, so your value goes up. And when your value goes up, your prices can immediately follow.” -- Geraldine Carter

🗒️ Show Notes 🗒️

Access all the links mentioned in this episode in the show notes here: 

👉👉 https://therecognizedauthority.com/charge-more-by-niching-down/ 👈👈

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✉️ Subscribe to the email list at TheRecognizedAuthority.com

🎙️  Record a question or voice message for the show at TheRecognizedAuthority.com/question

⭐ Like what you heard? Please help share the podcast by leaving a rating & review

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Podcasts are rapidly growing in popularity in the B2C and B2B worlds with Joe Rogan and Spotify leading the drive. There's a lot of advice about podcasting available online, but much of it is missing an important nuance that applies to experts and consultants who are on the path to authority.

In this episode, Joe Casabona and Alastair McDermott discuss the realities of starting a successful podcast, pitfalls you need to avoid, and how to demonstrate your expertise to your audience.

They also discuss how much production and editing is needed to meet the quality bar, and how to pitch yourself to podcasts as a potential guest.

“Your goal in establishing authority is to get people to know, like, and trust you. And podcasting is a pretty intimate medium. Most people are listening with headphones, maybe they're doing something else, but they're mostly listening to you. And so it's an easy way to establish that trust.” -- Joe Casabona

🗒️ Show Notes 🗒️

Access all the links mentioned in this episode in the show notes here: 

👉👉 https://therecognizedauthority.com/increase-your-reach-with-podcasting 👈👈

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✉️ Subscribe to the email list at TheRecognizedAuthority.com

🎙️  Record a question or voice message for the show at TheRecognizedAuthority.com/question

⭐ Like what you heard? Please help share the podcast by leaving a rating & review

🤗 Connect with Alastair and The Recognized Authority:

➡️ LinkedIn ➡️ Twitter ➡️ YouTube