The Recognized Authority

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/

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

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

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

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

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

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

Most consultants have been told "you should write a book" at some point. But easy as that is to say, where do you start?

In this episode, Anne Janzer and Alastair McDermott discuss how to start writing your book, why writer's block isn't quite what people think it is, and how to think about success in relation to your book.

They also discuss how not to screw up your business emails, and why sharing failure is a generous act.

“Writing is a physical manifestation of deep thought, it's a chance to really dive down and think deeply. It gives you something that you're engaged with while you're thinking.” -- Anne Janzer

As authorities and experts in our specialist areas, we want our prospective clients to see us as competent, intelligent experts. But many of us are self-sabotaging and creating the perception of being less competent, less intelligent, having less expertise. 

In this episode, Norbert Schwarz and Alastair McDermott discuss how audio and video quality exerts a disportionate influence on the perception of the speaker and data being presented.

Bonus: get your free guide to looking and sounding better on Zoom and webinars. Download for free at therecognizedauthority.com/thatsoundsgood

“What we found was very straightforward: if your audio sounds better you seem to be smarter, you seem to be more likable, you seem to be a better scientist, and even your research seems more important.” -- Norbert Schwarz

The world is getting louder, more chaotic and it becomes difficult to hear your own voice amidst the noise around us.

In this episode, Dr. Carmel Finnan and Alastair McDermott discuss the importance of storytelling in communication, and how it helps in building your brand.

They also discuss how listening can play a major part in breaking through the noise.

“When we feel heard - when we as human beings feel another person has truly witnessed what we have said and taken it in - we will give that person our attention.” -- Carmel Finnan

“Make it personal. The whole point of storytelling is to personalise our communication, to start talking to each other as human to human.” -- Carmel Finnan

“You're just a human being connecting with another human being. Use that as your guideline when you think of storytelling and when you think of communication.” -- Carmel Finnan