The Business of Authority

The difference between sales and marketing—and why both are necessary to run a sustainable authority business.How aligning sales with your values allows you to sell in line with who you are (and avoid those slimy sales tactics we all hate).Why one part of successful consultative selling is reserving your right to say no—that this client, this work is not the right fit.When your prospective clients arrive with different mindsets about their presenting problem that have nothing to do with you.How successful consultative selling makes your ego disappear as you put yourself in service to the client’s vision of the future.Quotables“You don’t have a business if you don’t sell stuff.”—JS“Marketing is creating demand. Selling is closing the deal.”—RM“If you don’t like sales, then you’re gonna have a problem running your own business.”—JS“Are you reacting to what’s coming in or are you going out and killing what you eat?”—RM“Sales mode is not synonymous with trying to close the deal. We’re talking about a potential engagement here, but either one of us can walk away from it.”—JS“Know that they (people who enter your sales stream) come in with ideas and expectations that have nothing to do with you…along with what they think might be possible with what they’ve seen of you.”—RM“I’m the type of “shopkeeper” that is perfectly happy to send somebody to the shop across the street if I think they’ll find what they want over there.”—JS“In the best consultative selling, your ego goes away. Your client feels that you are there for them to succeed.”—RM LINKSRochelle | Email List | LinkedIn | Twitter | InstagramJonathan | Daily List | Website  | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | Twitter 

Why providing services (vs. products) may be where you start your business, but not where you necessarily stay.The impact of turning services into products—leverage—on your business and revenue models.How to package your expertise in new ways so that the delivery is inexpensive—and morph your client/audience base to reflect the change.Dealing with the identity shift that happens as you morph your role away from 100% supplying services.Thinking about your business model when you’re starting “clean” with a brand new idea.Quotables“The fundamental proposition here is that services are really expensive to deliver…you’re forced as the seller to set your price high enough that it’s worth doing.”—JS“If you’re selling expensive services—maybe you have 3-5 clients in any given year. But to do something where you’re selling a $300 product or a $700 product, you’ve got to have a lot more people in your pipeline who can buy this, so it changes…who you reach out to and how you deliver.”—RM“You write your first book and…monthly or quarterly out of nowhere you get a check—it’s a completely different kind of money.”—JS“You might find you’re making trivial income from a book, but it’s powering non-trivial income from speaking—which makes you look at your revenue mix (how you’ll make money).”—RM“Package your expertise in a completely different way—it’s the same expertise—but you’re packaging it in such a way that the delivery is inexpensive.”—JS“As you as you do each “thing” you’re gonna learn who is your ideal audience for this thing. What do they have in common? What about this makes it really attractive to them?”—RM “Part of the benefit of doing these little experiments…is it gives you time for your identity to catch up with your brain.”—JS“Once you start to see leverage, it’s kind of hard to unsee it.”—RM LINKSRochelle | Email List | LinkedIn | Twitter | InstagramJonathan | Daily List | Website  | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | Twitter 

Why getting clear on the critical path your clients and buyers travel with you may be the single most important thing you do.Defining the singular purpose of your emails and automation.Not getting ahead of yourself with “fancy” automation and why keeping it simple will pay dividends.Making more sales through your email automation by meeting your buyers where they are and helping them solve their problems.Another way to think about your “cold” subscribers and when/how to let them go.Quotables“There are two trigger points in any purchase: one is the intent and the other is motivation.”—JR“The faster you can understand your audience base and who your customer is, the faster you can make a sale, the faster you can help them and the faster they become repeat customers.”—JR“Segmentation is understanding a group of people and who they are at the level where they’re all the same…and being able to tailor their experience according to that.”—JR“What’s your critical path? When somebody comes in, what do you want them to go to next, what do you want them to buy first, what do you want them to buy second, what do you want them to buy third…then figure out what those conversion points are.”—JR“That daily (or weekly) blast or broadcast or newsletter has a single purpose: and that’s to offshoot people into your next step…I always call it the “tell me more” campaign.”—JR“If you’re selling virtual workouts, don’t give recipes as your lead magnet.”—JR“It’s best to write all of these things (how you want the automation to flow) out in a document first and then apply them into the platform second.”—JRLinksNurtureKit Jason on Twitter LINKSRochelle | Email List | LinkedIn | Twitter | InstagramJonathan | Daily List | Website  | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | Twitter 

Why being the Pharmacist is a frequent first stop when you start a business (but needn’t be the last).When operating as the Nurse is the perfect fit—working on a standardish process with clients who want to understand what’s happening and participate in the outcomes.How combining high levels of creativity and innovation with very little client interaction makes for the unique marketing and branding challenges of the Brain Surgeon.Why operating as a Psychotherapist means balancing some Brain Surgeon wisdom with serious collaboration skills—and how to market to clients who want to be intimately involved in the problem solving process.How to decide which engagement style makes the most sense and whether switching your focus might be the right next move. Quotables“Compare the interaction you’ve had between a nurse and a pharmacist…the level of attention they bring to bear is noticeably different.”—JS“I don’t think there is any one profession that always falls into one of these buckets, it’s how the professional decides to position themselves and work.”—RMThe nurse will understand a whole bunch of lingo but hopefully they won’t deploy that on the patient and the patient can speak their normal sort of non-medical terms.”—JS“If you have the misfortune to need a pediatric neurosurgeon, you probably don’t care so much whether they talk to you in the way that you want—you probably care more that they’ve done the kind of surgery your child needs.”—RM“When you kind of just care about your craft—you’re consumed with your craft—then the positioning is to be recognized as the best in the world at this thing that somebody cares about but doesn’t want to do themselves.”—JS“Depending on where you fall (in this model), you’ll want to design everything else around that—your marketing, your branding, how you make money within your business model...”—RM“A brain surgeon is not going to send direct mail postcards and blanket a neighborhood or put flyers under your windshield wiper.”—JS“You want your voice—which is part of your brand and your marketing—to match your engagement model. You don’t want to sell someone on being a pharmacist and then oops—you’re acting like a brain surgeon.”—RMLinksThe Anatomy of a Consulting Firm Managing The Professional Service Firm True ProfessionalismThe Trusted Advisor LINKSRochelle | Email List | LinkedIn | Twitter | InstagramJonathan | Daily List | Website  | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | Twitter 

Getting hyper-clear on what you most value from each specific relationship.Considering the degree of collaboration you’re looking for (and how to avoid micro-managing).Choosing wisely when you have a high risk/high reward, bet the business situation.Ensuring the people on your team “get” your business and your vision while sharing your essential values. Quotables“The best way to see how nuts hourly billing is is to pay someone hourly for a little while.”—JS“Part of being the client is getting clear on how you want to work and how you’re going to measure your happiness.”—RM“The way to be the leader is to act like the leader…a leader would say no to way more customers than you’re taking on. A leader would be the most expensive—by 50% at least—that’s going to make you look like the leader.”—JS“When you are the client, you still have the responsibility to choose someone who’s going to work well with you. You’ve got to use your spidey sense.”—RM“The danger is when the risk is very high the person who is taking the risk can get very hands on at…the worst possible time.”—JS“It’s really important that you know that they (your providers) know what you want.”—RM“If you want someone to hit a home run for you, you need to define where the wall is so they can aim for it.” —JS“It’s relatively easy on the front end to decide if you could trust someone. You can look at their website, you can see how they talk, their testimonials…and you get that sense for how their values and their style connect with yours.”—RM LINKSRochelle | Email List | LinkedIn | Twitter | InstagramJonathan | Daily List | Website  | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | Twitter 

Why getting to selling transformations is a process and the multiple ways to move yourself further along the curve.The elements of selling transformation—from positioning the outcomes you deliver, understanding your client’s definition of a home run and ensuring their buy-in to the process.Moving from being a master of your craft to fostering transformational outcomes in your ideal client base (including mustering up the courage to make the shift).Mapping what satisfies your clients to what satisfies you—and vice versa.Building transformations into your business model—how you work, what you deliver and how you get paid.Quotables“When you get to the phase where you’re focusing on transformations, not coincidentally you’re also to the point where you can start value pricing for projects.”—JS“It’s really tough to get to transformations if the client is telling you what to do.”—RM“It’s a mindset shift…where all of a sudden you start to notice what’s happening in the other people involved and you aren’t just thinking ok, here’s my punch list of to-do’s for today.”—JS“We think ‘I’m gonna sell you on how smart I am’ but really what we’re selling is the transformation of the client—the outcome.”—RM“Saying ‘here are all the answers, see ya later, bye’ doesn’t work.”—JS“You start to say oh—so I did that, I did this great thing but that client put it on a shelf. But this client used it and then told me how great it was. What’s the difference between those two?”—RM “It’s more likely you’ll produce raving fans if you know what the outcome is that they’re looking for.”—JS“Helping a client think through all the strategic “stuff”—the picture of where they’re going and the why plus all the outcomes—is a gift you give the client. Even if they don’t hire you.”—RM LINKSRochelle | Email List | LinkedIn | Twitter | InstagramJonathan | Daily List | Website  | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | Twitter 

How to think about “good” marketing so that you naturally build it into running your business.Why your big idea—your mission—gives you everything you need to always be thinking with a marketing mindset.Thinking about marketing as helping other people with your brand of wisdom—in ways and on platforms that suit you, your audience and your message.Why sharing your biggest insights is a far better strategy than holding onto them for a select few.How to scale your marketing to serve both your audience and your business.Quotables“You don’t see good marketing and you do see bad marketing.”—JS“Marketing is fun! It’s sharing your expertise and your mission—the transformational change you want to make in your audience.”—RM“If the people whose condition you can improve don’t know you exist then you can’t help them.”—JS“What we want to do with good marketing is to get an emotional response in our audience.”—RM“Don’t keep anything back—share your biggest insights.”—JS “Identifying your mission and the outcomes you want is critical to making your marketing work...what’s the transformation you want to make in your audience?”—RM LINKSRochelle | Email List | LinkedIn | Twitter | InstagramJonathan | Daily List | Website  | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | Twitter 

Getting started with an email list—how to write, what to write, where to write (and how to know when you’re ready to begin).Growing your list and deciding what moves to make if your list growth stagnates.The power of collaborating—appearing on other podcasts for example—to grow your audience.How to use launches—both free and paid—to grow your list.Top strategies and tactics to reliably grow your list—from using lead magnets to live digital events (and how to avoid the social media trap).Quotables“Email has got the best combination of features for someone who’s trying to grow an audience and be perceived as an authority.”—JS“People for the most part are thoughtful and kind and sometimes they’ll give you an atta boy or atta girl just when you need it. And other times they’ll give you a perspective you just hadn’t thought of.”—RM“There are two factors (about sharing other platforms): the size of their audience and their compatibility—how open they are to your particular message.”—JS“When you have a good editor (of a media site) they’re protecting the voice of the outlet. But make no mistake—you’re working for them for free.”—RM“The structure of a webinar—and the expectation when you sign up for a webinar—is that you’re gonna be giving your email address.”—JS “When you do these kinds of free challenges—whether they’re audio, video, writing, with or without a slack channel—they will increase your email subscribers.”—RM LINKSRochelle | Email List | LinkedIn | Twitter | InstagramJonathan | Daily List | Website  | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | Twitter 

The role of your strategy in deciding whether something is a distraction or an opportunity.Why it’s worth your time to determine the motivation and mindset behind the people approaching you with ideas.Aligning your goals with the ongoing decisions you need to make to keep delivering and funding your mission.When saying yes to distractions becomes a form of procrastination (and how to kick the habit).Knowing what’s a good use of your time and convincing yourself to stick to your own rules.Quotables“At the end of the day, strategy is the litmus test that would separate…distraction and opportunity.”—JS“If you feel like someone is sweet-talking you..look to their materials—their website, social media handles—and get a sense of whether they’re me-focused or other-focused.”—RM“If it can’t fail, it’s not a strategy.”—JS“You have to decide what you’re going to get out of this so you’ll know if it’s a distraction or an opportunity.”—RM“You have a goal, you decide how you’re gonna get there—and if you change how you’re gonna get there, then you’re making a strategic change and that should be a big deal.”—JS “You have to allow yourself the ability to stick to your path.”—RM LINKSRochelle | Email List | LinkedIn | Twitter | InstagramJonathan | Daily List | Website  | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | Twitter 

Pursue intimacy at scale.Only create value that can’t be easily copied.The price you charge should match the value you provide.Fewer passionate customers are better than a lot of indifferent ones.Passion is a story.Never be in the commodity business, even if you sell what other people consider a commodity.Quotables“In our world…authority and expertise businesses, when I hear intimacy at scale I immediately think podcasting.”—JS“Let’s agree that price has to be about value—value is external and our job is to find out what clients value so we know how to price what we’re offering.”—RM“If you find people you like and you find out what they want and you help them get it, there is value there. So then all you have to do is figure out how much they’ll pay.”—JS“The important thing is that there are enough people in that niche that you can make a living doing what you love.”—RM“Dry data is not what people need...data is not effective at generating action.”—JS“You have a set of beliefs (your point of view) and you’re imparting them to people in as many different ways as you can think of so they get what you’re trying to say and they stick with you.”—RMLinks:*The Passion Economy Podcast **The Passion Economy Book * LINKSRochelle | Email List | LinkedIn | Twitter | InstagramJonathan | Daily List | Website  | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | Twitter 

Why passion alone isn’t enough—we also need rigor and hard work to build a successful Passion Economy business.Rethinking your client base as a very tight, intimate group, because fewer passionate clients beat a lot of indifferent ones.How to get clear on the unique value you bring to your clients—and weave that into your business model (and marketing).When letting go of non-ideal clients is essential and how it changes the dynamics of your work.Why pricing should be a dialogue between you and your client vs. a static thing (and why a “shocking” price may be exactly what you need).Quotables“What do you want to be worried about at 3 in the morning—cause you’re gonna be worried at 3 in the morning if you’re an entrepreneur.”—AD“The passion word should convey: I’m going to put me and the wholeness of me into how I make a living. It’s a strong choice. It’s not a trivial choice.”—AD“The rest of us have to use the tools of scale, use the tools of digital communication…to find our intimate group, to find our tiny village even if they’re thinly spread all over the world.”—AD“You don’t want to be the same. You want to say I do this one thing and I do it really well and 99% of people have zero use for it, but there are people who will love it.”—AD“You want to become THE brand for your micro niche.”—AD“1/3 of your customers…are costing you money...if you actually add up the time and how much you’re making, you’d be way better off doing new customer development—or just sleeping.”—AD“It’s the stuff you’re thinking about when you’re doing the pitch that is often the most valuable. You’re looking at this company, you’re sizing them up, you’re taking in what they’re asking and then you’re really coming up with a big strategic vision…the value you’re adding is often front-loaded in that pitch.”—AD“Price really should reflect a dialogue between you and your customer. That customer is getting unique value from you. What is THAT value?”—AD“What if I doubled my prices tomorrow—what would happen? That probably for most people will provoke a crisis.”—ADLinks:The Passion EconomyTwitter LINKSRochelle | Email List | LinkedIn | Twitter | InstagramJonathan | Daily List | Website  | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | Twitter 

How “pop-up rules” can replace traditional etiquette and avoid social awkwardness.Hosting as a “generous authority” to protect, equalize and connect your guests (and the power of exclusion).The value of a cold open.How creating “good controversy” can lead to powerful experiences and decisions.The importance of preparing people vs. preparing things.Quotables“The pop-up rules are so important because they tell us how to behave—what’s acceptable behavior just for that gathering.”—RM“Having the rules of the road and being the host who calls party foul—that’s what allows people to get into the experience.”—JS“We have the power to design these gatherings…to make them really meaningful.”—RM“Exclusion is key to creating a good event…if the guest list isn’t really curated it creates a different dynamic.”—JS“As the host of a gathering, your job is to be a generous authority.”—RM“You give them something to stick around for, so that the end is a community experience.”—JSLinks + ResourcesThe Art of Gathering Priya’s Newsletter: Text GATHER to 66866Instagram Twitter LINKSRochelle | Email List | LinkedIn | Twitter | InstagramJonathan | Daily List | Website  | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | Twitter 

Why there is no such thing as being “too busy” to give your attention to the most important things in your life.Discovering the energy that comes from completing essential work (and the thrill of eliminating the unnecessary).Defeat resistance before it starts.How to keep investing in yourself and your business, even with a heavy client load.Quotables“When I finish a bunch of my stuff—I have like 15 things on my daily list—all in the morning, the day feels very different…it feels like I have a free day.”—JS“When we leave an employer, we tend to take our habits with us…we work that many hours whether we need to or not.”—RM“I have my to-do list open everywhere.”—JS“Part of dealing with procrastination is re-wiring our brains.”—RM“It’s so much easier to create a habit that’s daily.”—JS“Once you make something a habit…you don’t have to think about it.”—RMLinksThe 4 Hour Workweek Atomic Habits Getting Things Done The War of Art Indistractable Outer Order, Inner Calm The Power of Habit LINKSRochelle | Email List | LinkedIn | Twitter | InstagramJonathan | Daily List | Website  | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | Twitter 

The mindset—and preparation—you need to leave a corporate job and build a successful consulting business. Why consultants willing to develop an entrepreneurial skillset are more likely to create a sustainable business.The role of leverage in growing your revenue, while decoupling it with your time.How to build and run a highly successful business while traveling the world (or raising your family, practicing your art or any other personal ambition).Why deciding to ignore limiting beliefs is the first step to creating a sustainable business.Quotables“Develop content and get those ideas out there. Don’t wait, even if you are employed right now.”—MZ“Look at all the different people around you—colleagues, your boss, vendors, suppliers…and try to invest in those relationships now. ”—MZ“Productizing parts of your offer allows your clients to get great benefit and value without your direct involvement.”—MZ“Get very clear about the lifestyle you want…then figure out the right business model and the right strategy and the right approach to create the lifestyle you want.”—MZ“People making the transition from corporate to consulting have a limiting belief: that they have to do what they’ve seen others do.”—MZ“Complexity doesn’t scale.”—MZLinksConsulting Success Consulting Blueprint LINKSRochelle | Email List | LinkedIn | Twitter | InstagramJonathan | Daily List | Website  | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | Twitter 

The role of early goal setting in propelling Carrie from mastering triple pirouettes to a world tour with Mariah Carey.Working through transitions to break into your next business level—and the signs when a transition is hovering.Taking the pressure off making money on your dream by keeping up other income streams.Carving out a niche for your business while also building a personal brand.Making Instagram work to grow your business without letting it take over your life (and how to use it to provide bona fides for your referral sources).The value of giving yourself grace while you’re chasing your big dreams.​Quotables“I always kept my side hustle…if I could take the energy and the power away from having to make money off my dream…then it left this creative space and it kept my mind clear.”—CL“Finding your niche is paying attention to what’s getting you hired. How is your brand being pushed out there—what is the thing that people hang onto?”—CL“If we’re showing our faces (on Instagram)…we’re showing that little clip of what we did this weekend, it makes us trustworthy, like someone can actually reach out and have a conversation with us.”—CL“It’s accepting that lane that you’re in (your niche) and then focusing on that lane and becoming the authority within that lane.”—CL“Early on, I was taught a few things and one of them was to always say yes when an opportunity comes your way in the area of what you want to do.”—CL“It’s keeping the faith in those middle moments (between transitions) where you feel like the floor is coming out from underneath of you—remembering back to why you started it.”—CL “Communication and building relationships within the areas of your expertise…is just as important as being an authority.”—CL LinksWebsiteInstagramTwitter LINKSRochelle | Email List | LinkedIn | Twitter | InstagramJonathan | Daily List | Website  | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | Twitter 

Why the power of your expertise—arguably the key skill of a consultant—pales in comparison to the “softer” powers you’ll need to make sure your advice sticks.How to think about the types of power you hold as a consultant.Using your power to move client projects forward while building your business.When the power-forward, speed-based mode of consulting is more efficient—but less effective.Figuring out which person(s) on your project is the skeptic—and engaging them in the process so you win them over.The role of generosity and charisma in building relationship power.Quotables“The power of expertise doesn’t work if you don’t get your expertise used. Consulting skills are a form of power that you wield when you use them well.”—RM“People in the hierarchy have their own personal goals that may or may not align with the overall project goal.”—JS “Sometimes that person who’s really quiet is actually undermining every thing you’re doing.”—RM“If you don’t have buy-in, when you’re gone they’re just going to switch back to the old way.”—JS“When we start working collaboratively, our ego tends to get tamped down…we sublimate our ego in service to the project.”—RM “If the way the team wants to do it is going to get them to the goal and they’ll feel ownership over it, that’s probably more important than you jamming your beautiful design down their throat.”—JS LinksBuy In Impro LINKSRochelle | Email List | LinkedIn | Twitter | InstagramJonathan | Daily List | Website  | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | Twitter 

How to create memorable digital content and leads that build a pipeline of future clients/customers.What role does social capital play on the road to authority?Positioning yourself to value price engagements when your projects don’t have an end date—and you’re currently charging hourly or by retainer.How to apply positioning in the context of music and musicians—is this process different when dealing with an “esoteric” specialty?What do you see ahead for The Business of Authority as you hit 250 episodes in 2022?Quotables“Show up with a posture of service and just help people. Turn strangers into friends and just genuinely care about helping—and do it as much as you can for free.”—JS“You build social capital with your audience, i.e. the people that you resonate with…it’s about figuring out who your people are and building social capital with those people.”—RM“The first thing you have to ask yourself is "am I going to be an artist or a business person?” because it will cause you to make different choices.”—JS“You’ve got the opportunity—because you really understand your audience and the struggles they go through—to render them a unique service.”—RMLinksHow To Make It In The New Music BusinessYour Music And PeopleKevin KellyGot a question for us?Do you have a question that you'd like us to answer on the show? We'd love to hear from you! Email a voice recording to Jonathan at [email protected] and we'll add it to the queue. LINKSRochelle | Email List | LinkedIn | Twitter | InstagramJonathan | Daily List | Website  | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | Twitter 

How to build a financial and emotional runway from your current job to freelancing.Using difficult or turbulent times to build a new business.Starting with a niche—and fine-tuning it after your first year of consulting.Getting clear on your best clients and the right conditions to deliver your best work.How to learn the two most important skill sets to run your consulting business (and neither one is your technical prowess). Quotables“The issue that people wrestle with here is risk mitigation…what can I do to decrease this perception of risk?”—JS “Everyone has a different risk tolerance for having money in the bank or not having money in the bank.”—RM “To get someone on a mailing list…there needs to be a value proposition.”—JS “Experimenting with a side hustle…gives you an opportunity to try out different audiences to see what space you play in best.”—RM LinksFlawless ConsultingThe Trusted Advisor E-Myth Revisited LINKSRochelle | Email List | LinkedIn | Twitter | InstagramJonathan | Daily List | Website  | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | Twitter 

The birth of Startup Pregnant (which led to Startup Parent) via a book proposal that led to a podcast that led to a business.Turning a podcast into a money-making endeavor on your terms (hint: pitching people you know with a compelling story).The power of connecting one-to-one vs. one-to-many—and how to build it into your routine without interrupting your flow.The deep need for community among parents as the nature of work changes, society and parenting norms evolve and the pandemic creates new pressure on mothers especially.Getting paid to do research as a way to fund your mission.Quotables“The lessons we learn from parenting are so powerful and presence-inducing. It’s very humbling to realize that maybe you don’t have control.”—SKP “Friday is my marketing day. I have a project called Friday marketing, and one of my tasks is texting 20 people—because we just want to catch up…it’s really fun and all it takes is a tiny bit of instigation.”—SKP “Underneath it all, connection is one on one. So it doesn’t matter what platform you’re using. If you’re on Facebook, if you’re sending a message to one person, if you’re doing a common thread that’s kind and generous with one person, that’s connection. Everything else is consumption.”—SKP “We don’t have to do things the way they’ve always been done. We can create the future we want to see.”—SKP “Everyone thinks that information or a strategy or a process or a template is the thing they’re selling, but the true value for almost every program they’re selling is the connection.”—SKP “If you can’t do a big project, do a small project. Do what you can with the time you have.”—SKP LinksStartup Parent Sarah K. Peck LINKSRochelle | Email List | LinkedIn | Twitter | InstagramJonathan | Daily List | Website  | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | Twitter 

The signs you’re ready to start pitching to media.Identifying the right media for you today—bloggers and podcasters, niche media and name brand digital and print outlets.How to think of and treat journalists to capture their attention and get your message heard.The role of media attention in building your authority and your business (hint: it is often NOT a straight line).Deciding which success criteria matter most and how to use them to guide your decisions and attention. Quotables“One sign that you know you’ve got something is where you have a hook to a really hot story. There are times—and 2020 is one of them—where there are only two or three really hot stories.”—RM“You need to be measuring something—even if it’s intangible…know WHY you’re doing it (pitching media) or you’ll feel like you’re shouting into the void.”—JS“When it comes to authority…we want our name associated with our ideas, and that means media.”—RM“The “trick” is to look at media as a potential long-term relationship and you just start helping—you develop a posture of service.”—JS“Sometimes you have a favorite publication and you realize they don’t cover your topic at all or they do it in a way you think is insufficient. Pitch them!” —RM“If my strategy is to get a monthly column in a big publication then I’ll pick different outlets to reach out to than if my success metric was to increase the number of my email subscribers.”—JS LINKSRochelle | Email List | LinkedIn | Twitter | InstagramJonathan | Daily List | Website  | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | Twitter 

What kind of pricing model would you recommend to a consulting agency that has traditionally relied on a retainer model?How do you think international business and economics can and should impact pricing? I’ve seen agencies price certain fixed cost products lower in certain countries to make them more accessible.How should small businesses consider reorienting their offerings within the current economic situation? Is now the time to be moving toward industries that are profitable or focusing on industries with high value problems to solve?Do you have any specific tactics or strategies to get customers on the phone and ask them questions that will help you get insight into the problems they’re experiencing so you can better position and market yourself?What are your thoughts on vertical vs. horizontal positioning and what sort of marketing would you do with either one of them?Quotables“For a recurring model, I like to go with an advisory retainer where you’re not doing execution, but making yourself available at the drop of a hat to answer questions.”—JS“You want to make sure that you’re not giving away so much that you can’t stay with the mission.”—RM“Help people you like get what they want. I’m not a fan of chasing opportunity. I like opportunity to come to me.”—JS“Who do you want to help succeed, who do you want to transform…and what’s that particular transformation that you make in a way no one else does. There’s your power.”—RMLinksEmail RochelleEmail JonathanThe Introduction GameCeleste Headlee TEDx 10 Ways To Have A Better ConversationGot a question for us?Do you have a question that you'd like us to answer on the show? We'd love to hear from you! Email a voice recording to Jonathan at [email protected] and we'll add it to the queue. LINKSRochelle | Email List | LinkedIn | Twitter | InstagramJonathan | Daily List | Website  | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | Twitter 

When it makes sense to write a proposal and when to take a pass.The role of the sales interview in writing your proposal.How to capture the essence of the outcomes you’ll deliver in non-jargon (and avoid weasel words).Enticing your clients to actually read your proposal and learning to anchor high with the value you’re delivering.Adopting the posture of an expert and carrying it through in your proposal.Quotables“If you do a good job in the sales interview the proposal writes itself.”—JS“Every human being wants to be heard. So when you read a proposal and you go “Oh my God, they get it”…it’s huge.”—RM“Imagine that your contact is going to take your proposal and show it to their spouse or their CFO or their Board…it needs to be thoroughly 100% clear to a 10 year old.”—JS“Clients will tell you a low (budget) number and a newbie tries to hit that number. That’s the mistake.”—RM“Budget doesn’t matter…it’s is a made-up number that they (the client) based on a self diagnosis.”—JS“Consulting: you’re not an employee, they (the client) are not directing you. You are leading them to the promised land.”—RM LINKSRochelle | Email List | LinkedIn | Twitter | InstagramJonathan | Daily List | Website  | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | Twitter 

This week on TBOA, Rochelle and I talk about the importance of knowing how to get your clients to shout “Heck, yeah!”Talking PointsWhat your website is forWho your website is forWhat you want to happen in the first second a visitor lands on your pageThe importance of knowing the language of your ideal buyerWhat to do if niching down on an ideal buyer feels too riskyQuotable Quotes“If your site isn’t getting you leads, it’s broken. It might as well be down.”—JS“It’s really hard to decide what to say when you don’t know who you’re talking to.”—JS“It’s not about you. The client is the hero.”—RM“One attention grabbing headline can make all the difference.”—RM“Lots of people misuse Simon Sinek’s ‘Start With Why’ concept.”—JS“If you can articulate your client’s problem better than they can, they’ll assume you have the solution.”—JS“I know when people reach the right level of specificity because the words start flowing.”—JS“I’ve almost never encountered someone who was too niched down.”—JS“Before you give up on the niche, revisit your messaging.”—RM“There’s no way around it. You need to have conversations with your ideal buyers and REALLY listen to what they say.”—JS“To grow your business, listen to your ideal buyers and then speak their language.”—RMRelated linksSimon SinekAmy HoyPhilip MorganLaura ElizabethWe want you to be a part of our 150th episode!We’re planning a special episode for #150 and you can have a chance to participate! Just record your question and send it to me at [email protected] and if it’s chosen, we will play your question and answer it on the show.Yours,—J LINKSRochelle | Email List | LinkedIn | Twitter | InstagramJonathan | Daily List | Website  | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | Twitter 

We're planning a special episode for #150 and you can have a chance to participate! Just record your question and send it to either of us and if it's chosen, we will play your question and answer it on the show. Evaluating the continuum from leading (like say thought leadership) to exploring in your space.How to know when to explore vs. when to lead.When “busy” feels productive, but is instead keeping you in exactly the same position—neither exploring nor leading.Deciding where on the exploring vs. leading continuum you want to be (for now).Making choices to give you quick wins while still playing the long game.Quotables“Exploring is about welcoming synchronicity, coincidence, luck and connection.”—JS “You might have phases where you explore…maybe your business model isn’t working so you decide to pivot and you open yourself up to ‘what other things could I do?’” —RM “You don’t have to have the map—you can make the map as you’re going. ”—JS “We naturally gravitate to different points on the spectrum. Even if right now you’re in an explore phase, that doesn’t mean that’s where you’re going to stay.” —RM LINKSRochelle | Email List | LinkedIn | Twitter | InstagramJonathan | Daily List | Website  | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | Twitter 

What is scope and when do you talk about it with your client?How to make it clear that you’re a consultant, not an order taker.Scoping with (and without) value pricing.The relationship between mastery, value and scoping.Shifting from doing full implementation to strategy and project oversight (hint: it starts in the scoping meeting).Quotables“Push it back to: what is the desired business outcome here or the transformation you’re looking for?”—JS “You can feel good about your services at a lot of different price points.” —RM “It’s super important to scope last and not go into the sales meeting assuming that you need to find a way to convince the client to pay you to do your thing.”—JS “We can all find a way to strip off the things that we really love and focus on just selling those.”—RM LINKSRochelle | Email List | LinkedIn | Twitter | InstagramJonathan | Daily List | Website  | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | Twitter 

Note: We're planning a special episode for #150 and you can have a chance to participate! Just record your question (QuickTime is great for this), send it to either of us and if it's chosen, we will play your question and answer it on the show.What to do when your audience growth stalls—or worse.How to shake things up when you’re out of content ideas—and discerning the difference between a dry spell and when you need to make real change.When someone keeps “beating” you—and you’re feeling like you’re in the shadow of a competitor. Hint: perception isn’t always reality.Dealing with a true revenue plateau—including how to decide which signs and metrics to pay attention to.What to do if your ideal prospects just don’t get what you’re selling or when they’re comparing you to the wrong options.Quotables“If you’re going on other podcasts or you’re doing livestreams with someone else and it’s just not moving the needle, then you have to start asking yourself: maybe my message needs to be refreshed or changed.”—JS “When you’re out of content ideas, you’ve to fill the well. And that isn’t fingers poised over your keyboard…you have to go do something else.” —RM“We all have our idols—the people we look up to. But that doesn’t mean our businesses and how we take our messages to market should look the same.”—RM“The way out of (prospects not getting it) is all about conversations—optimizing for conversations. Having as many conversations—virtual or otherwise—to see if people’s eyebrows go up or down.” —JS LINKSRochelle | Email List | LinkedIn | Twitter | InstagramJonathan | Daily List | Website  | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | Twitter 

Note: We're planning a special episode for #150 and you can have a chance to participate! Just record your question (QuickTime is great for this), send it to us and if it's chosen, we will play your question and answer it on the show. What happens when you get so attached to a specific outcome that you become blind to other possibilities?How to get to those epiphany moments that will open you up to experience a break-through.Building resilience by looking to your past experiences and applying your existing learning.How to find the tools, resources and role models to create extraordinary outcomes, even when the deck is stacked against you.Using serendipity to push your agenda forward (and the plus side of a coffee addiction).The benefits of getting engaged in your various communities across geographies.Quotables“It’s never a full 180 (pivot)—there are always whispers, signs, intuition leading up to that. ”—KS “I’m fueled by being in service to the world. So that’s what I do when I’m in one of those pits.”—KS“I was going to take those boys by the hands and guide them to the greatness that I knew they were destined for.”—KS “I learned to develop relationships—not just asking for, but giving first.”—KS Related LinksWebsiteThe BookTwitterInstagramFacebook LINKSRochelle | Email List | LinkedIn | Twitter | InstagramJonathan | Daily List | Website  | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | Twitter 

How to think of innovation when we talk authority businesses.Warning signs it may be time for you to innovate.How to deal with and ride the wave of a sea change—in the world, technology, attitudes, your industry.Acting on the cues that it’s time to innovate.Incorporating innovation into your business model and routines.Quotables“Innovation is the opposite of resting on your laurels.”—JS“Part of innovation is you’re testing the premise you already have and you’re asking where could it be better—where could I improve this?”—RM“How does this create a new opportunity for my people that I could broadcast or share with them or some insight on what this makes possible for them?” —JS “It’s understanding what your value is and finding the market that will pay you for that.”—RM LINKSRochelle | Email List | LinkedIn | Twitter | InstagramJonathan | Daily List | Website  | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | Twitter