If you earn a living based on your expertise – the advice, skills, and knowledge you use to help others – you need to become an in-demand authority so you attract more of your ideal clients.
That’s the key to achieving the income and lifestyle you want.
Ideally, you want to attract clients who:
- Are fun to work with
- Pay higher fees
- Follow your advice
- Keep coming back
- Refer others
The same principles apply to all types of thought leaders and experts such as:
- Consultants, coaches, authors, and speakers
- Healthcare professionals like doctors, dentists, chiropractors and therapists
- Financial and legal professionals such as lawyers, accountants, financial advisors and realtors
The Pressure to Undervalue
Experts in different fields face similar problems that cause them to earn less than they should and help fewer people:
- They struggle to stand out from the competition and to attract and keep clients, patients, or customers
- Their prospects and clients are focused on price – they want it cheaper or won’t make the investment needed
- They predominantly get paid for the time they work rather than the value they add
- They find it tough to allocate time and resources to marketing – either because they can’t find the time or they don’t want to sell
- Their flow of new customers, clients, or patients is unpredictable and they spend too much time on one-off or short-term projects
Why It Doesn’t Apply to Some
At the same time, many experts seem to have no problem achieving success and helping many people. They:
- Do less marketing because people call them
- Have clients, patients, or customers who stay long-term
- Charge higher fees to people who say yes to the investment needed
- Help more people
- Choose who to work with
- Earn money based on the value they add rather than the time worked
So what makes some experts fall into this category while others struggle?
The first key point is that it’s nothing to do with what they know or how good they are in their field.
Many talented experts are undervalued. But a few know how to achieve success because they have discovered that it’s not enough to be an expert.
You need to become the AUTHORITY in your market.
The In-demand Authority
So what turns an expert into an in-demand authority?
There are usually certain factors that make some experts stand out compared to their competitors:
- They define a clear field of expertise where they are recognized
- Within that field, they seem to have a presence everywhere
- Others recommend them because of their authority
- Chances are they have authored at least one book
- They turn their expertise into packaged products and services that allow them to reach more people and make it easier for them to buy
- They have built “fan clubs” of long-term clients, customers, or patients who recommend them to others
The truth is the only difference between you and the so-called experts on the bookshelves or TV is they have learned how to leverage their expertise. They started out just like you and followed a process to build success.
Sadly most experts fail to capitalize on their potential to help people and to achieve financial success.
Some experts fail to achieve success because they don’t believe enough people are interested in what they can offer.
Or it could be because they don’t know how to position, package, and promote their expertise – and then persuade the right people to pay for it – so that they make maximum profit easily.
They either don’t know what to do to attract more ideal clients or they just never take action.
When you know the steps to attracting more ideal clients, you can avoid these mistakes.
5 Steps to Becoming an Authority
These are the five key steps for becoming the in-demand authority.
- Positioning: Identify your ideal clients and how you can best help them so you can attract them easily
- Packaging: Offer your advice, skills, and knowledge in a way that makes it easy to attract a large number of high-paying clients
- Publishing: Demonstrate your expertise in a wide range of ways so that people can see how you can help them
- Promotion (Lead Generation): Take steps to attract more of your ideal clients to you instead of having to chase them
- Persuasion (Conversion): Turn more of your ideal prospects into profitable long-term clients
Click on the links above for more information on each of the elements.
The information throughout this website aims to help coaches, consultants, speakers, thought leaders, and other high-value experts help more people, charge higher fees, and enjoy a better lifestyle.