The Recognized Authority: the podcast that guides Invisible Experts on the journey to becoming a Recognized Authority in your field, so you can: 👉 increase your impact 👉 command higher fees 👉 work with better clients This podcast features interviews with successful consultants who are willing to share the ups and downs of their story to inspire and educate our listeners. We also interview marketing and sales experts who have a message or lesson that is relevant for a B2B professional services audience. We'll cover all aspects of business developement, sales, marketing and lead generation with advice, tips and in-depth analysis specifically aimed at independent consultants & specialized consulting firms. Topics include developing a unique point of view, how to create your product ladder, building your audience, how to make more time for your consulting business, building your podcast funnel, confessions of a million dollar consultant, the compound effect of content, you don’t need to be unique to stand out, earning and holding attention, don’t overthink your content, bland content and burnout, making video marketing easier, how to build a strategic narrative, how content can save your business, using case studies to build trust, why positioning is crucial to your business, and lots more. Previous guests include Alan Weiss, Marcus Sheridan, Mark Schaefer, David C. Baker, Ron Baker, Evelyn Starr, Michael Zipursky, Jonathan Stark, Geraldine Carter, Mike Clay, Sara Dunn, Louis Grenier, Anne Janzer, Philip Morgan, Rochelle Moulton, Norbert Schwarz, Heather Steele, Douglas Squirrel and many more. 👉 Learn more at TheRecognizedAuthority.com/podcast ✉️ 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 Misspellings for searches: Alistair, Allister, Alister, Alasdair, Alisdair, Alister, MacDermott, The Recognised Authority. The correct versions are Alastair McDermott & The Recognized Authority 🤗
The Marketing Secret You've Been Missing
I was asked for the"secrets" I have for marketing.
The biggest secret is this:
*drum roll*
Vertical specialization
*Jedi Wave* "this is the secret you've been looking for"
Really?
Yes, really.
Based on metric fscktonnes of research (that's the technical term) I conducted, and reading the research of others, I believe that positioning your business as specializing in a single vertical is the "magic bullet" that will result in more leads & sales than any other marketing strategy.
Why is it a secret?
Because niching down to a single vertical scares the crap out of people.
There are loads of reasons to fear it: it's turning down opportunity (somewhat valid but doesn't really happen) or "I'll get bored just working in one industry" (highly unlikely, as you specialize you find deeper, more interesting problems.)
And it's also difficult, and time consuming, and lots of other problems. But it's worthwhile.
What's my call to action?
Simple: don't just take my word for it:
Listen to Wolfram Moritz and Brad Farris and Jonathan Stark and Sara Dunn and Louis Grenier on the Marketing for Consultants podcast.
Go read Philip Morgan's "The Positioning Manual for Indie Consultants" where he walks you through how and why to specilize.
Read the Business of Expertise from David C. Baker where he lists the pros and cons of vertical vs horizontal specialization.
Read Spiraling Up from Lee Frederiksen & Aaron E. Taylor.
In fact, check out everything from Hinge, including Kelly J. Waffle's interview with Yitzi Weiner in the Thrive Global Community.
Thank you for attending my TED rant.