How to Sell Advice

> Click here to join the conversation on this episode in the Mindshare communityI talk a lot about having a Methodology in your advisory business. A checklist of sorts that lets you deliver consistent and repeatable results for your clients. It usually is comprised of projects, processes, and things to do/review/audit. I also talk about your Operating System, the thing you or your clients use to run their marketing program based around the ideas you teach and implement with them.I don't always talk about how to leverage those two things in freelance or agency (execution) business. In this episode, I explain how those two pieces become assets to your business, whether you're an advisor or you do execution work. I also talk about how I organize those assets in a tool like Trello, Asana or Basecamp—and why it becomes so useful to do so.As always, the goal is to free up your time, create leverage, increase profit, and deliver consistent and repeatable results for you and your clients.Listen in and stay tuned for more examples on the subject.—k

> Click here to join the conversation on this episode in the Mindshare communitIf you're a marketing advisor, you might feel like you need to have everything figured out. To have a system for everything backed by training, documentation, and formal processes.But the reality is, all you really need is your thinking—your ability to solve client challenges, in whatever way you know how. When you first start out, you won't have a formal methodology. You won't have a documented system to give your clients. You won't have resources or a process for running your client engagements.But that's fine. You're not selling those.Sure, it makes your life easier. But it's not the point.The point is to sell access to your brain. You make your time more valuable and your engagements less time intensive later on by creating documented methodologies, systems, processes, and checklists. But that comes later.Better to get started with your bare hands and build from there. That's where most of the value is, anyway.—k

> Click here to join the conversation on this episode in the Mindshare community.If you're like me, case studies can be a neglected part of your own marketing.  And yet, case studies done well are one of the most persuasive forms of proof you can create. Honestly, I can't believe I can sign up so many clients without having more than a couple case studies. Luckily, I am good at what I do!Anyway, I used to say "kill them with proof", implying you can't produce too much proof around the work you do and results you get.The best consultants and course creators use endless proof to demonstrate the wins people get. It's far more persuasive than simply staying what you can do.Now I say, "win them with proof" because it's a probably a better way to say it. But regardless, the truth is: you can't over-prove yourself.Clients don't always know what you actually do in your engagements, let alone what kind of results you can get.Case studies are a great way to show the kinds of clients you work with, what you do, and how it impacts the business. Listen to this episode to learn my approach to creating case studies that convert with minimal time and effort involved to create them. —k

> Click here to join the conversation on this episode in the Mindshare community.Do you wonder if you're niched down or specialized enough?In this episode, I talk about the six signs to look for to indicate whether you've tightened your positioning enough.Give it a lesson and leave a comment in the community with your thoughts!—k

> Click here to join the conversation on this episode in the Mindshare community.As a consultant, your job is to deliver results.But we need to remember that people don't just buy results, because frankly, we don't buy on logic. We buy on emotion.What this means is you're also responsible for delivering a certain feeling in your engagements. Sound hippy dippy? Stick with me, it's not.As much as your clients are looking for results, what they're really buying is confidence. Your clients' confidence looks different before, during, and after you work with them.It comes from a belief you can help, the verification that you're an expert, from downside protection and avoidance, and also from legitimate gains as a result of your work.It's a tall order. And I go into detail on why you need to be confident as a consultant, too, as well as how to create confidence in both you and your clients.At the end of the day, you can't succeed without instilling confidence—both in you and your clients. It's that simple.It's more than just a mindset, but I do talk about that too. Give this a listen and let me know if you agree! I promise this won't be a kumbaya episode and will be very practical. :) —k

> Click here to join the conversation on this episode in the Mindshare community.If you sell any of your expertise via subscriptions, courses, coaching, training, or whatever form, you might wonder what content to give away for free and what content to keep as paid.There are lots of ways to do this, but one idea resonated with me the other day. I heard it on the Three Month Vacation podcast [link to episode]. The idea was to give away the idea and sell the system. And that aligns perfectly with my approach to having a methodology that you can sell as a system while sharing the ideas for free.Another version of this I've heard of is that your methodology is like an encyclopedia and your marketing is ripping out a page at a time and giving it away for free.The third version of this I've heard, which is similar, is to give away the why but sell the how.At the end of the day, people will pay for the convenience of an organized, complete system they can actually implement, even if you give away most of the ideas for free over time. So if you're wondering what to share, just share as much as you can. Then, package everything you think is useful into a system that you can sell as consulting, coaching, memberships, subscriptions, education products, or any other delivery method.  Give this a listen and let me know what you think!—kw

> Click here to join the conversation on this episode in the Mindshare community.In order to succeed as a consultant, you will need the confidence to be candid (yet tactful( with your clients. And that's not always easy—especially when the stakes feel high, or if you're generally a low-key kind of person. Sometimes, that might mean calling out tensions in the room. Other times, it might mean educating clients on the realities of their expectations and what's possible in a given timeframe. The situations will be varied.What's important is that you acknowledge things that are going well (or aren't) be willing to say things as they are to create space for open communication.Your job as a consultant is guaranteed to include sticky situations, unforeseen issues, challenging projects, and other things that make our job as innovators difficult.And if you want to be able to thrive as a consultant, it means being ready to call out the world as it is, acknowledge the good, bad, and the ugly, and continue advocating for your clients best interest—even when things arent' easy. Especially when things aren't easy.It also works the same way when things are easy. Sometimes, the work you need to do is done. You've successfully transformed your clients' business and they no longer need your services.When that happens, you want to be proactive about either setting new targets, reducing the scope of your involvement, or parting ways. Always act in their best interest—which happens to be yours, too.  This job requires a lot of confidence. I just want to remind and encourage you to embrace the situation you're in at all times to help create better outcomes for you and your clients.If it were easy, it wouldn't be as fun as it is! Embrace it all.—k

> Click here to join the conversation on this episode in the Mindshare community.Every so often, a client or prospect will ask for a discount.And personally, I never do it. For a few reasons.In order to do the job well, you need to be properly so you can invest the necessary time and energy to get a result.You need to earn a profit on your time—not just be paid for your time. You can reinvest or take home that profit. That's what a business does.It wouldn't be fair to other clients if you gave them a discount and not everyone else. You need to be excited about the work you do and the price you charge. Otherwise, you won't be properly motivated. Never apologize for your price. When you discount, your clients will value your work less because you value your work less. Your expertise is an asset, not a commodity. So what do I say when clients or prospects ask for a discount?Ask why the number is so important to themRefocus them on the value of the projectRemove something from the scope to make it workFind another lower-cost option they can buyDo a custom project (which will be more expensive)Ensure you're talking to the financial buyer, not an employeePass on the project if it's not a fit/you're not valuedSome people negotiate with everyone for everything. It's in their nature or disposition. I don't take it personally. As long as I have a scalable ladder of options for clients to select from, it shouldn't matter what your price is. If they value your expertise and you help them see how the investment will pay off, they will pay full price.Otherwise, send them to someone who is cheaper.Listen in for a lot more nuance on this subject.—k

> Click here to join the conversation on this episode in the Mindshare community.One of the fundamental views I have on positioning is to put yourself into a "Category of One". I recommend my clients do the same for their business.That means:Find a unique and valuable differentiatorDouble down on what makes you uniquely valuableCommunicate that value consistently everywhere you goIt doesn't mean you need to be the only X in your field. What it means is you're the only X (agency, consultant, freelancer, whatever) who specializes in Y in some unique way. So if people want that unique value or angle you bring, you're the only one offering it. There are other alternatives, but they will be either more broad or specific than you, and none will have your unique angle you bring to the table.In this episode, I shared two stories that demonstrate how this has been advantageous to me in my own consulting business. I hope this encourages you to find your unique angle, to be willing to double down on it (which requires making trade-offs), and to stick with it long enough to see the advantages.Are you a category of one? Let me know in the comments!—kP.S. Here's an article I wrote on this topic for my coworking audience, which still applies to you/your clients in general.

> Click here to join the conversation on this episode in the Mindshare community.Positioning yourself as a fractional CMO has a lot of benefits, but if you're not careful, you could end up becoming an outsourced marketing manager or a part-time employee. And that's no way to run a business.In this episode, I talk about the key attribute a client needs to have for you to be able to sell your expert advice and not end up getting stuck managing projects.It's up to you to manage expectations around who drives the project forward and what you will or won't do. Miss this step and you'll end up being a task keeper at best or fired at worst.Give this a listen and let me know if you've seen this happen in your own engagements like I have in the past!—k