Unleashed - How to Thrive as an Independent Professional

Show Notes Davina Stanley, a consultant and author, has recently published the book Elevate: How to Lift the Quality of Thinking in Your Team's Board Papers without Rewriting them yourself. She spent 15 years at McKinsey and coached consultants for 15 years. Her core work involves understanding the stakeholder environment and structuring messages based on the Minto pyramid principle. She brings her public relations and communications background, McKinsey Consulting experience, and her original background as a kindergarten teacher together to help people engage senior leaders and boards. ClarityFirst Communication Program Davina works with mid to senior level executives, often one-on-one or in small groups. She typically works with groups of 15 to 25 people. She helps build skills by giving them homework to do and working through the process together. She talks about how she works with senior executives and how she offers a structured program that can be tailored to budgets and ambitions. For groups with technical backgrounds with a fairly modest project, she might offer a three-hour workshop where they work through the process together and think through summarizing and synthesizing data and context. For groups with deep technical backgrounds, she might offer a six-week workshop with learning in advance. This allows the group to practice and learn, ask questions, and interact with the material. She explains how she structures the courses, why she adopted the drip model,  and why she started teaching online. Davina currently offers books and online courses as preparatory work for people to use in their own work. Rise. Ready.  Iterate. Settle Embed. Davina identifies key points that people should take away from her sessions. She focuses on two streams of work: collaborating to get the final messaging and document right, and getting the actual messaging right itself. She emphasizes the importance of clarity and quality of insight in structuring messages, beginning with understanding who this is for and what the core message is. Davina suggests that one message per slide should be embedded in the title of the slide, and other key lessons to be learned include understanding the stakeholder environment, getting ready to understand the communication strategy, iterating around the message as a one-pager to nail it with stakeholders, settling the document, and embedding learnings form both the process and outcome Clear Communication Skills for Leaders Davina’s book, Elevate, helps leaders build their own foundations in understanding the importance of clear communication. She suggests that leaders should build their own foundations by thinking differently about their communication, lifting their own skills, and elevating the team. She talks about the importance of leadership involvement in building quality communication. She states that leaders should first lay foundations by understanding why it matters and learning their own approach to building clear communication. Davina defines the skills that she’d like participants to take away from her course, and how she helps them through the course. Davina talks about the design of her book. She wanted to create a visually appealing book that reflected her teaching principles and was designed with a clear vision in mind. Her goal was to create a book that was user-friendly, with plenty of whitespace and a mix of slide design, PowerPoint design, and book design. The book's shape was designed to be both visually appealing and easy to read. The book's layout was a mix of slide design, PowerPoint design, and book design, with a focus on illustrating concepts and making them relatable to readers. The portability of online books is important for the visceral experience of having a book, but she also believes that physical books are wonderful for having something on their desk as a reference. She talks about the difference between typesetting and book design. Her first book, The SoWhat Strategy, was written with Jared Castles and is targeted at senior leaders and boards, focusing on more complex stories.  Davina has built a list of 10,000 email addresses through her marketing coach, who helped her learn Facebook techniques. She has kept building this list and has been sending out weekly emails to help people with their communication. She talks about the emailing system and tools she uses to link systems together and create online modules.  For listeners interested in learning more about her practice, Devina suggests visiting clarityfirstprogram.com, which offers various resources, such as her podcast, Cutting Through, and her free course, Emails Basic. To subscribe to her thinking, visitors can visit the website and sign up.  Timestamps: 01:53 Working with leaders 02:22 How Davina’s coaching business serves executives 06:51 The process of preparing for a coaching session 11:26 The structure of a good communication plan 16:43 Embedding the operating rhythm 21:37 How the book was designed with the user in mind 31:49 Davina’s email marketing strategy Links: Website: https://clarityfirstprogram.com/ Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.

Show Notes: In this episode of Unleashed, Dr. Michelle Drapkin,  author of The Motivational Interviewing Path to Personal Change: The Essential Workbook for Creating the Life You Want, discusses her book and her work as a Board Certified Clinical Psychologist and behavioral scientist, focusing on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Michelle is known for her work at Johnson and Johnson and the Veterans Administration, and she shares science-based techniques on how to change behaviors beyond intuition or folk knowledge.  CBT and Motivation  Michelle explains cognitive behavioral therapy and her motivational interview technique. Her area of focus within psychology is the common sense approach of using intrinsic motivation to drive behavior change that aligns with an individual's values and goals. She also emphasizes the importance of aligning these values and goals with the context of the organization. Michelle addresses myths about what motivates people and how to overcome them. One myth is that simply telling people what to do is enough, but it's not always the case and doesn’t always endure.  She also discusses the importance of fostering a supportive environment and setting clear expectations. She believes that a supportive environment can help individuals feel more comfortable and confident in their decisions, leading to more effective behavior change.  Discussing the McKinsey Change Model Will and Michelle discuss the McKinsey change model, which consists of four parts: understanding and skills, commitment, leadership modeling, and accountability. They agree the McKinsey model is mostly right, but Michelle also mentions the missing motivation component. She talks about the Combi model, which combines capability, opportunity, and motivation to achieve behavior change. However, the accountability mechanism and measurement are missing in the McKinsey model. She offers an example to prove the point. She suggests that the McKinsey model might not be the best fit for organizations, as it may not be suitable for adopting new habits or habits that require a different approach. She suggests using motivational interviewing, which is a more compassionate and empathic approach that helps people connect with their internal intrinsic motivation to change.  Michelle explains what motivational interviewing is and how it was developed 40 years ago as an alternative to confrontational approaches in the addictions field. It is a gentle, compassionate approach that meets someone where they are at and helps them connect with their internal intrinsic motivation to change. By using motivational interviewing, organizations can help individuals change behaviors for themselves or at least for their own benefit.  Michelle talks about the importance of self-compassion, the best-self,  and various exercises and strategies for enhancing team alignment and organizational effectiveness. She suggests exercises on how to connect with the best-self and emphasizes the importance of motivational interviewing in behavior change, as it encourages people to talk about their reasons for change and commitment to change. This has been scientifically proven to result in the change. How to Prioritize Values  She discusses the importance of prioritizing values, which can be challenging to identify. She suggests that individuals should first identify their values and then narrow them down to about 10, and then prioritize one value. This offers a map to their North star(s). These are the building block to purpose, and  helps in making decisions about how to manage competing values and navigate conflicts.  She talks about the importance of recognizing and valuing different aspects of an individual's life, such as their time and family, and how they can prioritize these aspects. They emphasize the importance of understanding and valuing different aspects of oneself to better understand and manage competing values. By focusing on positive experiences and addressing barriers, individuals can become more likely to make changes and improve their overall well-being. Michelle talks about chapter two in her book which focuses on finding their why which leads to the what. She helps them identify and prioritize what they want to focus on driving towards before identifying what needs to change. She moves on to explain how she motivates change and introduces the process to consolidate motivation to make change and then commit to the action. She stresses that this approach is not telling people why they should, convincing, persuading or cheerleading. What Is Motivational Interviewing  The concept of motivational interviewing (MI) and its four components: focusing on motivation, consolidating motivation, consolidating commitment, and empowering employees. MI is different from other approaches as it is not persuasive but rather evokes motivation from inside the individual. It is important to consider the individual's needs and desires when making changes, as well as their ability and skills to achieve the change. MI can be applied to various settings, such as clinical settings or organizations where an individual is nested within an organization.  The spirit of MI, which includes compassion, acceptance of autonomy, partnership, and empowerment, is crucial to understand. MI emphasizes the importance of recognizing that everyone is their own person with their own background. This is especially important in an organization where diversity and inclusion are becoming more important. By helping employees change in a way that aligns with their values and goals, leaders can help them improve, or find a new role, or exit the organization gracefully. MI can be complicated, but it can be done by being collaborative, and transparent in discussing the changes with team members. By focusing on specific areas of struggle and addressing any wiggle room, leaders can help employees find a solution that aligns with their values and goals.  Michelle talks about why transformation efforts often fail within organizations. She mentions the assumption that change will just happen is not enough to enact change, and that communication with the team may be lacking or lack in engagement and empowerment. She also mentions common mistakes that leaders make when addressing the team.  Timestamps: 00:05 What is cognitive behavioral therapy?  06:40 Mckinsey’s four part model 09:31 Accountability mechanisms and motivation 14:07 How to determine your best self 19:09 Categorize your values into categories 21:50 Knowing your values and prioritizing 26:02 How to get started on making a change 31:23 Common characteristics of why transformation efforts fail 35:30 The importance of reflecting on your change Links: Book - https://a.co/d/4UbNT5h Website - http://drdrapkin.com/ LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelledrapkin/ CONTACT INFO: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelledrapkin/   Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.  

Joe Pope, Partner and Director of Business Development at Hinge Marketing, discusses the importance of understanding target audiences in cold outreach. He shares tips on social media cadence, marketing strategies, and tailoring messages to specific needs. Joe provides an example of expanding client circles for independent consultants and emphasizes the use of LinkedIn for valuable connections. The podcast also covers strategies for subject lines and email length, optimal wait time for emails, effective follow-up approaches, and successful cold outreach strategies.

Richard Langlois, author of The Corporation and the 20th Century, discusses the transition to multi-unit businesses, antitrust regulations, and the impact of the depression on financial institutions. He explores the success of large corporations, illegal contracts with beneficial outcomes, the evolution of holding companies, and recommended biographies of influential business executives. The podcast also touches on the gold and silver standard debate and its impact on the US economy.

Jon Cobb, a LinkedIn expert, shares his unique style of posts, which are short, concise, and impactful. His biggest post this year has received 236,000 likes and almost 18 million impressions.  It highlights the importance of leadership and culture change, which resonates with many people due to the timing of layoffs and the appreciation for empathetic leadership. Jon also shares a few of the most popular posts, including one that emphasizes hiring someone with the right mindset over someone with the right resume, emphasizing the importance of understanding the motivations behind an individual's interest in a job. He shares posts that suggest people should focus on long-term growth opportunities rather than just the most lucrative job offers. Jon talks about his company called Jon Cobb Coaching, and an app he built called the Job Search Boot Camp. The app helps people identify mistakes they might be making in their job search process and adopt a more strategic approach. He advises people to step back, think more strategically about their job search, and focus on networking before applying. He encourages people to apply for companies they truly want to work for, as this will lead to a full-quality application. Jon’s app includes an audio course that walks people through these stages, such as networking correctly, reaching out to new connections on LinkedIn, building a compelling resume, and interviewing effectively. By following this structured approach, people can increase their chances of success and happiness in the long run. Job Search Boot Camp offers resources, resume templates, cover letter templates, negotiation letter templates, and a community forum for users to connect with the author. The course is affordable and designed to help people get hired faster and make more. He  left Deloitte consulting a few years ago and focussed on business consulting. He works with people across different elements of their life and challenges they face. He now runs a life coaching practice, helping entrepreneurs, relationship challenges, and developing a mindset of success, and career coaching is a significant part of this practice.   Best Practices on LinkedIn Posts Jon's approach to LinkedIn posting began with posting on topics that matter to him. He has found that success involves trial and error, experimentation, and understanding what matters to you. He began posting about work culture and personal and professional progress, and over time, refined his voice by focusing on what mattered to him. He found that the overlap between what he cared about and what he had to offer was what resonated with people who appreciated it. When he committed to posting, he started using square image posts with quotes, which are thought graphics that are larger than text. This allows for more real estate on the LinkedIn scroll feed and makes it easier for people to read what they have to say. Additionally, making the idea or thought easy for people to quickly identify with is crucial. LinkedIn is not the place for long, complicated posts, but it is not as limited as Twitter, so it is important to make it easy for people to like, react, leave comments, or follow the author quickly.  Jon shares how posting on LinkedIn has helped him grow his following. He tried different formats and polls. His goal is to post twice a day, but sometimes misses days due to lack of inspiration or commitment. Consistency is a key aspect of success, but it's not the number one priority in his life. Jon emphasizes the importance of nurturing posts and responding to comments within the first hour after posting. The first 20 minutes are the most important and recognised by the algorithms. He sets aside an hour after the post goes live to interact and respond to people, as the algorithm evaluates how much people are interested in your post. To avoid LinkedIn's algorithm evaluating links that take people off the platform, Jon recommends waiting five to 10 minutes after posting to leave comments or links to avoid lowering the exposure the post is given.  When a post performs well, Jon uses a lesson learned from the value ladder from Russell Brunson of Clickfunnels to stay in touch with people, get them to sign up for newsletters or apps, and build an email list. He also suggests using lead magnets, such as offering free resources or digital books, to build an email list. He acknowledges the importance of collecting email addresses, as it allows you to control access to the audience and avoid penalizing you for marketing posts. He plans to launch webinars on digital courses and one-on-one coaching. Another way to collect emails is on your LinkedIn profile, where you can put a link to your best posts or other content and encourage viewers to sign up for the posts.  This will help you stay connected with your audience and build a strong online presence. The ROI on LinkedIn Success Jon has gained 17 million views and is now reaching a steady stream of clients. However, the challenge lies in product market fit, as people who are unemployed or have been looking for work for three months without much success are less likely to invest in high-ticket items like coaching. To overcome this, he suggests understanding his customer base better and offering a digital resource at a reasonable price. He also suggests a webinar to help people understand the value of coaching and answer their questions. Jon responds to a high percentage of comments on LinkedIn, and he addresses the problem of finding comments that haven't been replied to due to the platform's lack of filtering features. To engage more clients, he offers three ways to help career transitioners: following him for insights, downloading his app, attending the job search bootcamp course, or contacting him about one-on-one coaching. By providing options and letting people decide what the best way is for them to help, Jon hopes to increase his conversion rate and reach more potential clients.  LinkedIn’s New Feature LinkedIn has a new feature called "Scheduled Posts," which allows users to schedule posts for the future. This feature is relatively new and may vary depending on the platform and device, but there may be different functionality for macs or pcs. Consistency is important as your audience is typically around the same time, and you want people who are used to seeing your posts. However, it's important to remember that engagement is not solely based on the number of people who engage with your post. The algorithm is looking for certain subjects and keywords related to what you're known for. Building a Niche Audience and Using Hashtags on LinkedIn  To help identify and build your audience within specific niches, you can use the influencer option for your LinkedIn profile, called Creator mode. When you turn on Creator mode, LinkedIn recommends using two to four hashtags, which may be too many for some users. However, it's generally recommended to keep it to two or three. Some people argue that hashtags are dead, but they are still useful in posting well. In summary, LinkedIn's algorithm is designed to help users identify and build their audience within specific niches. Consistency in posting times and using relevant hashtags can help users build their audience and attract more followers. Developing Your Voice and Watching Your Tone Jon discusses the importance of being on target and on topic when posting on LinkedIn. He shares an example of a post about entrepreneurship that didn't perform as well as expected due to being irrelevant for a small subset of his audience. To avoid alienating them, it is crucial to focus on a specific message and avoid off-topic posts. Jon also shares his experience with using an edgy tone in his posts, which can make them more thought-provoking and controversial. He emphasizes the need to be careful what you say, as it might go viral and ruin your reputation. He also shares his experiences with posts that get only 12 likes, but he encourages people to learn from them by considering their tone, specific words, and timing. He acknowledges that not every post will be seen by 17 million people, and it is important to remember that not every post will be seen by everyone. In conclusion, Jon emphasizes the importance of being on target and on topic when posting on LinkedIn, and the importance of being genuine and sincere in your content.   Timestamps:  06:48 The three qualities of an influencer 10:37 How Jon developed his LinkedIn posting approach 12:41 The importance of intentionality in influencing leaders 14:25 Nurturing social media posts 19:13 The power of appealing to shared objectives in influencing 20:38 How to create a lead magnet system 25:07 How others can help you develop influence skills 29:09 Time of day to post 34:19 How many hashtags you should tag   Links: Website: JonCobbCoaching.com   CONTACT INFO: Email: help@joncobbcoaching.com Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/jondcobb     Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.  

In this episode of Unleashed, Will Bachman and Huijin Kong discuss her new book, Positive Influence, The First and Last Mile of Leadership, co-authored with Tsun-yan Hsieh. They talk about the basics of influence and how to present different influencing techniques. Huijin’s book emphasizes the importance of focusing on both task outcomes and relational outcomes, as well as the impact of one's own heart and soul on others. Huijin emphasizes that people are influenced more by how they feel about the task and their purpose in influencing others. She explains that traditional consulting can be more powerful if professionals spend more time on mindshare and their own heart, rather than just defining and laying out the task.    The book lays out three aspects of influencing: personal qualities that are universal, such as courage, care, and compassion. Courage helps us face difficult situations and fears, while care involves caring about people's experiences and challenges, rather than just the task itself. Compassion is crucial in challenging times, as it builds the basis for being more open to what people are resisting and why. Humility and curiosity are also central to creating a powerful common ground for discussing difficult issues. By focusing on these qualities, professionals can create a more powerful and impactful influence on their clients and clients. She also mentions ‘state’ which deals with composure and being present. It is important to align your state to your intent. These two-thirds can mean the difference between being  a good influencer or a great influencer. Defining Influence Pathways Huijin talks about the importance of being deliberate in influencing others. Huijin emphasizes placing focus on positive outcomes and the importance of considering the context and pressures in higher stakes situations, in addition to the starting attitude of the people who need to be influenced.  This intentionality allows for the development of an influence pathway, which involves guiding each person to think, feel, and do differently than their natural current inclination. She qualifies that being deliberate is not like military planning, but rather requires being conscious of how your influence attempt is going and how the person is responding to your actions. This allows you to adjust your strategy and align your being, state, and emotions with the person and desired outcomes. She also states that it is important to be open to changing outcomes and updating your own understanding of desired outcomes.   Changing a Leader’s Influencing Approach Huijin shares a case example of helping a leader change their influencing approach by coaching them through role plays. The example involves a transformational project where the key leaders’ relationship has become a barrier to constructive participation. To help the leader change their approach, Huijin explores several angles, such as the degree of care one has for the project and the importance of setting ambitious influence outcomes. Huijin gives examples of the choices the executive has to move forward and understand the degrees of freedom in influencing situations, such as defining one's role as defining the technical solution or pointing out where the leader needs more leadership. This can be done in one-on-one or small group situations. The book also discusses the use of the deliberate conscious influencing process in MBA programs, where participants go through real-life situations and role play to learn how they show up in the heat of the moment. By adopting this conscious influencing process, individuals can internalize it and apply it in various situations, both in school and beyond.     Expanding the Toolbox of Influencing Huijin emphasizes the value of building common ground and shared objectives. Engaging the person about them and not just their thoughts about the task at stake is highly effective. This is important in situations where people's motivation  is in doing the difficult work. To build a strong connection with the client, it is essential to delve into their feelings about themselves, identity, attitudes, and inspiration related to their work and the task at hand. Another underused tactic is confronting, which involves acknowledging that they may not feel the same way about something, they may have different beliefs. Asking them to tell more about their point of view helps build a deeper foundation of shared understanding and feelings, and enables a stronger foundation on which to deal with difficult situations or tasks.   Setting High Ambitions Huijin talks about Linhart's high challenge, high support model. This model involves setting high ambitions for oneself, which can apply to influence effectiveness, leadership, sports, parents, and business situations. High support often comes in the form of quality feedback, real-time feedback, as it helps improve self-awareness and confidence. She also mentions potential sources where freelancers can get high support. Huijin emphasizes the importance of reflecting on your why, and the positive outcome you want. This involves paying attention to purpose and ethos, and most importantly, individuals. She explains that this will introduce new horizons about what you are doing. High challenge and high support models can help individuals develop their influence skills and achieve greater success in various aspects of their lives.   Timestamps: 06:48 The three qualities of an influencer 10:48 Basic tools of influencing 12:41 The importance of intentionality in influencing leaders 15:37 A case example of leadership challenges in influencing 19:13 The power of appealing to shared objectives in influencing 25:07 How others can help you develop influence skills   Links: Website: www.positiveinfluence.life Book: https://www.amazon.com/Positive-Influence-First-Last-Leadership/dp/1944660569/ Company:  https://www.linhartgrp.com/   Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.    

Soren Kaplan, author of Experiential Intelligence, talks about scaling consulting businesses and how his software company, Praxie.com, helps consultants digitize their processes. He discusses the benefits of using a no-code software platform for streamlined workflows and generating ongoing revenue. Soren also emphasizes the importance of combining experiential intelligence with IQ and EQ for personal and organizational success.

Show Notes: James Agres is the founder of  2nd St Strategy, an independent consulting firm focused on private equity and commercial due diligence work. He has experience in various industries, including software, industrial, and healthcare. James discusses the importance of market sizing in commercial diligence projects. In this episode, he talks about the importance of market sizing varies project to project, and how it helps businesses understand the size of opportunities available to them. A large market can represent a large opportunity, while a small opportunity may be more limited. James explains that understanding the market's competitive dynamics, market share, and growth drivers is crucial for businesses. James shares the different terms for market size, such as total addressable market (TAM), serviceable addressable market (SAM), and serviceable obtainable market (SOM). The total addressable market is the total population of the town, the number of haircuts, and the price of the haircut. The serviceable addressable market is the percentage of the town represented by men in a certain income demographic or willing to spend a lot on haircuts, and the serviceable obtainable market is the percentage of the town represented by men in a certain income demographic or willing to spend a lot on haircuts. Determining Market Size James explains that to reach the desired audience, businesses must advertise to the entire town or reach specific demographics and geography within the town. He talks about various market sizing approaches, including price times quantity and quantity times price, by segment. He explains that the most basic market sizing framework is price times quantity, which can be applied to dental practice management software. The market size is about half a billion, with 138,000 stores in the US and a close-to-100% adoption rate. He offers another example of software used to manage reservations at state, national, and local parks in the US and Canada. The market size can be estimated using various methodologies, such as the p times q methodology, which uses data on visitor numbers, pricing, and vendor percentages. The state parks and target organizations can also be used to determine their market share and percentage charges. James presents various market sizing approaches, including price times quantity and quantity times price, to analyze the market size of various industries. By utilizing these methods, he aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the market size and competitive landscape in the dental practice management software market.  Estimating a Company’s Market Share The second method involves estimating a target company's market share based on their revenue. This method assumes that all competitors operate similarly to the target company. This method can be applied to the rest of the market, as well as to the target company's market share. The third method involves estimating the adoption rate of a product or service. For example, the market for waffle service is a complex one, with 680,000 restaurants in the US and a significant number of hotels and restaurants. To estimate the percentage of restaurants serving waffles, various methods are used, such as industry interviews, menu data, and analysis of menus. The adoption rate of about 10% is crucial for market size sizing, as it is often the hardest variable to determine when considering price and quantity. James advises that, In the context of due diligence, it is essential to gather data and make critical assumptions to determine the pricing of a target. This can be achieved through various methods, such as talking to customers, analyzing restaurant and hotel data, and contacting competitors or market participants. Where to Get Good Quality Data In industries where the quantity is not well-known, such as the number of dentists, it is possible to get the quantity side of the equation by using good quality data. This can be obtained from sources like the Bureau of Labor Statistics. However, when the quantity is not available, different methodologies can be used, and James shares the various methodologies and software that can be used. James also explains the importance of understanding market size in nascent or new markets, and growth markets,  such as the market for vocal biomarker software. This technology is used to detect behavioral health conditions and cardiovascular diseases, such as respiratory distress during the COVID-19 pandemic. He talks about the need to understand the actual use cases for technology, the different routes to market, and potential users of the technology.  Pricing Strategies and Technology Usage in Market Sizing James talks about the importance of asking questions about pricing, such as competitors' pricing strategies or other clever ways to get people comfortable responding. Overall, he emphasizes the importance of understanding market size and the need for a well-rounded approach to understanding and addressing market trends and opportunities. When using technology, James suggests that the first question should be "What AI tools for what use case?" This helps build a foundational number from which to apply different criteria to build a market size further. He also discusses the possibility of triangulating the market size using different approaches and methodologies, such as using the same set of assumptions for each methodology. He also discusses the importance of understanding the difference between different methodologies and the need for additional data to remediate any errors. He states that multiple methodologies for the same market should aim to produce the same result, and that the question should be asked about the right data to help determine the appropriate pricing strategy. James emphasizes the importance of understanding the pricing in a particular industry, particularly in the cybersecurity solutions market. Some industries may be relatively transparent, while others are more picky and pricing is difficult to obtain. To size the market, Agres suggests using publicly available information, such as online forums and system administrators' subreddits. Cybersecurity Solutions and Determining Market Size James shares that collecting market size data can be challenging in some industries and cites cybersecurity solutions as being a difficult one to gather data on as  the exact size of the market is not as relevant as the market size. Instead, he suggests using Gartner data to understand the specific segments where the solution is most applicable. James suggests that to get to a more precise definition of the market, and figure out exactly which segment the target is relevant to is extremely important. He also discusses the challenges of predicting market size in industries like building products and construction. He suggests using data from various sources, such as EIA data, to build a model that accurately represents the market size. Additionally, there is the need for a more precise definition of the market and determining which segment the target is relevant to and he shares a few unusual examples such as the market size for fire doors and the market size for waffles. Timestamps: 01:32 The different types of market size 07:03 How to estimate the size of the market 11:54 Example case studies to understand market size 17:57 Example of a market for next generation 911 software 22:37 Measuring the market size of the deep foundation 25:17 The market for fire and security alarms 30:54 How do you determine market size for AI?  35:36 Favorite questions to ask around pricing 40:13 Providing multiple layers of market size to private equity Links: Website: https://www.2ndststrategy.com/ CONTACT INFO: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesagres/ Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.

Brian Ortiz, real estate investor and LinkedIn expert with 70,000 followers, discusses managing LinkedIn presence with CRM systems. He shares insights on managing the inflow of messages, using AI tools, and sorting messages into granular groups. Ortiz mentions LeadDelta, FOLK, and Raindrop as helpful CRM systems. The podcast also covers handling viral posts, managing connection requests, and strategies for creating and sharing content on LinkedIn.

Show Notes: LinkedIn has become a powerful platform for professionals to connect, share insights, and build their personal brand. But how can executives effectively leverage LinkedIn to maximize their content strategy? To answer this question, Will Bachman talks to Justin Nassiri, founder of Executive Presence, who conducted a comprehensive analysis of client posts on LinkedIn. Justin talks about software his company uses for data analytics to see valuable data on engagement and trends and how to use it.  The Power of the Hook One of the most significant insights from Justin’s analysis is the importance of the hook in LinkedIn posts. The hook refers to the first line of a post, which aims to capture the reader's attention and entice them to engage further. Nassiri emphasizes the need for a bold and provocative hook, stating, "The first line of a post really determines its success." By taking an extreme stance or making a surprising statement, executives can stop the scroll and compel readers to delve deeper into their content. Justin  advises executives to avoid generic and overused hooks, such as "I'm humbled to be featured by Forbes." Instead, he suggests crafting hooks that are concrete, surprising, and contrary to common beliefs and offers a few examples. Furthermore, Nassiri highlights the importance of formatting the post to make the hook stand out. By using line breaks and creating distinct lines, executives can make their hooks more visually appealing and increase the chances of capturing readers' attention. The Visual Advantage Another key finding from Nassiri's analysis is the significant impact of visuals in LinkedIn posts. According to the study, posts with photos receive 115% more views than those without any visual content. Graphics, on the other hand, result in a 28% increase in views. He emphasizes the need for original and relevant visuals. Stock images are not effective in capturing readers' attention and should be avoided. Instead, executives should use their own photos or graphics that directly relate to the content of their posts. For example, if the post discusses leadership, including a photo of a team or a relevant graphic can enhance the post's impact. Justin also offers a few tips on how to generate ideas for visual content.  The Power of Data Analysis Beyond the specific findings, Justin highlights the broader value of LinkedIn as a tool for data analysis, and how executives can use LinkedIn to gain insights into the topics and ideas that resonate with their audience. By analyzing the performance of their posts, executives can identify their "zone of genius" and focus on topics that generate the most engagement. He encourages executives to view LinkedIn as a platform for testing and refining their content strategy. LinkedIn provides a data-driven approach to understanding what content is valuable and to whom. This data-driven approach allows executives to refine their messaging and focus on topics that truly resonate with their audience. The insights from Justin’s analysis have significant implications for executives looking to enhance their presence on LinkedIn. Looking ahead, it is essential for executives to continue evolving their content strategy on LinkedIn. While certain tactics may become overused or lose their effectiveness over time, the fundamental principles of effective writing and storytelling remain timeless. Executives should strive to provide valuable insights, educate their audience, and create engaging content that resonates with their target audience. Frequency of Posting on LinkedIn Another important aspect of LinkedIn thought leadership is the frequency of posting , the type of post, and the audience.  Justin explains how the post is displayed, breaks this down line-by-line, and emphasizes the need to post consistently and frequently, recommending two to five posts per week. He highlights the significant impact of increasing the frequency of posts, with a three and a half times increase in monthly views and a 3.7 times increase in monthly likes when going from two to three posts per week to five posts per week. He also suggests posting at 7am local time, as this allows for maximum visibility and engagement. Content Development Tips In terms of content, Justin advises against using articles, links, and reposts. Outbound links and reshared content tend to receive significantly fewer views compared to original posts. However, Nassiri provides two workarounds for including links in your posts. One option is to publish the link as the first comment in the post, while the other is to add the link after the first hour of the post. He talks about how short-term fads can be exploited but should not be relied on as evergreen content. Justin recommends ending your posts with a statement rather than a question. According to his analysis, posts that end with a question perform 30% worse than those that end with a statement. This suggests that people may be fatigued by the overuse of questions to drive interaction. Instead, focusing on authoritative content with clear takeaways and actions can lead to better engagement. Justin shares pros and cons on the types of content commonly created. In conclusion, optimizing your LinkedIn thought leadership requires a strategic approach. By using visuals effectively, posting frequently, avoiding articles and links, and ending with statements, you can enhance your visibility and engagement on the platform. As LinkedIn continues to evolve, it is crucial to stay informed about algorithm changes and adapt your content strategy accordingly. By following these insights from Justin Nassiri, you can position yourself as a thought leader on LinkedIn and maximize your impact in the professional community. Timestamps: 01:19 Methodology and scope of the study using Shield App.ai 02:09 Insights from the study: Best practices in posts 04:39 Importance of the first line and the need for bold and provocative statements 09:40 Tips for creating a strong hook and the importance of distinct lines 10:14 Factors affecting the visibility of the post and the need to entice viewers to click "See more" 14:07 Importance of using original and relevant photos in posts 17:35 Selfies may not perform as well after algorithm change. 19:11 The best time and frequency to post 26:28 What to avoid in LinkedIn posts. 32:12 How to end a LinkedIn post Links: Website: ExecutivePresence.io CONTACT INFO: Justin@executivepresence.io   Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.