Are you the authority your clients want?

Or more exactly, are you the type of authority your clients want?

What I mean by that is that we all tend to respect a certain type of person and see them as “real” experts.

Some of us look at published authors and see them as the “real” experts.

Some of us see qualifications or academic credentials as denoting “real” expertise. 

Others look to those with practical experience or who've got a track record of successfully helping others.

And very often the type of person we tend to see as an authority isn't necessarily the type of person our clients would see as an authority.

As consultants and coaches, for example, we tend to spend a lot of our time on self-improvement. We know all the top authors and academics in our field because they're who we learn from to stay at the top of our game. So naturally, those are the sort of people we see as authorities.

But typically our clients are a different breed. They spend more of their time “doing”, not learning. And so the type of people they see as authorities tend to be those with experience. People who've achieved the things they want to do themselves or who have helped others do it.

This rift between the type of people we might see as authorities and the type our clients might see as authorities creates all sorts of problems.

It causes us to worry unduly about whether we've got the right qualifications or whether we need to spend ages writing a book when in truth our clients really don't value those things.

Or perhaps we worry about not having been an ultra-successful businessperson ourself when in fact our clients care more about our track record helping others achieve success.

So the first step to becoming seen as an authority is to truly understand what type of people your ideal clients see as authorities.

That doesn't mean you should try to be something you're not. If your strength is your experience and track record, don't try to write a book just because that's what your clients value.

Instead, it means that you should bring to the fore and highlight those areas where you match what your clients look for in an authority. If they value experience and you have experience and qualifications, highlight the experience first. 

And you should target those clients who appreciate your authority strengths. If you have comprehensive knowledge based on an extensive research project you did, don't target “practical” people who value experience and write off “academic” knowledge.

Above all remember that whatever your source of authority, there will be someone who values it. It's a matter of finding them and getting your positioning right so they instantly see your authority.

Next tip: the “Trailblazer ” path to Authority.