Ian Brodie

Ian Brodie


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Selling

Loyalty Does Not Exist

Posted on July 4th, 2017. Loyalty Does Not Exist

That's a bold statement, isn't it? An exaggeration for effect, sure.

But I bet, like me, you've sometimes wondered whether clients really are all that loyal.

Well, now there's hard data to back up our gut feeling. The results don't make for pleasant reading. But they do tell us what really works if you want to grow sales (especially in business-to-business).

But more of that in a second. Let's back up to set the context so this all makes sense.

Last week I headed over to Washington to attend the CEB‘s 2017 Sales & Marketing Thought Leader Roundtable. A rather eclectic bunch of sales and marketing experts sat round as the team from the CEB (I should technically say the CEB, now Gartner) presented the findings from their latest sales and marketing research and we discussed, debated and gave them feedback.

They've done two big studies so far this year. One in sales which I'm going to discuss in this article, and one in marketing (digital marketing through the business-to-business buying cycle) which I'll discuss in an upcoming article.

Now it's worth noting before we jump in that this research is focused on business-to-business – ie marketing and selling your products or services to other businesses. And the research was primarily done with large organisations, both from a buyer and seller perspective.

But what you'll find is that the results are equally applicable whether you work for a big company or run your own little solo business like me.

The CEB research covered many areas. but the findings that jumped out for me, in many ways because they go against so much of what is being preached today, were about the best ways to grow business with your best and biggest clients.

Click here to see what the research said about growing client accounts »

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More Clients Memorandum

Which of these 3 things did you do?

Posted on July 2nd, 2017.

Last week my email suggested you should write down the major concerns potential clients often express about working with you, and then identify stories and examples you can weave into your presentations, blogs and emails to obliterate the concern before it becomes a real one.

So after reading that email you could have done one of three things:

1 – You might have thought “nonsense, that won't work”. 

2. You might have thought “oh yeah, that does make a lot of sense. I agree with Ian on that one”.

3. You might have thought “oh yeah, that does make a lot of sense. I agree with Ian on that one. And I'm going to do something about it.”

And then you either took action straight away, or maybe over the next few days. But basically, if you took option 3 then by today you'd have your list of concerns and stories created already.

So which did you do?

Option 3 is great of course. You've read something that made sense and you've taken action to implement it.

Option 1 isn't a particular problem. Not everything I say clicks with everyone (though that particular tip really does work!).

It's option 2 that's the worrying one. Because without action, there are no results.

Now, of course, you can't realistically take action on every suggestion I make that you think makes sense. You have to prioritise. And I'm sure you get tips and advice from other people too.

But think about what your ratio of learning to doing is. How much of your time do you spend reading emails, blog posts and books or browsing social media or watching videos to learn new ideas? And how much time do you spend implementing the new ideas you've learned?

Common sense says it should take much longer to implement an idea than learn it. But I know when I look at my learning to doing ratio it's rather out of kilter. Maybe you're the same.

I enjoy learning new things. There's a joy to new connections being formed in the brain. And learning doesn't involve the risk of failure.

But learning alone doesn't pay the bills. Some doing is needed too.

So every now and then I think it pays to reflect on your learning:doing ration and perhaps adjust your plans a bit.

Featured

ReviewTrust Review: Updated – Under New Owners: Do Not Recommend

Posted on June 20th, 2017. ReviewTrust Review

Please note - I no longer recommend Review Trust. Since I wrote this review the product has been sold to new owners and the feedback I've had is that while the product still works, support from the new owners is very poor.

I've left the original review below for reference, but my suggestion for a good Reviews/Testimonials tool is now BNE Testimonials Pro which is just $25 here,

If you want to get more sales, the fastest route can often be to simply increase trust.

If more people believe that your product or service really will do all the wonderful things you say it will, and if they believe that all the concerns they have are unfounded: they’re going to buy.

And one of the fastest ways to increase trust is to have more testimonials and reviews.

People don’t necessarily believe what you say – you’re biased. But they’ll believe what others say.

That’s why in a recent eConsultancy study, 61% of customers said they read online reviews before making a purchase decision. And that resulted in an average sales uplift of 18% for those using reviews on their site.

Unfortunately, the process of getting reviews can be a complex and painful one.

Firstly you have to remember to ask for reviews. That’s OK when you have just a few customers you work with personally. But impossible to manage if you have large numbers.

Secondly, you need to make it easy for customers to give you reviews and to store those reviews where you can find them (how many great testimonials or reviews have you had in the past that are now lost because you didn’t write them down or you simply can’t remember where they are).

Thirdly, you need to be able to display those reviews where you need them without the process being complicated and time-consuming. And you need the display to look top-notch too to have the right impact.

That’s one of the reasons why so few people have lots of good reviews on their site. It’s just too difficult to make it happen, and it relies on the frailties of human memory.

Enter ReviewTrust…

ReviewTrust Review: A Tool for Automating the Collection of Reviews

Like many other review systems, ReviewTrust provides a simple interface to allow customers to leave you reviews, and then for you to show those reviews on your website.

ReviewTrust Emails

ReviewTrust allows you to set up and tailor automatic emails to ask for reviews after your customers have bought from you.

But where ReviewTrust is different is the Automation – and that’s what makes the difference.

Rather than you needing to remember to email requests to customers, ReviewTrust does it for you. It links to your e-commerce system/shopping cart so that when a product is purchased, it triggers ReviewTrust to email the new customer to ask for a review.

You can set up Reviewtrust to send customised emails to your new customer anywhere from 1 to 30 days after their purchase (you base this on how long it will normally take them to start seeing result from your product or service). You can then send up to 2 more follow-up emails if they don’t leave a review the first time.

Of course, you can also send customers directly to the ReviewTrust from your website, your email marketing system, or just personally. But the real power comes from the built-in automation which means once you’ve set it up, you’ll start getting reviews on a regular basis without you needing to lift a finger.

Supported Ecommerce Systems

ReviewTrust integrates “out of the box” with the major ecommerce and shopping cart systems.

Pretty much all the popular ecommerce and shopping cart systems are supported (apparently if the system you use isn’t supported they’ll add it for you).

All that means that without needing to do any complex configuration yourself, you can start getting reviews on autopilot. Quite simply, that means many more reviews than you would have got doing it manually. And that means more trust and more sales.

You can configure the site to ask for a simple text review, or to allow video and audio reviews too.

Display Options for Reviews

ReviewTrust Ecommerce Display

A standard ReviewTrust e-commerce display.

Of course, once you’ve captured your reviews you need a way of displaying them on your site. With ReviewTrust you have 14 ways to display your reviews ranging from a typical “ecommerce” type display associated with products through pop-out sidebars and corner displays to “blog style” lists of reviews, “Facebook style” lists and simple one-off testimonial displays.

ReviewTrust Blog Style Display

The ReviewTrust “blog style” display.

Personally, I’ve stuck to the simpler displays like the blog display. It’s more in keeping with my services than a more e-commerce style display which would be suited for selling lower cost or physical products.

Of course, all the colours are configurable, and for reviews where you’ve triggered the review request through a purchase on your shopping cart you can set a verified purchase badge to show next to each review. And you can set up a widget (other than the blog, facebook and basic ones) to have a link for visitors to leave a review too.

The reviews are displayed using a little javascript widget which you can put on your site or many external sites too.

Using ReviewTrust in Practice

So all those features sound great. They make it easy to set up and prompt customers to leave reviews, easy for those customers to do their review, and easy to display the reviews on your site. But does it work well in practice?

ReviewTrust in Practice

An example of ReviewTrust in use for my 5 Day Authority Challenge

As it turns out, the answer is an emphatic yes.

I implemented ReviewTrust for my 5 Day Authority Challenge by simply emailing current members and asking them to leave a review, and putting a review link in the Facebook group for the Challenge. Within a couple of days, I had over twenty 5 star reviews up and showing on the signup pages for the challenge, encouraging more people to join.

It took me about 5 minutes to set up the review page by typing in the details of the Challenge and uploading a logo. Then about another 10 minutes to send out an email and put the link on the Facebook group. Finally, it took less than 5 minutes to embed the display widget on my signup page.

I also added in an email to go out to all new Challenge members when they get to the final day to ask them to do a review. That took another 5 minutes as I just replicated the one-off email I sent out.

That’s less than 30 minutes to have a professional looking review campaign up and running.

ReviewTrust Options

There are 3 options for buying ReviewTrust.

  1. Get ReviewTrust for a Single Site for a one-off payment of $197. This is the option to take if you just want reviews for your business as a whole (e.g. if you’re a consultant, a coach or other service provider) or you just have one product you want to get reviews for.
  2. Get ReviewTrust for Unlimited sites/products for an annual payment of $297 (normally $497). This is the option to take if you have many products you want to get reviews for.
  3. Get ReviewTrust for Unlimited sites/products for a monthly payment of $39 (normally $97). This is the option to take if you’re not quite sure whether ReviewTrust will work for you and you want to test it out over an extended period before fully committing (all the plans have a 14-day money back guarantee – this is for when you want to test it out for a couple of months before committing to the full annual fee).

My advice is to go through the same process as I did before buying: think “will the automatic collection and display of reviews benefit my business more than $197 (for a single product or your business as a whole) or $297 a year (for multiple products)?”

I decided it certainly would, which is why I’m using ReviewTrust.

You can check out the details of the individual ReviewTrust packages here:

I’ve removed the link to ReviewTrust as I no longer recommend it

Featured

Marketing

How To Get More Customer Reviews And Testimonials – The Ultimate Guide

Posted on June 14th, 2017. How To Get More Customer Reviews And Testimonials

If you've worked in a service business for any length of time you'll know the power that customer testimonials can have in shaping buyer decisions. Especially when the service is expensive, intangible and new to the buyer.

According to PowerReviews' 2018 survey, 97% of consumers check reviews before buying.

And as I showed in my recent article on how to get star ratings to appear in the Google search results, having those reviews visible in the search listings can give you a significant boost in clicks to your site too.

So if that's the case, how come most of us don't use customer reviews and testimonials all that often on our sites?

The truth is that despite knowing how valuable reviews and testimonials can be, most of us don't have anywhere near as many really strong ones as we'd like.

In this article, I'm going to show you how to get more customer reviews and testimonials by following a few simple steps. So let's get going…
Click here to find out how to get more customer reviews and testimonials »

Featured

Authority Marketing

The Proven Path to Building Authority: Getting Started

Posted on June 6th, 2017. The Proven Path to Building Authority: Getting Started

There's no doubt in my mind (and my experience) that being seen as an authority in your field is the best way for people in expert businesses like consultants, coaches, trainers and other professionals to win more high-paying clients without having to become marketing geniuses or spend all their time on sales.

But of course, becoming seen as an authority is easier said than done.

New: Click here to register for my FREE 5-Day Authority Challenge. In just 5 days you'll learn what it really takes to become seen as an Authority and build your roadmap to get there.

Late last year I ran a survey asking what your biggest challenge in the area of building authority was. There were a huge number of answers which I then used to help me shape my Authority Breakthrough Program. But overall, three big challenges came out well ahead of the others:

Read about the challenges and how to address the biggest one »

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The Free 5 Day Authority Challenge – Start Here

Posted on June 4th, 2017.

5 DAY AUTHORITY CHALLENGE


In Just 5 Days, Discover What it Really Takes to Become an Authority in Your Field - and Build Your Roadmap to Get There

Ready to become the sought-after expert your clients will want to work with and be willing to pay a premium to do so? 

Sorry - the challenge isn't running right now.

Places ian's Been Featured

"Join my 5 Day Authority Challenge and Discover How To Become Seen as an Authority by Your Ideal Clients and Stand Out From Your Competitors - Without Spending all Your Time on Marketing"

Ian Brodie

Feedback on the 5 Day Authority Challenge...

The 5 Day Authority ChallengeAverage Rating

5 Stars - Based on 53 User Reviews

Howard LothropHoward LothropIan Brodie Delivers Value and Insight

Ian has a remarkable way of condensing and conveying material to that critical core that really moves the needle. Great job as always.

Angela ShermanAngela ShermanExcellent advice to help you build authority with your audience

Excellent 5-day journey through the process of building authority. Great tips and advice, and Ian breaks it all down into manageable steps. I've gained some really valuable insights. I'd thoroughly recommend the 5-day Authority Challenge.

Biata MutemiTeaching

The teaching has been very helpful to me,being in real estate business, the challenge has been wonderdul and I am practising it .

Carolyn OvercashCarolyn OvercashIan Brodie is Inspirational

Ian Brodie's 5 Day Authority Challenge helped me define the direction I need to go, gave me new insight into engaging clients, threw fuel on the fire of my purpose, and reaffirmed that I do indeed have a marketing plan although I hadn't articulated it until this challenge. His challenge teaches how to evaluate and move forward toward completing one's goals.

Sandra OwenSandra OwenVery Helpful and informative.

I found the 5 Day Authority Challenge very helpful and informative. I've watched all 5 videos and made lots of notes, and am now going to create my roadmap. Something I've tried to do many times but always got side tracked. This short video challenge has helped refocus my mind. Thank you.

Stephen HumphreysVery Useful Thanks

I liked the way it was presented and it gave me some great ideas on how to differentiate my business from the competition.

HumzaIan's 5-Day Challenge is Fantastic!

Ian's challenge was brilliant! The format was very easily digestible and the content was excellent. The flow was logical and the exercises were very well-thought-through. Great job Ian!

Sarah WicksSarah WicksIt reignited my passion in my work

Thus challenge has reignited my passion in what i do. It is very content rich and simply structured. This combined with feedback from Ian has enabled me to clearly see the next steps I need to take. I don't think you could ask more from a 5 day challenge.

Michael BeckMichael BeckA Great Program for Gaining Authority!

This was a great program, filled its useful insights and practical advice.

Anna Letitia CookAnna Letitia CookGreatly improved insight and areas of focus...

Great course. Really helped me get clarity on the 3 drivers (Distinctive Point of View, Visibility with your Target Audience, Deepening Your Authority) and which I need to focus on most. Gave me considerably more insight on how best to refine, develop and present my distinctive point of view.

Shantel5 Day Authority Challenge with Ian Brodie

Excellent, helpful and indepth description about using your distinctive voice towards more permanent and consistent marketing efforts.

David RobertsonVery worthwhile course - 5 Day Authority Challenge

Really enjoyed the Authority Challenge, made me re-think my approach to a soon to launch B2B website and provided a clear path to follow.
Thanks, Ian
Regards David

Cathy GoodwinCathy GoodwinHe walks the talk

Ian walked the talk on this one! He's an authority on becoming an authority. The topic is a novel one and he explained it well. I was particularly impressed with Ian's activity in the group. All too many people at his level tend to set up a group and turn people loose. He was a strong presence, responding quickly to posts. I'm just pivoting to a new authority base and the videos were extremely helpful.

JohnGreat actionable content.

It was awesome. Great actionable content.

Jeff MeisterJeff MeisterPacked With Value!

Ian's 5 Day Authority Challenge was packed with value. The concept of the "Disruptive Point of View" was something new for me... and very powerful. I strongly recommend the Authority Challenge to anyone building an expertise based business.

Rhonda BowenRhonda BowenValue without hype

Ian has such a wonderful way of getting the message across, no hype, no promises he cannot keep. I really benefitted from the various models and now have a better idea of how to move forward. Thank you, Ian, for providing such great value.

Mario GastaldiMario GastaldiOutstanding framework

The materials are outstanding.
The whole challenge will lead you into an exploration of your own business, how you are unique to your clients and how you can stand out in the sea of competitors.
It's a practical and actionable plan; it totally makes sense.
You will save a lot of time (and other resources) just by following the simple steps.

Shona BattersbyEasy roadmap for success.

The challenge made it so easy to understand each step of the way that is required to build Authority. The final day put it all together with an easy actionable roadmap to follow.

Margaret AdamsHow To Gain Authority And Clients In Your Field

Excellent videos and lots of useful information. Example: the differentiation between direct and indirect marketing. Many videos are short on information. This series was packed with great material.

Geoff MarlowGeoff MarlowHow to become an authentic authority

Ian is probably the world's leading authority on how to break free from being a 'best kept secret' by discovering and communicating your unique value-add. The 5 day authority challenge is an excellent way to get started with your journey to authority.

Marie PierreAuthority Challenge

The program is on target. It validates what I aim to accomplish. It makes me feel right at home.
I made Plans according to day 5
Thank you. The Program was a delight and likewise food for my brain

Rita BakerA truly authoritative approach to helping people to develop authority!

To be honest, you reaffirmed beliefs I already had, but what I Ioved was the clear, systematic way in which you developed the theme - WITH AUTHORITY! I'm currently not ready to engage in your course as I have so much work to do on preparing my own material. My subject is an accelerated, organic approach to learning English, which I have been developing and using for the last 25 years. Languages are all about pattern, representing underlying SYSTEMS. Children learn by perceiving these patterns. Traditional language teaching involves presenting deconstructed chunks, an approach which obliterates patterns and is therefore completely counter-intuitive and unsuccessful. It's a massive topic and dividing it up is a large part of the challenge. I will certainly bear you in mind though, and recommend you to others.

Sara JaneMarketing Made EASY!

EVERYTHING that Ian offers is practical - and therefore useful. He takes the fear and threat out of marketing - thereby making it 'easy'. Yes, marketing does take work - but Ian removes the stumbling blocks!

So it is with the 5 day authority challenge. While I have work to do to position myself as an authority, as a result of the authority challenge, I confidently and easily wrote TWO articles!

Sasa RozmanFantastic

Fantastic, short and simple and just what I needed! I've payed for that kind of information in the past, but didn't get such value out of it- and your training is for free! Thank you, Ian and keep on doing great work!

Peter GjersoeThank you Ian

Excellent easy to implement summary of the steps required to become an authority in your niche

Victoria LeoVictoria LeoFocus on this; implement it; ignore everything else. Ian's roadmap will get you where you want to be.

Why this and not another? Let me count the ways. Ian's info and insights are accurate - not telling you what you want to hear, but what's true. That mirrors how I work, and I value it above all else. His advice is not only true but unique. You don't have to write a sloppily-put-together e-book or book in to a dozen podcasts, but you DO have to do what Ian tells you to do. He presents his very valuable roadmap in a clear, concise manner that makes sense to a businessperson. He's warm and folksy while exhibiting gravitas - quite a trick. He focuses on value, not razzle-dazsle, which is what he tells you to do as well. [The folks who buy the razzle don't stay with you; they're off to grab the next shiny object; that's my experience, not his opinion.] It's all about revenue, which means it's all about delivering unique and powerful value. This is the roadmap to get you there. I am not purveying biz advice, and I could focus on the underlying key principles very easily. You will too. Stop the useless free webinars; focus on this training. You'll be glad you did.

Andreas DittrichAndreas DittrichBest practice

Very well structured and with many proven practices out of real life. I work along those lines and recommended the program in my network.

TraceyExcellent

In five highly engaging and information packed webinars, Ian provides all the tools an independent consultant might need to think through their market positioning, and develop a manageable road map to implementation. Theory is brought to life with copious examples, models and exercises, the quality of the materials is just extraordinary, and the entire experience is orchestrated with efficiency and professionalism. Thankyou Ian!

MaryI'm a fan of Ian Brodie!

"Lack of clarity" was my problem - now solved. And I love the group!

Rob BrownRob BrownA brilliant program that really works if you want to stand out for what you do!

It's so easy to get so close to your own offering and so wrapped up in the detail that you can't strategies about the big picture. What I love about Ian Brodie's Authority Challenge is how it gives you the tools and the space to think it through from the client's perspective. There is nobody better than Ian at bringing all of the world's best thinking into one idea, one program, one methodology that really works. Brilliant stuff and a must for pretty much all coaches, consultants, speakers and trainers out there.

PatrickEasy and useful

Simple, logical, to the point and free of the long and self-promoting storytelling that everybody else do these days. Five stars, Ian!

Despina VaraklasDespina VaraklasThank you for providing this.

It gave me confidence that I am on the right track to bring my POV to the surface.

Neenah Queen Jordan KelliebrewIan Brodie is my Go To Guy!!!

My specific results studying with Ian are in the makings as we speak still... I am and have studied much, much more than The 5 Day Authority Challenge with Ian. I am so excited to have been introduced to him. Ian is one of the best Mentors that has entered into my life. Believe me, Ian came to me at the perfect time... I truly needed his support! I greatly appreciate Ian and his team's support. Thanks for everything Ian! Take care!

Vedrana*****

Short,accurately, really useful!
Well done

Maggie SpencerJust starting out

I am just in the foothills of marketing. Ian is so calm, clear and reassuring that's it's fine to go at your own pace with your own plan. Have really appreciated your time and effort to put this together and share for free.

Feels so much better than reading it a book. It makes it alive and real. Thanks Ian

Jon FrostJon FrostEmails to look forward to!

an has consistently given me advice and inspiration over the last couple of years. Ian's emails are some of the few that I look forward to, high praise indeed in this age of overwhelm, noise and spam. Thanks.

Sarah FoxSarah FoxBe precise to get noticed!

Really helpful and insightful collection of questions, webinars and individual feedback to get you thinking about how you can become the authority on a topic that matters to a target audience and how to reach them.

SerbanEssential knowledge

That was succint and clear type of challenge. For me the ilustration of high value briefing as medium commitment step.

RaduThere is always a way. Ian helps finding it better than GPS does!

Clarity. Progress. Action. Support. Thank you!

Bunmi JembolaBunmi JembolaThank you Ian for helping my business

Ian gave a thousand dollars value for free in that series. Going through it has greatly impacted how I sell my expertise as a leading African sales coach and consultant

Susan MatsonExtremely valuable!

As always, Ian's content is clear, smart, and useful. I have been taking my time working through the videos because there's so much in here that i want to make notes, rewind and go back and listen again, etc.

Thanks, Ian!

Marie-eve PlamondonMarie-eve PlamondonA good challenge

Always very good material.

Bruce BixlerBruce BixlerDistinctly Different!

I liked the "distinct point of view section. In a crowded field of social media you have to separate yourself from the pack.

Anne-laureAnne-laureFar beyond what could be expected!

loved this 5 day authority challenge. Although it's free, it's very well done, with a lot of insights.
This free training really gave me a lot : I've been able to develop my own "distinctive point of view" and I'm working on ways to communicate it. I'm sure it will help me get new clients.
Thanks Ian for this. As usual you went far beyond what could be expected and delivered great value.

George KemishGeorge KemishThe 5 Day Authority Challenge - A Great Opportunity to Learn from the Maesto

I found the 5 Day Authority Challenge extremely useful. Although I was aware of many of the suggestions put forward, there were still some very useful, and practical, advice from Ian. It was also extremely interesting to see what other people were doing to push themselves forward as Authorities in their field. I even received some very good advice from someone else who took part in the Challenge. It was well worth giving up the time to take part in this project.

Vatsala ShuklaVatsala ShuklaA distinctive challenge for professionals who are serious about making a difference

Ian Brodie's 5 Day Authority Challenge is one of the best that I have participated and would encourage any professional or business owner to take the challenge if they really want to zero in on their authority and find those gaps that stops them from stepping into their own power to serve their audience.

My favorite parts of the challenge were revisiting my distinctive point of view and receiving support to make it robust and the 3 key phases to building authority. Ian provided a lot of content and support to help each one of us achieve a small win towards the bigger victory.

Thank you Ian!

SilasMany paths to Authority.

As for me I intend to enter a new field and my main result was the awareness to do a research project as a way to become me an expert.

Thank you Ian.

Will GardnerValuable: do it!

A very valuable programme. Simple, logical, insightful, and most of all, practical. Thanks Ian!

CeciliaThank you!

Thank you very much Ian for sharing all these ideas, tips and tricks & hacks! I learned a lot! Kind regards ( all the way from B.A. Argentina :-) ) Cecilia

HeleneHelenePriceless advice from a real authority

I am so grateful I found and went through Ian's 5-Day Authority Challenge. Ian packed 5 short, no-fluff videos with so much valuable and actionable advice and tips! And I now have a detailed and concrete road map to implement his ideas - awesome!

Sarah WheatleySarah WheatleyMade a daunting process much more do-able

The structure made it relatively easy for me to create and implement a plan for developing my authority, within a short timeframe. It was easy to follow (although the exercises themselves were challenging) and asked me just the right questions that I needed to be able to come up with something executable relatively quickly. It made what normally seems a pretty daunting process seem pretty straightforward and do-able. Thanks Ian!

DavidCritical Content for Becoming An Authority

Amazing amount of content critical for developing authority influence...presented professionally and clearly, with detailed, practical "next steps" for each lesson.

Ian BerryIan BerryWell thought through immediately actionable complimentary course

I've been on Ian Brodie's mailing list for a long time and know from experience that he only offers well thought through. immediately actionable materials. The challenge was no exception.

I've already used the workbook to review my current distinctive point of views and have updated some of my lead magnets.

Thank you Ian for your highly professional work.

If you've done the 5 Day Challenge yourself and would like to leave a review click here.

Featured

More Clients Memorandum

How are you *really* different

Posted on June 4th, 2017.

Spotify has just started playing Dexy's Midnight Runners as I type this. Not that I'm a huge fan, but some music just lifts your spirits :)

This week I've been thinking about what make us – all of us – different from our competitors.

Whenever you read something about USPs or differentiation, the focus is almost always on the end result. Nine times out of ten you'll hear about Dominos Pizza and how they offered delivery within 30 minutes or your money back. Apparently back in 1523 when they started up, no one else was offering that.

But today, things are different. Everyone offers fast delivery Pizza. More importantly, as a service provider, chances are that most people in your field promise something very similar to you.

Do you claim to improve your client's leadership, reduce their costs, get them more clients, give them more confidence?

What do your competitors claim? My guess is something pretty similar.

It's almost impossible to differentiate based on what you claim you can do in a service business these days. It's so easy for competitors to make the same claims.

What you can differentiate on is how you prove that claim. How you give your potential clients confidence that they'll actually get what you say they'll get.

You can prove your claims through testimonials and case studies.

You can prove your claims through your experience and background.

You can prove your claims through giving value in advance – proving you can improve things for them by actually improving things for them.

One underused approach is to use a unique method or approach to prove your claims.

It's a bit like the way the ads for L'Oréal and other cosmetics often go heavy on the “science” behind the product. They know you've been promised younger looking skin or whatever claim they're making a thousand times before. Why should you believe them this time? It's because of this amazing new ingredient only recently uncovered by science ;)

In most of our businesses clients have been promised better leadership, reduced costs, more clients, more confidence many, many times before. Why should they believe you when you say you can really deliver it?

Probably the previous times they heard plenty of testimonials and track records too.

But if you can show that you genuinely do things a different way that's more likely to lead to results, that can give them confidence.

If they can see that your way is different and makes sense, then it's something for them to hang their hopes on to. 

So, what is your “different way”? Do you genuinely do things differently to your competitors?

Not just a weak “we're better” or “we're easier to work with” or “we really listen”. Your competitors say those things too.

What can you say about the way you do things that your competitors can't or don't say?

That can help you stand out in a tough marketplace.

Featured

The 5 Day Authority Challenge – Signup

Posted on May 28th, 2017.

5 DAY AUTHORITY CHALLENGE


In Just 5 Days, Discover What it Really Takes to Become an Authority in Your Field - and Build Your Roadmap to Get There

Ready to become the sought-after expert your clients will want to work with and be willing to pay a premium to do so? 

Sorry - the Challenge is not running right now

Places ian's Been Featured

"Join my 5 Day Authority Challenge and Discover How To Become Seen as an Authority by Your Ideal Clients and Stand Out From Your Competitors - Without Spending all Your Time on Marketing"

Ian Brodie

Feedback on the 5 Day Authority Challenge...

The 5 Day Authority ChallengeAverage Rating

5 Stars - Based on 53 User Reviews

Vatsala ShuklaVatsala ShuklaA distinctive challenge for professionals who are serious about making a difference

Ian Brodie's 5 Day Authority Challenge is one of the best that I have participated and would encourage any professional or business owner to take the challenge if they really want to zero in on their authority and find those gaps that stops them from stepping into their own power to serve their audience.

My favorite parts of the challenge were revisiting my distinctive point of view and receiving support to make it robust and the 3 key phases to building authority. Ian provided a lot of content and support to help each one of us achieve a small win towards the bigger victory.

Thank you Ian!

Andreas DittrichAndreas DittrichBest practice

Very well structured and with many proven practices out of real life. I work along those lines and recommended the program in my network.

DavidCritical Content for Becoming An Authority

Amazing amount of content critical for developing authority influence...presented professionally and clearly, with detailed, practical "next steps" for each lesson.

HeleneHelenePriceless advice from a real authority

I am so grateful I found and went through Ian's 5-Day Authority Challenge. Ian packed 5 short, no-fluff videos with so much valuable and actionable advice and tips! And I now have a detailed and concrete road map to implement his ideas - awesome!

Cathy GoodwinCathy GoodwinHe walks the talk

Ian walked the talk on this one! He's an authority on becoming an authority. The topic is a novel one and he explained it well. I was particularly impressed with Ian's activity in the group. All too many people at his level tend to set up a group and turn people loose. He was a strong presence, responding quickly to posts. I'm just pivoting to a new authority base and the videos were extremely helpful.

Shantel5 Day Authority Challenge with Ian Brodie

Excellent, helpful and indepth description about using your distinctive voice towards more permanent and consistent marketing efforts.

Sarah WheatleySarah WheatleyMade a daunting process much more do-able

The structure made it relatively easy for me to create and implement a plan for developing my authority, within a short timeframe. It was easy to follow (although the exercises themselves were challenging) and asked me just the right questions that I needed to be able to come up with something executable relatively quickly. It made what normally seems a pretty daunting process seem pretty straightforward and do-able. Thanks Ian!

George KemishGeorge KemishThe 5 Day Authority Challenge - A Great Opportunity to Learn from the Maesto

I found the 5 Day Authority Challenge extremely useful. Although I was aware of many of the suggestions put forward, there were still some very useful, and practical, advice from Ian. It was also extremely interesting to see what other people were doing to push themselves forward as Authorities in their field. I even received some very good advice from someone else who took part in the Challenge. It was well worth giving up the time to take part in this project.

Peter GjersoeThank you Ian

Excellent easy to implement summary of the steps required to become an authority in your niche

Vedrana*****

Short,accurately, really useful!
Well done

Shona BattersbyEasy roadmap for success.

The challenge made it so easy to understand each step of the way that is required to build Authority. The final day put it all together with an easy actionable roadmap to follow.

SilasMany paths to Authority.

As for me I intend to enter a new field and my main result was the awareness to do a research project as a way to become me an expert.

Thank you Ian.

Susan MatsonExtremely valuable!

As always, Ian's content is clear, smart, and useful. I have been taking my time working through the videos because there's so much in here that i want to make notes, rewind and go back and listen again, etc.

Thanks, Ian!

Bruce BixlerBruce BixlerDistinctly Different!

I liked the "distinct point of view section. In a crowded field of social media you have to separate yourself from the pack.

SerbanEssential knowledge

That was succint and clear type of challenge. For me the ilustration of high value briefing as medium commitment step.

Anna Letitia CookAnna Letitia CookGreatly improved insight and areas of focus...

Great course. Really helped me get clarity on the 3 drivers (Distinctive Point of View, Visibility with your Target Audience, Deepening Your Authority) and which I need to focus on most. Gave me considerably more insight on how best to refine, develop and present my distinctive point of view.

Howard LothropHoward LothropIan Brodie Delivers Value and Insight

Ian has a remarkable way of condensing and conveying material to that critical core that really moves the needle. Great job as always.

Will GardnerValuable: do it!

A very valuable programme. Simple, logical, insightful, and most of all, practical. Thanks Ian!

Mario GastaldiMario GastaldiOutstanding framework

The materials are outstanding.
The whole challenge will lead you into an exploration of your own business, how you are unique to your clients and how you can stand out in the sea of competitors.
It's a practical and actionable plan; it totally makes sense.
You will save a lot of time (and other resources) just by following the simple steps.

Jeff MeisterJeff MeisterPacked With Value!

Ian's 5 Day Authority Challenge was packed with value. The concept of the "Disruptive Point of View" was something new for me... and very powerful. I strongly recommend the Authority Challenge to anyone building an expertise based business.

Geoff MarlowGeoff MarlowHow to become an authentic authority

Ian is probably the world's leading authority on how to break free from being a 'best kept secret' by discovering and communicating your unique value-add. The 5 day authority challenge is an excellent way to get started with your journey to authority.

Neenah Queen Jordan KelliebrewIan Brodie is my Go To Guy!!!

My specific results studying with Ian are in the makings as we speak still... I am and have studied much, much more than The 5 Day Authority Challenge with Ian. I am so excited to have been introduced to him. Ian is one of the best Mentors that has entered into my life. Believe me, Ian came to me at the perfect time... I truly needed his support! I greatly appreciate Ian and his team's support. Thanks for everything Ian! Take care!

RaduThere is always a way. Ian helps finding it better than GPS does!

Clarity. Progress. Action. Support. Thank you!

Rhonda BowenRhonda BowenValue without hype

Ian has such a wonderful way of getting the message across, no hype, no promises he cannot keep. I really benefitted from the various models and now have a better idea of how to move forward. Thank you, Ian, for providing such great value.

Michael BeckMichael BeckA Great Program for Gaining Authority!

This was a great program, filled its useful insights and practical advice.

TraceyExcellent

In five highly engaging and information packed webinars, Ian provides all the tools an independent consultant might need to think through their market positioning, and develop a manageable road map to implementation. Theory is brought to life with copious examples, models and exercises, the quality of the materials is just extraordinary, and the entire experience is orchestrated with efficiency and professionalism. Thankyou Ian!

Biata MutemiTeaching

The teaching has been very helpful to me,being in real estate business, the challenge has been wonderdul and I am practising it .

Sarah FoxSarah FoxBe precise to get noticed!

Really helpful and insightful collection of questions, webinars and individual feedback to get you thinking about how you can become the authority on a topic that matters to a target audience and how to reach them.

CeciliaThank you!

Thank you very much Ian for sharing all these ideas, tips and tricks & hacks! I learned a lot! Kind regards ( all the way from B.A. Argentina :-) ) Cecilia

Sarah WicksSarah WicksIt reignited my passion in my work

Thus challenge has reignited my passion in what i do. It is very content rich and simply structured. This combined with feedback from Ian has enabled me to clearly see the next steps I need to take. I don't think you could ask more from a 5 day challenge.

Sara JaneMarketing Made EASY!

EVERYTHING that Ian offers is practical - and therefore useful. He takes the fear and threat out of marketing - thereby making it 'easy'. Yes, marketing does take work - but Ian removes the stumbling blocks!

So it is with the 5 day authority challenge. While I have work to do to position myself as an authority, as a result of the authority challenge, I confidently and easily wrote TWO articles!

Margaret AdamsHow To Gain Authority And Clients In Your Field

Excellent videos and lots of useful information. Example: the differentiation between direct and indirect marketing. Many videos are short on information. This series was packed with great material.

Ian BerryIan BerryWell thought through immediately actionable complimentary course

I've been on Ian Brodie's mailing list for a long time and know from experience that he only offers well thought through. immediately actionable materials. The challenge was no exception.

I've already used the workbook to review my current distinctive point of views and have updated some of my lead magnets.

Thank you Ian for your highly professional work.

David RobertsonVery worthwhile course - 5 Day Authority Challenge

Really enjoyed the Authority Challenge, made me re-think my approach to a soon to launch B2B website and provided a clear path to follow.
Thanks, Ian
Regards David

Jon FrostJon FrostEmails to look forward to!

an has consistently given me advice and inspiration over the last couple of years. Ian's emails are some of the few that I look forward to, high praise indeed in this age of overwhelm, noise and spam. Thanks.

Maggie SpencerJust starting out

I am just in the foothills of marketing. Ian is so calm, clear and reassuring that's it's fine to go at your own pace with your own plan. Have really appreciated your time and effort to put this together and share for free.

Feels so much better than reading it a book. It makes it alive and real. Thanks Ian

Rob BrownRob BrownA brilliant program that really works if you want to stand out for what you do!

It's so easy to get so close to your own offering and so wrapped up in the detail that you can't strategies about the big picture. What I love about Ian Brodie's Authority Challenge is how it gives you the tools and the space to think it through from the client's perspective. There is nobody better than Ian at bringing all of the world's best thinking into one idea, one program, one methodology that really works. Brilliant stuff and a must for pretty much all coaches, consultants, speakers and trainers out there.

Carolyn OvercashCarolyn OvercashIan Brodie is Inspirational

Ian Brodie's 5 Day Authority Challenge helped me define the direction I need to go, gave me new insight into engaging clients, threw fuel on the fire of my purpose, and reaffirmed that I do indeed have a marketing plan although I hadn't articulated it until this challenge. His challenge teaches how to evaluate and move forward toward completing one's goals.

PatrickEasy and useful

Simple, logical, to the point and free of the long and self-promoting storytelling that everybody else do these days. Five stars, Ian!

Despina VaraklasDespina VaraklasThank you for providing this.

It gave me confidence that I am on the right track to bring my POV to the surface.

Stephen HumphreysVery Useful Thanks

I liked the way it was presented and it gave me some great ideas on how to differentiate my business from the competition.

HumzaIan's 5-Day Challenge is Fantastic!

Ian's challenge was brilliant! The format was very easily digestible and the content was excellent. The flow was logical and the exercises were very well-thought-through. Great job Ian!

Sandra OwenSandra OwenVery Helpful and informative.

I found the 5 Day Authority Challenge very helpful and informative. I've watched all 5 videos and made lots of notes, and am now going to create my roadmap. Something I've tried to do many times but always got side tracked. This short video challenge has helped refocus my mind. Thank you.

Angela ShermanAngela ShermanExcellent advice to help you build authority with your audience

Excellent 5-day journey through the process of building authority. Great tips and advice, and Ian breaks it all down into manageable steps. I've gained some really valuable insights. I'd thoroughly recommend the 5-day Authority Challenge.

Bunmi JembolaBunmi JembolaThank you Ian for helping my business

Ian gave a thousand dollars value for free in that series. Going through it has greatly impacted how I sell my expertise as a leading African sales coach and consultant

Rita BakerA truly authoritative approach to helping people to develop authority!

To be honest, you reaffirmed beliefs I already had, but what I Ioved was the clear, systematic way in which you developed the theme - WITH AUTHORITY! I'm currently not ready to engage in your course as I have so much work to do on preparing my own material. My subject is an accelerated, organic approach to learning English, which I have been developing and using for the last 25 years. Languages are all about pattern, representing underlying SYSTEMS. Children learn by perceiving these patterns. Traditional language teaching involves presenting deconstructed chunks, an approach which obliterates patterns and is therefore completely counter-intuitive and unsuccessful. It's a massive topic and dividing it up is a large part of the challenge. I will certainly bear you in mind though, and recommend you to others.

Marie PierreAuthority Challenge

The program is on target. It validates what I aim to accomplish. It makes me feel right at home.
I made Plans according to day 5
Thank you. The Program was a delight and likewise food for my brain

Marie-eve PlamondonMarie-eve PlamondonA good challenge

Always very good material.

Anne-laureAnne-laureFar beyond what could be expected!

loved this 5 day authority challenge. Although it's free, it's very well done, with a lot of insights.
This free training really gave me a lot : I've been able to develop my own "distinctive point of view" and I'm working on ways to communicate it. I'm sure it will help me get new clients.
Thanks Ian for this. As usual you went far beyond what could be expected and delivered great value.

JohnGreat actionable content.

It was awesome. Great actionable content.

Sasa RozmanFantastic

Fantastic, short and simple and just what I needed! I've payed for that kind of information in the past, but didn't get such value out of it- and your training is for free! Thank you, Ian and keep on doing great work!

MaryI'm a fan of Ian Brodie!

"Lack of clarity" was my problem - now solved. And I love the group!

Victoria LeoVictoria LeoFocus on this; implement it; ignore everything else. Ian's roadmap will get you where you want to be.

Why this and not another? Let me count the ways. Ian's info and insights are accurate - not telling you what you want to hear, but what's true. That mirrors how I work, and I value it above all else. His advice is not only true but unique. You don't have to write a sloppily-put-together e-book or book in to a dozen podcasts, but you DO have to do what Ian tells you to do. He presents his very valuable roadmap in a clear, concise manner that makes sense to a businessperson. He's warm and folksy while exhibiting gravitas - quite a trick. He focuses on value, not razzle-dazsle, which is what he tells you to do as well. [The folks who buy the razzle don't stay with you; they're off to grab the next shiny object; that's my experience, not his opinion.] It's all about revenue, which means it's all about delivering unique and powerful value. This is the roadmap to get you there. I am not purveying biz advice, and I could focus on the underlying key principles very easily. You will too. Stop the useless free webinars; focus on this training. You'll be glad you did.

If you've done the 5 Day Challenge yourself and would like to leave a review click here.

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How to stay ahead of the curve

Posted on May 28th, 2017.

In last Sunday's email I encouraged you to share your expertise and your journey with your audience, making the point that you don't have to be the world's #1 authority in an area to have useful expertise to share.

Of course, your journey needs to be a couple of steps ahead of where your audience is. No one pays rapt attention to someone doing something they've already done themselves a bunch of times before.

One way you can stay ahead is to keep a watchful eye on what's happening in other fields outside your own. 

I typically don't advise jumping on the latest silver bullet technique that marketers keep trying to sell us. But what I do like is seeing what's effective in other areas that are perhaps a bit more advanced than our own and experimenting to see if they will work for us.

A simple example of this is the fiction writer Mark Dawson. Mark writes detective and spy fiction and sells upwards of 300,000 copies of his books every year. Pretty outstanding for a self-published author.

The reason he does so well is that he learnt how to use Facebook Advertising and spends $370 per day on ads and has built a 40,000 strong mailing list of people interested in his books.

In parallel to continuing to write, Mark also created a training course on using Facebook Advertising to sell fiction books which was hugely successful.  

It didn't contain anything earth-shattering or unique that hadn't been seen in Facebook Advertising courses in many other industries. But Mark was the first to take that knowledge, apply it to the world of fiction writing, tweak it to get it to work, and then share it with other authors. 

He got 2 or 3 steps ahead by watching what was going on in other sectors.

You can do the same too.

Learn from other fields. Crucially: test it out and tweak it to make it work in your field. Then share it.

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How Bruce Henderson became an authority

Posted on May 24th, 2017.

Back in 1963, Bruce Doolin Henderson was asked by the Boston Safe Deposit & Trust Company to set up a management consulting division.

It started off as just Bruce, a small office and a phone. Pretty much like all of us started up our business. Though no fancy Apple Macs in those days.

Within a decade, the renamed Boston Consulting Group were the premier strategy consulting firm in the US. And Henderson had become known as the leading strategy consultant of his generation.

When he died in 1992, the Financial Times said he “did more to change the way business is done in the United States than any other man in American business history”.

Now not everyone agrees with Henderson and BCG's ideas on business. And he was reputedly a rather difficult man to get along with.

But there's no doubt he was a pioneer and an Authority. When he spoke, people listened.

But back in 1963 that was far from the case. BCG's billings for their first month were just USD $500.

Henderson faced the same challenge that most small advisory firms have when they start up: they're unknown. 

Even though he had personal connections from his time at AD Little, and even though his parent company had clients they could introduce him to, he was still an unknown quantity to most.

Other consulting firms such as McKinsey had a 45-year head start on him and had an established reputation, a strong client base, and an alumni network of ex-consultants in high places in industry who regularly hired their old firm to work for them.

But what Henderson had was ideas.

Lots of them. New and interesting ideas about how business should be done.

He knew that BCG would struggle to get hired based on track record because they had none. And their relationships would never stack up against McKinsey and the other established firms.

But his ideas could go toe-to-toe against anyone's and win.

So he started publishing his ideas in a little pamphlet called Perspectives. A pocket-sized booklet that senior business executives could carry around with them.

He didn't wait to get a big publishing deal and spend years writing a book.

He didn't wait to get approved by the editors of the top business publications of the day (who all had relationships with his competitors anyway).

He just published his ideas himself and sent them directly to his target clients: senior executives in large corporations.

And he didn't just write about things he thought would be acceptable to those executives. He called his Perspectives a “Punch Between The Eyes” and decreed that:

“Statements that senior executives would find believable are not supported. Only provocative material is argued. the subject matter is chosen to be deliberately provocative, significant in implication, and relevant to the policy decisions of corporate competition.”

The rest is history.

BCG are of course, huge today. And still known for their thought leadership.

But it all started with Henderson making a decision to get his ideas out directly to his target clients.

And today it's never been easier to connect directly with potential clients.

You can still use direct mail. But you can also advertise on Google, Linkedin or Facebook. Each one can get you directly to a potential client depending on your market.

And with email marketing, you can follow-up consistently to deepen your authority. 

My guess is that if Bruce Henderson had been around today he'd be running a hugely successful online consultancy from that tiny little office :)

If you have great ideas it's something you can do too.