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Episode 142: How Authority Unlocks Consulting Success · Black Girls Consult TOO!

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: All right.
• 0:00
  Speaker 1: So here's the one uncomfortable truth about consulting it's that consulting has always been about access, about you being able to reach the right people at the right time to share what you do best.
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: And if you have the access, then, yes, you can be extremely wildly successful.
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: But those of us that don't have that access, well, let me just tell you it's going to be much harder, because if you don't have that access, well, let me just tell you, it's going to be much harder, because if you don't have the access that you need, oftentimes you go overlooked.
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: That's why it's always been about getting into the right rooms.
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: If you talk to anybody about how to start a consulting business, most people are going to tell you that you need to know the right people, you need to get referrals, you need to network endlessly.
• 0:43
  Speaker 1: You need to do all these things that are going to help you gain greater access to the people that make decisions.
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: And if you're able to do that, great.
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: But many of us are not able to gain that level of access so quickly.
• 0:57
  Speaker 1: So what do you do?
• 0:59
  Speaker 1: How do you get around the fact that access is such a major player when it comes to success in this space?
• 1:06
  Speaker 1: Well, I want to tell you that you definitely don't have to wait decades in order for you to have your turn.
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: You can gain access by doing one simple thing, and that's building authority, and we're going to talk all about that today.
• 1:25
  Speaker 1: They say the odds are stacked against us as women, especially women of color, trying to thrive in the consulting world.
• 1:32
  Speaker 1: But rather than wait for a seat at the table that may never come, what if we build our own tables?
• 1:37
  Speaker 1: What if we channeled our talents into guiding each other towards the success we deserve?
• 1:42
  Speaker 1: Welcome to the Black Girls Consulting Podcast guiding each other towards the success we deserve.
• 1:46
  Speaker 1: Welcome to the Black Girls Consulting Podcast.
• 1:48
  Speaker 1: I'm your host, dr Angelina Davis, and I've walked the path from healthcare consultant to a mentor.
• 1:52
  Speaker 1: For women like you, ambitious, unstoppable and ready to make waves in the consulting world.
• 1:56
  Speaker 1: This podcast is your go-to spot for all things entrepreneurial consulting.
• 2:01
  Speaker 1: For us as women, especially women of color.
• 2:04
  Speaker 1: Think of it as your weekly coffee date with a friend who's here to dish out real talk on building a solid business, elevating your thought leadership and mastering that all-important mindset.
• 2:15
  Speaker 1: And let's not forget we're doing all of this while balancing day jobs, family life and running teams.
• 2:21
  Speaker 1: Yes, we can do it all.
• 2:23
  Speaker 1: So if you're ready to dive into how you can grow a thriving consultancy or get strategies and insights that actually fit your busy lifestyle, then you're in the right place.
• 2:33
  Speaker 1: Grab your coffee, tea or, hey, even a glass of wine, I won't judge.
• 2:37
  Speaker 1: Let's get started.
• 2:50
  Speaker 1: If I'm honest, I used to believe that consulting was something that you did once you got to the end of your career.
• 2:53
  Speaker 1: You worked a lot of your life in one particular area.
• 2:57
  Speaker 1: You served one particular audience.
• 3:01
  Speaker 1: You became known for one particular thing, particular audience.
• 3:05
  Speaker 1: You became known for one particular thing, and at the end of that journey you then could move into consulting.
• 3:14
  Speaker 1: I almost saw it as being crowned as a consultant.
• 3:15
  Speaker 1: You had earned the right to go out there and sell your expertise, and that was so far from the truth.
• 3:19
  Speaker 1: We do not have to wait until we are approaching retirement to decide to build a consulting business, and if you're listening to this, I know that you know that to be true.
• 3:31
  Speaker 1: But I really thought that.
• 3:32
  Speaker 1: I really thought that I had to get to that point of my career to be worthy of being an expert, to be worthy of being a consultant, and I think I got a lot of that from what I often saw.
• 3:46
  Speaker 1: Many of the consultants that I knew, especially when I was starting out as a healthcare consultant.
• 3:51
  Speaker 1: They were older, especially those that were in the entrepreneurial space, and they had amassed a lot of credibility over the years.
• 4:01
  Speaker 1: They knew people, they had tons of publications, their name was plastered everywhere when it came to awards and other recognitions and accolades, and so thinking about entering into a space without all of that was scary.
• 4:18
  Speaker 1: It felt as if I was not prepared, that I could not compete, and that's a myth that I feel like many of us carry with us when we're starting out in this space.
• 4:29
  Speaker 1: We think that we need to have amassed so much credibility and so many accolades to be deserving of becoming a successful consultant.
• 4:41
  Speaker 1: But one of the things that I think helped in that moment was me being able to talk with my boss.
• 4:50
  Speaker 1: At the time.
• 4:51
  Speaker 1: We were riding on a car ride going to a client visit and I remember him talking about his son.
• 4:57
  Speaker 1: He was so proud of his son starting this business.
• 5:01
  Speaker 1: His business actually evolved into a lot more, but started out as a consulting business and he was in IT.
• 5:08
  Speaker 1: He was doing well and had amassed so much money and so much success from this business and he started so young.
• 5:15
  Speaker 1: That was one of the things that, when we were talking, that my boss was so proud of the fact that his son had accomplished so much by that time, and hearing him talk about it made me realize that maybe there was a part of him that wish he could have, or would have, started earlier instead of waiting so long to start the business that he did, and in that moment I thought to myself that I don't want to wait until the end of my career.
• 5:43
  Speaker 1: I knew it was something that I was capable of doing.
• 5:47
  Speaker 1: I knew it was something that I wanted to do.
• 5:49
  Speaker 1: I knew that I could offer a lot if I was able to put myself out there to present my expertise to the world and to show people what I could do, how I could help, how I could serve, and that did not require me to spend decades upon decades trying to amass a certain level of credibility.
• 6:12
  Speaker 1: That, honestly, wasn't required.
• 6:13
  Speaker 1: So that was one of the big myths or misunderstandings I had when I first started.
• 6:20
  Speaker 1: But I also think that many of us fall into the trap of not just waiting a number of years but also believing that we need to have a huge network.
• 6:30
  Speaker 1: That's one of the things that does come along with being in practice for a long time.
• 6:36
  Speaker 1: When you've been around the block, when you know a lot of people, when you worked on a lot of different projects, you get to a place where you have a pretty solid network and that network may include people that will hire you because they are the decision makers.
• 6:53
  Speaker 1: They have reached a point in their careers, in their tenure in their particular industries, where they have reached that level.
• 7:01
  Speaker 1: And often, if we're starting out, especially at a younger age, it's hard to think about people who are at that point in their career, who have actually gotten to the point where they are the main decision maker at a major company or an organization.
• 7:17
  Speaker 1: Networking certainly plays a huge role, but it also somewhat can be something that limits many of us because we spend so much time trying to amass this major network and it takes a while before you include in that network the key people that you need to have that drive the decisions.
• 7:39
  Speaker 1: So you need something else In those moments when we're thinking about what else we need the decisions.
• 7:43
  Speaker 1: So you need something else In those moments when we're thinking about what else we need, if we're not waiting until retirement, if we're not amassing this massive network before we start, then the logical next answer solution for many of us is to fall back on RFPs.
• 7:55
  Speaker 1: We begin to submit our responses for requests for proposals and we're trying to beat out the next person who is trying to buy for that job or that project.
• 8:06
  Speaker 1: One of the things that you'll learn over time is that this process often leads to us undervaluing ourselves and undercharging.
• 8:16
  Speaker 1: Now, this is not a whole conversation about the pros and cons of RFPs, but I do want us to just know that a lot of the old beliefs that we have of working until retirement, or networking endlessly, trying to find the right referrals, or even submitting 10 million RFPs trying to land the perfect one that's going to carry us along, that's going to carry us along those are all ways that, yes, they work, but are not required for you to build a successful business, because the thing that we have to use to our advantage now that we did not have before, is the online space.
• 8:58
  Speaker 1: It's artificial intelligence, it's all of the tools and resources around us that allow us to build authority more readily, because, when you actually look at many of these traditional ways and methods that we used to use when we worked for a number of years or decades in a particular career.
• 9:17
  Speaker 1: We built the credibility.
• 9:20
  Speaker 1: That credibility allowed us to build authority.
• 9:24
  Speaker 1: And similarly, when you're networking and you're getting to know people and that networking leads to referrals, you have someone else vouching for you and therefore that support helps you to build a certain level of authority.
• 9:38
  Speaker 1: And similarly, when you're responding to a request for proposals, you are, in essence, pitching your services and by pitching and selling yourself, you're also somewhat building a level of authority.
• 9:53
  Speaker 1: So what we have to do is think about how can we build the same level of authority, or even greater, without having to do all of those things that previously held us back.
• 10:06
  Speaker 1: And one way of doing this is to initially think about how we land clients differently.
• 10:17
  Speaker 1: Instead of relying on others to connect us with the decision maker, relying on others to connect us with the decision maker, we need to now think about how can we connect with those decision makers more directly.
• 10:31
  Speaker 1: How can we connect with the person who is going to sign the check or say yes or determine that we are the right person for the job?
• 10:40
  Speaker 1: How do we connect to that person more directly in a way that we haven't done before, because now that's possible.
• 10:47
  Speaker 1: It may not have been possible before without you being in the room or being part of a meeting or having a coffee chat with that person one-on-one.
• 10:58
  Speaker 1: But now, in this digital age, in this modern era yeah, we're in a different time and this is the part that I always like to stress and remind my clients of is the fact that we no longer abound by a lot of the traditional rules that existed before.
• 11:20
  Speaker 1: People had to network because they couldn't hop online and just talk to somebody and land an engagement or land a client or land a major contract.
• 11:31
  Speaker 1: They couldn't do that.
• 11:31
  Speaker 1: We had to communicate, oftentimes in person.
• 11:36
  Speaker 1: When I started, I remember a lot of my training surrounded around how you interact with the client one-on-one in an office meeting, how you begin to mirror a lot of what they may do, how you communicate and how you connect with them on a very intimate level so that you could sell your services more effectively.
• 12:01
  Speaker 1: Those were wonderful skills that are still extremely useful today.
• 12:05
  Speaker 1: But that was just one-to-one, that was just me going in speaking to one person or one group.
• 12:13
  Speaker 1: It's not the same as our ability now to speak and share our insights and our knowledge with a mass of people, honestly, with the whole world.
• 12:25
  Speaker 1: If we're quite frank, that ability is something that we have to start using to our advantage, because we're, by not doing that, we're, limiting our options.
• 12:37
  Speaker 1: Being able to build authority on your own gives you that access that you need.
• 12:44
  Speaker 1: All right, so I hopefully have convinced you that you can build authority on your own, that you don't have to follow the traditional ways of solely waiting until you get to retirement or networking endlessly or relying on request proposals, that you can actually build authority that is going to attract clients to you.
• 13:05
  Speaker 1: And the way that we do that is we have to find ways of connecting with others, and I know that sounds very simple, probably almost elementary for me to say that like no duh, we have to connect with people, but I want you to think about it in those very simple terms for a reason, because I think when we make things overly complex, then it feels almost insurmountable in terms of an obstacle that we have to cross, and it, honestly, is far from that.
• 13:39
  Speaker 1: When you think about building authority, one of the first things that you need is to have a platform.
• 13:46
  Speaker 1: We talk about being on LinkedIn or other areas online, whether you're still on Twitter, or if you're on Instagram's threads or wherever you may be where you communicate with your audience.
• 13:59
  Speaker 1: When we're in those spaces, often we're there to build an audience quote, unquote or we're trying to be more visible.
• 14:07
  Speaker 1: We're putting ourselves out there so that we can be seen, but many times we're not doing that in a very intentional way.
• 14:14
  Speaker 1: What I want us to start thinking about when we're in these spaces is how do we actually begin to build our platform, and what I mean by our platform is how do we build our stage.
• 14:29
  Speaker 1: We often think about how we can get on someone else's stage and give a grand presentation and be on TV and other PR tricks and tactics so that we can get our names out there and market our businesses.
• 14:43
  Speaker 1: But you have the ability to do that even with some of the simple tools that you use every day online.
• 14:49
  Speaker 1: If you are leaning into those spaces with more intention, you're focused on how do I show up and showcase what I know?
• 14:57
  Speaker 1: How do I give my audience insight into how I think and how I problem solve?
• 15:03
  Speaker 1: How do I see my industry differently?
• 15:05
  Speaker 1: What does that mean for my audience if they saw the industry the same way that I do.
• 15:12
  Speaker 1: Those types of conversations are what begins to build something that is unique and that stands out and that is seen as being a representation of your work.
• 15:25
  Speaker 1: I want you to start thinking about these spaces as almost like a portfolio.
• 15:29
  Speaker 1: I know we're not designers and we're not putting our work out there like maybe someone would if they were in graphic design or maybe even copywriting in some other spaces, but we are also doing it in a similar way, but we're just showcasing our thinking.
• 15:45
  Speaker 1: We're showcasing our expertise and the impact that our expertise has, and when we're able to do that and build this platform, people become attracted to that.
• 15:54
  Speaker 1: That's how you begin to draw in many of the people that would take you years to meet through networking, because they're going to be drawn to you because of what you are sharing.
• 16:08
  Speaker 1: And so that leads to the second piece of this puzzle.
• 16:10
  Speaker 1: It's not just having the platform, but thinking about how you communicate on that platform, your messaging, what you're talking about.
• 16:19
  Speaker 1: Often, I feel like we find ourselves leaning on a lot of suggestions that people give for creating content that pleases the algorithm but doesn't represent how we think or what we want to communicate.
• 16:36
  Speaker 1: If we were able to get into the room with those people that would make decisions.
• 16:40
  Speaker 1: So we have to start thinking about the conversations that we're having and do those conversations align with and match what they are looking for?
• 16:49
  Speaker 1: With my clients, I teach them a framework in terms of how they focus and create conversations to share certain things about themselves, from their personal codes and their philosophy to their perspective and their prescriptions, how they are able to communicate the information that needs to be heard so that someone looks at you as that potential solution, and those conversations will begin to attract the right people.
• 17:18
  Speaker 1: You are going to attract the person that may be working closer to the ground level and experiencing the pain, and you can also have the conversations that attract the higher-level administrator that may be the one signing the check.
• 17:32
  Speaker 1: These are different conversations that can be had on your platform the same way, and, in all honesty, we're all human in today's modern era, so we're online.
• 17:43
  Speaker 1: Anyone that tells you that your ideal client is not online is not thinking about this.
• 17:49
  Speaker 1: In a very practical way, I can tell you that even the highest level administrator and decision maker that you could possibly think of if you're in a corporate environment is still online.
• 18:02
  Speaker 1: They are still scrolling on their phone while they're at a meeting, they're still hopping on their phone while they're waiting in the airport or if they're catching an Uber ride.
• 18:12
  Speaker 1: You need to be the person that they stumble upon, and the conversations that you have need to be the conversations that are going to draw them in.
• 18:19
  Speaker 1: This is what I like to call being able to have a direct to decision maker presence.
• 18:27
  Speaker 1: You want to be able to have the ability to connect more directly with those people that can hire you, that can bring you in, that can collaborate with you, because something as simple as your posts can open the door to a much greater conversation opportunity for you to share on a deeper level.
• 18:51
  Speaker 1: Look at what you have available to you through social media or blogs or podcasts or any other type of platform that you have access to.
• 19:07
  Speaker 1: Don't look at that and take it for granted.
• 19:09
  Speaker 1: Don't look at it as being something that you're just doing on the side.
• 19:13
  Speaker 1: That's part of this puzzle, but not closely tied to the result.
• 19:18
  Speaker 1: It honestly is.
• 19:20
  Speaker 1: It can be.
• 19:21
  Speaker 1: I want us to start thinking about these elements of beginning to build authority differently and, once we're able to one, have our platform that exists, we're able to start to have conversations that are going to draw people in.
• 19:35
  Speaker 1: Then we have to have the systems that continue the conversation.
• 19:40
  Speaker 1: No, you're not selling and pitching online, not for major corporate contracts or even a very high level premium buyer.
• 19:49
  Speaker 1: You're going to have those conversations in other settings, but what you are doing is sparking their interest.
• 19:55
  Speaker 1: You're intriguing them, you're drawing them into your world and then, as they begin to explore more, wanting to learn more about you and find out more about your work and what you've done in the past, how you think what you have been able to impact for others, that's when you begin to sell and win them over.
• 20:17
  Speaker 1: So the systems that you create to capture that interest is what actually leads to you landing the client in the end.
• 20:28
  Speaker 1: But it all starts when you have the platform.
• 20:29
  Speaker 1: It all starts when you're thinking about building authority differently and not waiting for someone else to toss your name out there and give you another referral.
• 20:41
  Speaker 1: Those aren't bad.
• 20:43
  Speaker 1: I love those when they come along, but I want you to know that you can build authority too, and when we're able to do this, what you'll find is that you have a lot more control over the business that comes your way and you begin to have greater predictability in your business, so that you're no longer feeling at the mercy of other people.
• 21:04
  Speaker 1: I want you to have greater control over your revenue, greater control over how you are growing, and being able to intentionally and strategically build your platform and establish your authority in a space is going to be one of the key ways of you doing that.
• 21:26
  Speaker 1: So I hope this episode helped you think about landing clients differently, about the power of you being able to build authority for yourself and everything that this modern era actually offers you, because we don't have to play by those old rules anymore.
• 21:43
  Speaker 1: We have a lot more tools to use, we have a lot more knowledge under our belts and we need to put it to work.
• 21:48
  Speaker 1: So I would love to hear how you've been able to work through this.
• 21:53
  Speaker 1: Drop that in the comments, and if you enjoyed this episode and you're listening to it on Spotify or Apple podcasts, leave your ratings and five-star review, and if you are tuning in here on YouTube, subscribe to this channel.
• 22:05
  Speaker 1: I love to have these conversations and we'll be having more and more as we go along, but until next time, I want you to focus on how you build your platform, how you establish your authority and how you're going to win your clients over All right guys, take care.
• 22:21
  Speaker 1: Thank you for tuning in to the Black Girls Console 2 podcast.
• 22:24
  Speaker 1: If you enjoyed today's episode, be sure to leave your review on Apple Podcasts, subscribe and share it with a friend.
• 22:31
  Speaker 1: We're on a mission to increase the success and longevity of women in consulting, and you can help us do just that.
• 22:38
  Speaker 1: Also, I'd love to hear from you, so let's connect at Dr Angelina Davis on Instagram or LinkedIn, and don't forget to visit excel at consultingcom for more information to support your consulting journey.
• 22:51
  Speaker 1: Until next time, keep breaking glass ceiling.
• 22:54
  Speaker 1: All right, take care.