Latest / Black Girls Consult TOO! / Episode 84: Thought Leadership - How to Make Your Business Stand Out in a Saturated Market [REBROADCAST]

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Episode 84: Thought Leadership - How to Make Your Business Stand Out in a Saturated Market [REBROADCAST] · Black Girls Consult TOO!

• 0:01
  Speaker 1: There's a misconception that we don't exist, that somehow our ability to excel at the highest level of our industry is limited, that overcoming barriers as a woman of color would be insurmountable.
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: But what would happen if we decided to venture out on our own, despite everything we're up against?
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: I'll tell you.
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: Welcome to the Black Girls Consult To Podcast.
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: I'm your host, dr Angelina Davis, a healthcare consultant, consulting coach and a doctor and a high performance fanatic wife and proud girl mom.
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: I help transform female professionals into thriving solar consultants and, just like you, I'm wearing all the hats and doing all the things.
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: So this podcast is to empower the busy female professionals to move past fear to start and grow a successful consulting business.
• 0:49
  Speaker 1: Despite the obstacles you may encounter, we'll dive deep into consulting practice, business strategy, mindset and more.
• 0:58
  Speaker 1: So grab your cup of coffee or tea, if that's your thing, and let's get started.
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: Hello guys, welcome to the Black Girls Consult To Podcast.
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: I'm your host, dr Angelina Davis, and I wanted to use this episode today to really just have a conversation about thought leadership, because this is one element of consulting that's so important, but I feel like it doesn't get a lot of attention, mainly because I think we're driven to social media platforms and other ways of really getting our message out really quickly, and that can lead us to really get into this whole content creation web or circle where we're constantly spending our wills trying to figure out what is going to resonate on that particular platform, whether it's LinkedIn or Instagram or Facebook, whatever you may choose to be on.
• 1:56
  Speaker 1: If you're on social media, or maybe you are trying to kind of really keep your YouTube channel full of high level content and your blog very relevant, all of those things take a lot of energy and take a lot of time, and so what I want to talk about is just how we can possibly approach this whole process of getting our unique perspective and our ideas out there in a simpler fashion so that it is more manageable and not just so that it's more manageable, but so that it really works to our benefit.
• 2:30
  Speaker 1: I think a lot of times we spend so much energy on things that don't last, and that is what often leads to burnout, that leads us to get frustrated, it causes us to not really have as great of an impact as we want to have, and then oftentimes we throw in a towel long before we're getting to the point where we're truly having difficulty or failing, and that's because we feel as if we're not really gaining traction or maybe our message is not resonating.
• 2:58
  Speaker 1: But part of that reason is because you're at a point, as a consultant, really journeying into an area where you are seen as an expert in your industry, in your space and I know most people feel very uncomfortable when I use that term expert because you'll help people that may say that you don't have to be an expert to be a consultant.
• 3:19
  Speaker 1: You know, and there's nothing that you have to do right, you always have a choice.
• 3:23
  Speaker 1: I will definitely argue that the better equipped you are to provide a much deeper solution to a problem than others around you or maybe your competition, the more longevity and success you're going to have in the consulting space, because consulting, at the end of the day, is really the business of expertise.
• 3:44
  Speaker 1: It truly is.
• 3:45
  Speaker 1: So we have to think that way, and part of being an expert, part of building your brand as an expert in your space, is going to be really creating thought leadership content.
• 4:00
  Speaker 1: Know that you're probably wondering well, what is thought leadership content exactly?
• 4:03
  Speaker 1: Thought leadership content really speaks to what you know.
• 4:07
  Speaker 1: It speaks to what you're able to offer.
• 4:10
  Speaker 1: It speaks to those things that you have learned over the years, not just from a textbook or form, a course or a class, but then also from your actual experience in your work environment or business environment those things that you've learned through your journey that you can then apply that allows you to utilize your unique perspective in a way that's going to benefit others.
• 4:33
  Speaker 1: So when we're thinking about thought leadership, it can be something that we publish via social media channels, or maybe our blog or YouTube or podcast, but at the end of the day, it really is a message.
• 4:49
  Speaker 1: I thought leadership is a message.
• 4:51
  Speaker 1: It is the message that we're communicating to others to let them know that we are here to help.
• 4:56
  Speaker 1: That's the way that I like to think of it, at least, and so when we're thinking about building out thought leadership content, there are a number of reasons why you want to have this as a central focus.
• 5:07
  Speaker 1: One is that you hear a lot of people talk about how their market may be saturated, and there is a lot of truth to a number of market seeming overly saturated, and that's mainly because, as consumers or clients or customers become aware over time of different options and different things that are available to them, then they actually increase their level of sophistication and what occurs is that you usually have one person that gets to market first, one person that gets out there and puts their name and steps their name on A process or way of doing things, especially in the consulting world, and they are Pretty much the ones that have the easiest route right, because it's completely new.
• 5:50
  Speaker 1: No one to compete against them, and so they are just winning the game.
• 5:55
  Speaker 1: This is kind of like you know someone like Tesla when we think about it in the automobile industry, because Tesla, when it came to market, it was only electric car At least I knew up and so they really embarked upon that market and took it over.
• 6:09
  Speaker 1: It was something unique, it was something that people are familiar with, and so now we think about Tesla, we think about something that really started a movement.
• 6:18
  Speaker 1: It was, it was kind of like the founder of that movement for energy conservation when it comes to automobiles, and so that is the same way it feels like to be the first to market in a particular area.
• 6:33
  Speaker 1: Very few people are able to do that right.
• 6:35
  Speaker 1: Very few think about it.
• 6:37
  Speaker 1: There only can be one right, so very few can actually win that spot.
• 6:41
  Speaker 1: Usually we found a find ourselves at a higher level of sophistication where other people have entered into the marketplace and they're putting out messages that Going to either amplify the claim or give a specific framework or way of doing things is going to, you know, kind of keep continuing to elevate how the solution is being positioned until you get to really the highest point at which there is saturation of the market.
• 7:10
  Speaker 1: And then what has to happen is that you have to begin at least, according to Eugene Swartz, you have to begin to appeal to that higher identity, to appeal to emotions and and who people want to become, what they want to accomplish right, and that's the piece that thought leadership content speaks to.
• 7:30
  Speaker 1: It speaks to that highest level so that you're able to move beyond those other lower levels that really equate to lower levels of sophistication, where the market is more saturated, the more you're able to elevate your messaging, elevate your offering, to really be at this point where you are able to not just provide a mechanism for how they are able to solve the problem, such as in your framework or way to do that faster or quicker or cheaper, but then you're able to move beyond all of that and truly appeal to your client through an aspect of relationship and self identity, so factualization then that is where you're able to gain the most traction.
• 8:17
  Speaker 1: That's going to last you, you know, really a lifetime.
• 8:20
  Speaker 1: So when we think about competition, thought leadership is the key to overcoming that.
• 8:26
  Speaker 1: It truly is.
• 8:28
  Speaker 1: When we're putting out our thought leadership content, we have to think about the message that we want to share.
• 8:33
  Speaker 1: Definitely, when you're a consultant, or even a coach, for that matter, you want to make sure that your thought leadership content leads to something right.
• 8:40
  Speaker 1: We can have a lot of ideas that we want to propose, but if that idea, that message, is not driving them to have a desire to work with you, have a desire to seek your services and your help, then it's going to be very difficult for that to translate into a financial gain, which, at the end of the day, is really what you want to occur, especially if you're running a business.
• 9:02
  Speaker 1: We're just going to be real about that.
• 9:03
  Speaker 1: So it is important for us to think about how we are going to put that message out into the world and how we're going to craft it, one of the first things that I think is extremely helpful and this is one thing that I always teach the clients that I work with is that when you're building out your thought leadership content, you do want to start with your framework.
• 9:24
  Speaker 1: Frameworks are so important because this helps you create the reproducible nature of your service, meaning that when you work from a framework, you're creating a process from which you can then really build upon and show others that you're able not to just achieve this outcome for one person one time, but you're able to achieve a similar outcome over and over and over again.
• 9:47
  Speaker 1: Without question, that's the part that builds trust.
• 9:50
  Speaker 1: That's the part that is going to help you generate demand for the services that you offer.
• 9:54
  Speaker 1: So that aspect of having a framework is extremely important and I won't go into that in this episode.
• 9:59
  Speaker 1: I need to do an episode on frameworks.
• 10:01
  Speaker 1: Definitely, let me know if you want me to do an episode on frameworks.
• 10:04
  Speaker 1: You can reach out to me on Instagram or LinkedIn or even send an email on that one, because I'd love to know.
• 10:11
  Speaker 1: The key is that your framework is really what's going to help you focus on how you are going to sell your process, how you are going to work with others by having this framework in place.
• 10:24
  Speaker 1: It's something that you can lean on that becomes your intellectual property and the thing that you're sharing with others in terms of a solution.
• 10:32
  Speaker 1: Also, keep in mind that once you have developed this framework, you've already elevated your level of sophistication because you're moving from a level of one, two to roughly about three or so in this whole process.
• 10:46
  Speaker 1: So, as you and there are five total levels, think about this as similar to the meso hierarchy of needs.
• 10:54
  Speaker 1: Think about that pyramid when you're thinking through this process.
• 10:57
  Speaker 1: But you're moving along this level of sophistication, so you're already elevating your messaging by having that framework.
• 11:04
  Speaker 1: But nowadays, many people have frameworks.
• 11:06
  Speaker 1: They have frameworks that they utilize.
• 11:08
  Speaker 1: Now I will argue that most often we don't have a framework that is optimized and created to deliver the level of value that we need in order to easily generate sales and produce the outcome that is going to lead to business, greater business over time.
• 11:27
  Speaker 1: But people will often have some aspect of a framework they've put together.
• 11:32
  Speaker 1: So now you still have to elevate your messaging even further, and that's where we go from a point of just having the framework to being able to optimize our process to the point where you're able to really achieve an outcome quicker, faster, you know, cheaper, etc.
• 11:50
  Speaker 1: That's one of the reasons why I strongly believe in having the core offer, because there is an evolution that has to occur so that you're able to withstand any fluctuations in terms of market saturation and outlive those changes.
• 12:06
  Speaker 1: When you're changing your offer around and you're not optimizing it, then you leave yourself vulnerable and open to competition, being able to really step in in your place and offer something that is far greater, because they've taken the time to make sure that they have, you know, really ensured the best outcome and the best value for what they are offering.
• 12:26
  Speaker 1: So there's something to be said for frameworks and for the core offer, but at the end of the day, it is really when your potential client can identify with you, when they can identify with your message, and they will do this through values.
• 12:45
  Speaker 1: So you sharing your core values, you sharing your core beliefs, you really tying those core beliefs and values to your frameworks and your processes and then showing them what they can aspire to at the end of the day, when they accomplish their goal, and what happens is that people actually are moved by that thought leadership content to really focus on the potential that they have in their lives.
• 13:13
  Speaker 1: That is, that level of aspiration, is what draws them forward, that draws them to you, that allows them to continue to move toward that goal and that also allows your business to grow.
• 13:23
  Speaker 1: Think about a number of thought leaders that we we have in our space.
• 13:27
  Speaker 1: So you know, for instance, one that definitely comes to mind all, all of the time is someone like stuff golden Right.
• 13:35
  Speaker 1: Whenever we think about him and the works that that he does in marketing, he's very open to sharing his thoughts, his ideas, his approach, the, the information that people need in order to really see their potential as it comes to grow in their business when it comes to marketing, and he's he really gives that information out.
• 13:56
  Speaker 1: Now, he's not giving you all the details in terms of exactly a, b, c, d and e at what you need to do, but he is giving you all that you need in order to start the process and really build upon that expert knowledge that he is, is giving and putting out so that you can grow your business to a new level.
• 14:16
  Speaker 1: So that is, you know, that's very, very helpful.
• 14:20
  Speaker 1: That's one of the ways that he has been able to really stand the test of time when you think about it, because he is constantly focusing on how he can show up, how he can deliver, and I've even heard that he has been extremely open to you know, really going on various platforms just to provide insight and to really share with others because he is so passionate about that work.
• 14:44
  Speaker 1: Those are things that really make a huge difference when we're thinking about being a thought leader and being more influential.
• 14:50
  Speaker 1: You know, I talk a lot about these levels of expertise.
• 14:54
  Speaker 1: We often think that when we're starting out as consultants just becoming visible and really getting to the point where people know that that we are an expert in our industry that that is the kind of like end goal.
• 15:08
  Speaker 1: But it is.
• 15:09
  Speaker 1: It's not.
• 15:10
  Speaker 1: When you really think about the consulting industry and really expert positioning, there are different levels to this journey and going from being an invisible expert to being one that's visible.
• 15:22
  Speaker 1: That is just the beginning.
• 15:24
  Speaker 1: The people that we think about, like the Seth Godin's and whatnot, they have become influential experts, meaning they're influential thought leaders.
• 15:33
  Speaker 1: There are people who are able to influence others through their ideas.
• 15:38
  Speaker 1: They motivate you to be better, to achieve more, to aspire to greater through their ideas, through their message, and what I want to encourage you to do is to think about how you can do the same.
• 15:53
  Speaker 1: There is no difference in your ability to do so as opposed to some of the others that we see as thought leaders right now.
• 16:00
  Speaker 1: Yeah, the same capability, the same ability.
• 16:03
  Speaker 1: I have the same ability.
• 16:05
  Speaker 1: But those things take work and we have to carve out time in order to be able to really get that work done.
• 16:11
  Speaker 1: And it's hard to carve out that time because, you know, creativity doesn't come from empty cup.
• 16:19
  Speaker 1: We have to make sure that we're pouring into ourselves and we're giving ourselves that space to think, to generate new ideas, to be creative, to really write, to explore, to study, to research.
• 16:31
  Speaker 1: All those things are needed in order to gain a different perspective and to be able to share ideas that are truly new or really yields a desire to know more.
• 16:42
  Speaker 1: Right, we have to give ourselves the space to be able to do that, and that is difficult when you're trying to run a business.
• 16:50
  Speaker 1: I want to be honest, it's going to take some intentionality.
• 16:53
  Speaker 1: One thing I can share is that when you are able to build that in, you will begin to see your business evolve and transform, because other people are not going to put that time in to something that is not a quick payoff.
• 17:08
  Speaker 1: Your thought leadership content is not a quick payoff.
• 17:11
  Speaker 1: Most people are not going to put the time into building that out.
• 17:14
  Speaker 1: They're focused on really generating money in that present moment, not thinking about their ability to generate far more if they just really carve out some dedicated time today.
• 17:27
  Speaker 1: So I want to encourage us to really think through this process and find ways that we can either, you know, wake up a little bit early 15, 20, 30 minutes in the morning for writing, or write a little bit before you go to bed.
• 17:40
  Speaker 1: Maybe gather your thoughts as a voice to text when you're writing in your car.
• 17:45
  Speaker 1: Think about ways that you can really put that information out there in a way that allows your thoughts and ideas to be crystallized and last for an extended period of time.
• 17:55
  Speaker 1: That can take the form of your blog, it can take the form of a podcast, it can take the form of a book.
• 18:04
  Speaker 1: It can take the form of a YouTube channel.
• 18:07
  Speaker 1: It can even take the form of social media if done correctly.
• 18:11
  Speaker 1: You know we're in the short form content right now, so that's a little bit more difficult, but it definitely can be done.
• 18:19
  Speaker 1: So I want us to think about the importance of really building this presence, allowing our ideas to be known and really sharing that content so that people look to you as that solution, they resonate with you, that you really give them that appeal and desire identity of what they want to achieve.
• 18:39
  Speaker 1: Number one is going to allow them to want to work with you, but then also it's going to spread your message even further, and when we think about growth, that's the end goal is to spread our message a lot further so that we can help more and more people.
• 18:56
  Speaker 1: If you're thinking about ways to build your thought leadership, I want to give you a couple of ways that you can do that, so you don't leave this episode thinking you know, oh, that was a nice idea, but I really don't know how to implement it.
• 19:09
  Speaker 1: One thing you can do and I've actually started this very recently is that you can start writing on a platform like Medium, or maybe even you're rededicate yourself to your own blog content.
• 19:20
  Speaker 1: Don't make the challenge difficult.
• 19:23
  Speaker 1: You really think about what you want to share and develop that thought leadership content over an extended period of time.
• 19:34
  Speaker 1: Try not to put deadlines to it per se.
• 19:38
  Speaker 1: Maybe commit to working toward a higher goal, daily or weekly, and what you'll find is that the more you dive into this process, the more often you're going to want to do it, the more committed you're going to be to really getting that message out there.
• 19:56
  Speaker 1: There's something about starting the process that allows it to catch fire, that really moves you to do it more, that commits you to the process right, and I always say that commitment requires consistency.
• 20:09
  Speaker 1: So you commit to that process.
• 20:13
  Speaker 1: Another way is to really begin to record your thoughts in those moments where you have a disagreement in what's being published or put out into the ecosystem or your space in your industry, and think about how your thoughts, your opinion, your viewpoint, your perspective differs, share that.
• 20:34
  Speaker 1: Someone needs to hear that.
• 20:36
  Speaker 1: Someone needs to hear that you don't agree because there's someone out there that's listening to what is being stated over and over again and feeling as if they have been left out.
• 20:47
  Speaker 1: They're feeling as if they have no hope.
• 20:51
  Speaker 1: They're looking for that ability to identify with someone and they have not found that person to identify with yet.
• 20:57
  Speaker 1: So use that as an opportunity to really allow your thoughts to gain traction, thank you, and record those thoughts, capture them in the moment.
• 21:07
  Speaker 1: Think about how you can translate that, whether it's into an ebook or other type of work, writing, podcasts, youtube video, whatever it may be, the key is that you just have to put that information out.
• 21:22
  Speaker 1: So thought leadership is not thought leadership in your head, it's not thought leadership in your head.
• 21:29
  Speaker 1: You have to put it out.
• 21:32
  Speaker 1: So those are just kind of two quick tips that I wanted to share with you, because I think we make it a lot harder than it needs to be to share this type of content, to put this type of information out there, and you want to do it in a way that it lasts.
• 21:47
  Speaker 1: So, although a lot of us may do live videos on LinkedIn, we may do live videos on Instagram and Facebook and other platforms.
• 21:56
  Speaker 1: We're thinking, oh, I'm sharing my ideas, I'm sharing content that is short lived, that will not last.
• 22:02
  Speaker 1: No one is going to pick up you know, a Facebook link 30, 40 years from now likely and find your video.
• 22:12
  Speaker 1: That is highly unlikely.
• 22:15
  Speaker 1: But someone will find your book, someone will find your written work, your blog posts, someone may even hear your audio recording.
• 22:26
  Speaker 1: Those are things that will last, and I want us to focus more so on how we can build this lasting content, this lasting treasure of our ideas, our thoughts and and the knowledge that we're able to share, because, at the end of the day, this is what is going to allow you to stand out from your competition.
• 22:44
  Speaker 1: It's going to allow you to grow and achieve longevity in your industry, above all else.
• 22:52
  Speaker 1: So, you know, I hope that you found this episode helpful.
• 22:54
  Speaker 1: I hope it just got your, your mind kind of like working and thinking about all the possibility.
• 22:57
  Speaker 1: You know, I've been just really on this whole focus in terms of thought leadership.
• 23:04
  Speaker 1: I have something exciting I want to share very soon, but you know, it just really has me focused on how I can get more information out into the world, not for the sake of just me being seen, but for the sake of helping so many others.
• 23:22
  Speaker 1: In order for you to help others, in order for you to be of service at the level that you likely desire to be, you have to really share that information.
• 23:27
  Speaker 1: You have to get it out there, you have to allow it to circulate, you have to allow it to catch fire.
• 23:32
  Speaker 1: All right, guys, as always.
• 23:35
  Speaker 1: If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend and definitely reach out.
• 23:39
  Speaker 1: Tack me on Instagram.
• 23:44
  Speaker 1: I'd love to hear from you if you're a listener of the podcast and until next time, take care.
• 23:49
  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.
• 24:21
  Speaker 1: Until next time, take care.