July 29, 2022
Read time: 4 minutes
Today, I'm going to explain how to start establishing yourself as a thought leader.
Thought leadership is sharing your ideas and perspectives to show that you are an expert.
• When you become a thought leader, you are seen as an expert.
• When you are seen as an expert, clients start coming to you.
• When clients start coming to you, you can charge higher rates.
The entire game of business changes!
Unfortunately, most fractional CFOs don't do the necessary things to become thought leaders.
Becoming a thought leader doesn't happen BECAUSE you are an expert. It comes from SHOWING OTHERS that you are an expert.
I get it - talking about your expertise feels... weird.
And literally no one wants to hear you humble bragging about your credentials, skills, or wins.
So what is a fractional CFO to do to become a thought leader?
Here's how to get started, step by step:
Step 1: Ask yourself these 3 questions and identify 5 answers for each.
1. What do you wish all your clients knew before they started working with you.
2. What do you wish all your clients knew once they started working with you.
3. What do you wish all your clients would do once they stopped working with you.
Here are a few examples:
• I wish all my clients invested in complete and accurate books before they started with me.
• I wish all my existing clients knew the importance of looping me in BEFORE they make big decisions.
• I wish all my former clients would continue updating and using their cash flow forecasts.
Step 2: Flesh out the idea behind each of the 15 answers.
Do NOT start creating content here. That's next.
Right now, I want you to take each of your 15 answers and think through why each individual one of them is so important:
👉 What difference do they make for the success of your clients?
👉 What is the cost of NOT doing those things?
👉 What benefits would businesses see from doing them?
👉 Why do CEOs typically avoid doing those things?
As you do the work to develop each of these ideas, you will then get better insights around what to do with them in Step 3.
Remember: it's important to first develop the concept and THEN determine the modality.
Step 3: Determine modality and deliver the content.
Now it's time to put your work into action!
Think about how you turn each of your answers into:
• A pdf
• A blog
• A video
• A podcast
• A social media post
• A free (or paid!) webinar
Show your audience that you know what it takes for them to be successful - before, during, and after working with you.
It communicates that you understand the bigger picture.
Amateurs don't get the bigger picture.
Thought leaders do.
BONUS:
Pay attention to how people respond to your content. Those responses should give you insights for further thought leadership content.
That's all for this Friday. 3 steps to becoming a thought leader.
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Your coach,
Michael King
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