I talk a lot about having a methodology for your consulting work. It's core to the way you organize, package, and deliver your expertise. But the thing is, prospects don't really care about your methodology. At least, not at first. What they care most about are solving their pains and achieving their desired outcomes. Your marketing should focus on those things first and foremost. And yet, having a methodology is critical to not only instilling confidence into your clients, but also to deliver r...
Sep 10, 2021•13 min•Transcript available on Metacast > Click here to join the conversation on this episode in the Mindshare community. I've heard a few people lately talking about using day rates as a marketing advisor or fractional CMO. Things like one, two, or three days a week for X price per month. I've even heard of people charging around $10k+/month on a couple days per week with the client. Seems decent, right? There's no hard and fast rules with this, so I won't say never do it. But I prefer not to unless it's for single projects where ...
Sep 08, 2021•9 min•Transcript available on Metacast Have you ever considered sponsoring a conference? It never dawned on me to do it before, but I recently did. In this episode, I talk about why I recently sponsored a conference for $1k in exchange for a logo on the conference website and a 30-second podcast ad. Sound crazy? Maybe. While this isn't something I normally do, I explain why this was on-strategy for me this time and why I wouldn't stand at a booth, for example. —k
Aug 31, 2021•9 min•Transcript available on Metacast > Click here to join the conversation on this episode in the Mindshare community. The Travelling Roadshow is an approach I’ve picked up over the years that has gotten me several new clients while building my audience at the same time. In this episode, I break down my core approach to using webinars in a way that leaves people with tremendous value they can implement themselves while also subtly selling your products and services. Give it a listen and let me know what you think! —k...
Aug 25, 2021•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast > Click here to join the conversation on this episode in the Mindshare community. A client recently asked me to downgrade or potentially pause our engagement. They were nervous about the future of their business as we continue experiencing COVID impacts and wanted to conserve cash/play defence. I suggested we have a call to discuss the financials and make a decision about what's best. When we dug into the numbers in our KPI spreadsheet , it showed that not only were they excellent, they shoul...
Aug 20, 2021•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast > Click here to join the conversation on this episode in the Mindshare community. There's a lot of power in consolidating your focus on one goal. In this episode, I tell a story about how a client I'm working with lacked a cohesive focus among the team. We were doing a lot of things very well, but the team of about 8-10 people were all thinking in silos. We were marching in different directions. What we lacked was alignment around our goals. We lacked a core marketing strategy outside of the ...
Aug 13, 2021•7 min•Transcript available on Metacast > Click here to join the conversation on this episode in the Mindshare community. As consultants, we worry about two things to various degrees at different times: 1. Are we delivering enough value? 2. Where will my next client come from/will it all dry it up one day? In this episode, I address both of these head-on. —k P.S. I announced the new membership tier, Mindshare Pro, today. Be sure to check it out and sign up if you're interested! Check out the announcement here ....
Jul 30, 2021•10 min•Transcript available on Metacast > Click here to join the conversation on this episode in the Mindshare community. Are you hesitating to hit publish? It might be time to re-think your approach. Chances are, you're talking yourself out of publishing your good ideas because you think they're not unique, or interesting, or that nobody would pay attention anyway. In this episode, I talk about how to think about your content publishing habit and ways to talk yourself into just hitting publish. Hint: just try to be useful to one p...
Jul 23, 2021•7 min•Transcript available on Metacast > Click here to join the conversation on this episode in the Mindshare community. Is being a marketing consultant a risky business model? Would you be better off being an employee? In this episode, I talk all about risk, including: 1. How companies flee to expertise during hard times 2. How COVID was riskier to many employees than to consultants 3. How the marketing industry is going more flexible 4. The greater need for fractional executives And other ideas that I think show how consulting i...
Jul 19, 2021•9 min•Transcript available on Metacast > Click here to join the conversation on this episode in the Mindshare community. If you're selling advisory services and feel stressed, burned out, or exhausted in the process, this episode is for you. Your job as an advisor is to sell access to your brain. Sure, you may also bring a Rolodex of people, some systems and templates, training, and other supplementary resources, but that's not the same as tactical execution or project management. If you're doing execution and/or project managemen...
Jul 16, 2021•17 min•Transcript available on Metacast > Click here to join the conversation on this episode in the Mindshare community. One of the ways I get clients in the coworking industry is with a travelling roadshow. It ultimately comprises of: Your big idea/way of achieving a desired result A lesson with free resources on how to DIY An offer to those who need (paid) support It's usually a webinar but it could also be a podcast appearance, conference talk/workshop, or any other kind of free training you do. The key is to let people know up...
Jul 13, 2021•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast > Click here to join the conversation on this episode in the Mindshare community. When you approach your client work, do you follow a Methodology or standard process? Or do you make it up as you go along? I have a Methodology, and it makes every engagement streamlined and less stressful. It's like a checklist. Something to capture and document your ideas. But also to use as a reference in your client engagements to ensure nothing gets missed. This creates predictable outcomes when applied con...
Jul 09, 2021•19 min•Transcript available on Metacast > Click here to join the conversation on this episode in the Mindshare community. To succeed as an advisor, you need to get a lot of details right. But above all else, there are two core areas you need to get right when it comes to delivering your advisory services. Over-delivering for your clients Maintaining high ethical standards and integrity When you over-deliver, you're not only more likely to get results, you'll also blow your clients away with unexpected value. And that's what creates...
Jul 06, 2021•16 min•Transcript available on Metacast > Click here to join the conversation on this episode in the Mindshare community. Every so often, a prospect comes along who's not an ideal fit. And with that, the sales conversation usually doesn't go super well. In this episode, I talk about a recent sales conversation I had with someone who was not in my ideal target market. And there were two lessons: Niching and credibility are at the top of my Mindshare Methodology Framework for a reason—and it impacts the sales conversation (see image ...
Jun 28, 2021•11 min•Transcript available on Metacast > Click here to join the conversation on this episode in the Mindshare community. Today, I've got two ideas for helping you sell better advice. I'll give you a hint, it involves getting excited, saying yes, and articulating value and trade-offs. Give it a listen and tell me what you think. —k
Jun 21, 2021•11 min•Transcript available on Metacast > Click here to join the conversation on this episode in the Mindshare community. The premise of this group is to help you package, sell, and create leverage around your marketing expertise (not your hands). In this episode, I break down my 5-part framework for how this all works. It's the latest version of my thinking and it's always a work in progress. The high-level points include: Niche Credibility Methodology Business Model Marketing Engine In the coming weeks and months, I'll be fleshin...
Jun 19, 2021•17 min•Transcript available on Metacast > Click here to join the conversation on this episode in the Mindshare community. Are you still debating about the benefits of niching? Do you feel like you might not be niched enough? Give this a listen if you're on the fence and not sure if niching is worth the "risk" for you (hint: it probably is). Here's the top-level list: When you know who you're targeting, every decision is easier You can show up where they hang out You can understand your target market deeply You can speak their langu...
Jun 14, 2021•26 min•Transcript available on Metacast > Click here to join the conversation on this episode in the Mindshare community. Oren is interested in exploring group coaching and mentorship for in-house marketing managers. I really like the idea. Here's the origina l heart of the questions asked in the " Ask Kevin " channel: Kevin C. Whelan originally I had in mind £250/mo per person. When I started reflecting and working towards the program creation I realised that individualised or tailored help is totally not viable (checking they def...
Jun 11, 2021•26 min•Transcript available on Metacast > Click here to join the conversation on this episode in the Mindshare community. I was talking with a client recently about the value of a project we were considering hiring someone for. The client wanted to know if paying a premium for a high-value writing project was worthwhile. It was a fair questions. So, we compared: The opportunity costs of not doing the project The DIY option and implications Hiring a generalist to do the work cheaper—and the trade-offs in that Hiring a specialist to ...
Jun 04, 2021•11 min•Transcript available on Metacast > Click here to join the conversation on this episode in the Mindshare community I talk a lot about having a Methodology in your advisory business. A checklist of sorts that lets you deliver consistent and repeatable results for your clients. It usually is comprised of projects, processes, and things to do/review/audit. I also talk about your Operating System, the thing you or your clients use to run their marketing program based around the ideas you teach and implement with them. I don't alw...
May 28, 2021•12 min•Transcript available on Metacast > Click here to join the conversation on this episode in the Mindshare communit If you're a marketing advisor, you might feel like you need to have everything figured out. To have a system for everything backed by training, documentation, and formal processes. But the reality is, all you really need is your thinking—y our ability to solve client challenges, in whatever way you know how. When you first start out, you won't have a formal methodology. You won't have a documented system to give y...
May 26, 2021•13 min•Transcript available on Metacast > Click here to join the conversation on this episode in the Mindshare community. If you're like me, case studies can be a neglected part of your own marketing. And yet, case studies done well are one of the most persuasive forms of proof you can create. Honestly, I can't believe I can sign up so many clients without having more than a couple case studies. Luckily, I am good at what I do! Anyway, I used to say "kill them with proof", implying you can't produce too much proof around the work y...
May 21, 2021•13 min•Transcript available on Metacast > Click here to join the conversation on this episode in the Mindshare community. Do you wonder if you're niched down or specialized enough? In this episode, I talk about the six signs to look for to indicate whether you've tightened your positioning enough. Give it a lesson and leave a comment in the community with your thoughts! —k
May 17, 2021•17 min•Transcript available on Metacast > Click here to join the conversation on this episode in the Mindshare community. As a consultant, your job is to deliver results. But we need to remember that people don't just buy results, because frankly, we don't buy on logic. We buy on emotion. What this means is you're also responsible for delivering a certain feeling in your engagements. Sound hippy dippy? Stick with me, it's not. As much as your clients are looking for results, what they're really buying is confidence. Your clients' c...
May 14, 2021•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast > Click here to join the conversation on this episode in the Mindshare community. If you sell any of your expertise via subscriptions, courses, coaching, training, or whatever form, you might wonder what content to give away for free and what content to keep as paid. There are lots of ways to do this, but one idea resonated with me the other day. I heard it on the Three Month Vacation podcast [ link to episode ]. The idea was to give away the idea and sell the system . And that aligns perfect...
May 12, 2021•8 min•Transcript available on Metacast > Click here to join the conversation on this episode in the Mindshare community. In order to succeed as a consultant, you will need the confidence to be candid (yet tactful( with your clients. And that's not always easy—especially when the stakes feel high, or if you're generally a low-key kind of person. Sometimes, that might mean calling out tensions in the room. Other times, it might mean educating clients on the realities of their expectations and what's possible in a given timeframe. Th...
May 10, 2021•13 min•Transcript available on Metacast > Click here to join the conversation on this episode in the Mindshare community. Every so often, a client or prospect will ask for a discount. And personally, I never do it. For a few reasons. In order to do the job well, you need to be properly so you can invest the necessary time and energy to get a result. You need to earn a profit on your time—not just be paid for your time. You can reinvest or take home that profit. That's what a business does. It wouldn't be fair to other clients if yo...
May 07, 2021•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast > Click here to join the conversation on this episode in the Mindshare community. One of the fundamental views I have on positioning is to put yourself into a "Category of One". I recommend my clients do the same for their business. That means: Find a unique and valuable differentiator Double down on what makes you uniquely valuable Communicate that value consistently everywhere you go It doesn't mean you need to be the only X in your field. What it means is you're the only X (agency, consult...
May 04, 2021•11 min•Transcript available on Metacast > Click here to join the conversation on this episode in the Mindshare community. Positioning yourself as a fractional CMO has a lot of benefits, but if you're not careful, you could end up becoming an outsourced marketing manager or a part-time employee. And that's no way to run a business. In this episode, I talk about the key attribute a client needs to have for you to be able to sell your expert advice and not end up getting stuck managing projects. It's up to you to manage expectations a...
Apr 23, 2021•12 min•Transcript available on Metacast > Click here to join the conversation on this episode in the Mindshare community. If you are trying to break into a niche, you might be surprised to hear that the quality of your marketing efforts is not the only growth tool you have. One of the most important ways to break into a niche is through relationships. In this episode, I talked about how I created relationships to break into the coworking niche and why I don't think I'd be here today if I relied solely on my marketing efforts to att...
Apr 21, 2021•7 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
