Get answers to your questions on specialization and lead generation.
My work helps you with 4 problems. My education work is primarily focused on current and aspiring independent consultants, but self-employed people in almost any services profession (freelancers, software developers, etc.) can benefit.
Larger firms with >5 employees may find my coaching and consulting services relevant.
What question are you currently focused on?
- "I’m a generalist, and realize I’m all over and not good at any of the things, maybe I see my work being commoditized or my platform dying, or maybe COVID has cut my business in half; what do I do now?" Solutions for generalists.
- "I’ve specialized, and I’m trying to figure out lead generation but a lot of the advice seems wrong for expertise-driven services." Lead generation solutions for specialists.
- "I’ve figured out lead generation and I’m working on increasing profitability, and I want to experiment with ways to de-couple my revenue from my time." Profitability increasing solutions for specialists.
- "I’m focused on more advanced consulting challenges like developing intellectual property, and I want to learn about solo business owner-friendly ways of cultivating and monetizing intellectual property." IP solutions for specialists.
Best Articles by Topic
Interested in something specific? Here are some of my best work on specific topics:
Specialize
- The Death of a Market Position
- How Permanent is a Specialization Decision?
- How Much Expertise do You Have to Have to Specialize?
- A can of beans over a hobo campfire
- “Anxiety-adjusted returns”
- How do I Craft a CLEAR Positioning Statement?
- What Does it Actually FEEL Like to be a Specialist?
- What Creates Credibility for a Specialist?
- How Much More Money Can Specialists Make?
- What Should a Specialist Website Look Like?
- Why Is Specialization Scary?
- Is The Market Big Enough? How Can I Be Sure?
- How Can I Get Hired With No Relevant Case Studies?
Read more about specialization for indie consultants ->
Generate Leads
- The Lead Generation Operating System
- Most of you have completely interchangeable points of view
- POV, Tone, Voice, and Style
- How do I start and grow a qualified email list?
- Grazing -> cowpaths -> roads
- Connecting the dots
- 6 models for sellin’ transformation
- Brand marketing for the niche expertise-driven business
- Sales pages, PDF, and trust
Increase Profitability
- Mental blocks to selling advisory services
- Do experts have to be right?
- How to provide value?
- A different sort of opportunity
- Resilience
Everybody says you should specialize, but the decision feels arbitrary, overwhelming, or frightening. You see the benefits for others (their value proposition is so clear!), but can't see how to get your business there. The Positioning Manual for Indie Consultants will help.
The Positioning & Specialization Course helps you get your specialization figured out in 2 weeks.
I’ve profiled some dev shops (as well as agencies and other types of consultants) based on their web presence. Most are specialized in some way, and I hope these examples help you better understand how to market your specialized services. A few of these are clients of mine; most are not.
Want to know how to increase your power with clients and transform your marketing? Take your understanding to the next level with a short email mini-course.