Yesterday I wrote about the three roadblocks in building authority.

Let’s dig in a bit more into #1: getting results from authority takes time – measured in months, not years.

First of all, let’s look at why is this a roadblock TO building authority, rather than a limitation OF building authority?

The truth is it’s both.

It is a limitation of authority marketing, i.e. inbound marketing, that it takes longer to spin up the flywheel than other methods of lead generation.

Cold outreach is instant. You can pick up the phone, and after leaving less than 30 voicemails, you may actually end up in a conversation with a potential client. I jest – to some degree. According to stats, the average cold caller leaves 30 voicemails a day. There are less time consuming methods, like spamming cold outreach via email, but they are arguably no less effective.

Word-of-mouth marketing – asking for referrals – is also quicker. You need to build a network of people who are trusted by your target market, and you need to build trust with them. Certainly not instant, but a lot quicker than building authority.

If you choose the authority marketing route, it’s slow because:

1. You will need to already have niched down to a specific field, or start that process, which can take months.
2. You will need to already have started publishing expert content somewhere, i.e. started to demonstrate your expertise in public
3. Your ideal client will need to come across your expert content “in the wild” and find it interesting enough to reach out to you (having a Call-To-Action in every piece of content helps).

So we’re clear on this point: getting results from authority takes time and this is a limitation of relying on building authority as a lead gen channel.

And not just that, but because getting results from authority takes time it’s also a roadblock TO building authority, because who wants to spend time on an activity that doesn’t give results quickly?

Fair question.

The answer is everyone who understands that you don’t get results tomorrow by going to the gym today.

You get results in a month. In 6 months. In a year. And it can be life-changing.

That’s why you commit to building authority.

To writing the book.

To starting the podcast that ends up with 150+ episodes.

To starting the YouTube channel.

There are strategies we can implement to supplement lead generation while we are going through the process of building authority. I outlined some of them in detail in yesterday’s podcast episode.

Are you going back to the gym in January? Would you like to join a virtual gym where you’re building authority on a weekly basis, with other experts who are doing the same?

Hit reply and let me know if you’re interested in joining a cohort of experts who are starting to exercise their authority-building muscles in January.

– Alastair.

P.S. I just opened a few spots for the pilot of my enhanced Authority Accelerator program, starting early January. If you’re an expert in your field and you have a high-ticket, transformative, impactful offer AND you have a commitment to integrity, i.e. you are the kind of expert who always puts your clients best interests before your own, this program might be a perfect fit for you.

Authority Accelerator is all about creating an authority-building and lead generation platform that will attract a consistent flow of high quality leads. There is only one (1) spot left, significantly discounted for feedback and case studies. Your commitment is around an hour a week for the first 60 days. Interested? Hit reply to learn more. Act fast, doors close soon!