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Sell with Authority: Own and Monetize Your Agency's Authority Position
If your agency's future is tied to making stuff, then you're destined to be on a perpetual financial roller coaster. Someone will always make stuff less expensively than you can. We're entering the era of the authority. While you may already be sick of the phrase thought leader, the truth is there aren't that many of them in our industry. Thought leaders don't write content that any other agency could claim. Thought leaders don't write about anything and everything and thought leaders don't compete on price. And their time is now. Experts are afforded the highest level of confidence and trust because they have a depth of knowledge that can't be denied or easily replicated. Why wouldn't we capitalize on that, as opposed to writing generic marketing tip posts that look like every other agency's content? Agencies are at the cusp of a huge shift, and if you take full advantage now, you're going to be tough to catch. You can own an authority position that will future-proof your agency.
- GenresBusiness
194 pages, Paperback
Published March 1, 2020
31 people are currently reading
32 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 21, 2021
Don’t be put off by the subtitle if you don’t happen to run an advertising or marketing agency. While the book markets itself to ad agency owners, the authority strategy is far broader. I actually tried to think of an industry vertical where an authority strategy couldn’t work, and I failed. When I think of toilet paper, I think first of Marcal and its authority strategy around forest preservation…when I think of transportation, I think about the way Toyota and Tesla made electric cars a status symbol in vastly different markets—by positioning their customers as authorities in combining functionality (Prius) or performance/luxury (Tesla) with environmental responsibility: customers who were smart enough to be pioneers in our brave new path to a clean future. In agriculture, I think of the hundreds of organic foods businesses that use their packaging to educate consumers and position themselves as authorities on healthy eating and healthy land use.
So…what’s an authority position? According to McLellan and Woessner, you pick a niche, which could be driven by your industry slice, your audience, or the problem you solve (p. 31). In a Venn diagram, your niche is the intersection of several circles, as on the cover and on page 36, where the intersection is agencies—we’ll substitute “businesses”—with your expertise, those who “give a rip,” and those with your unique point of view. That intersection is tiny slice of a huge pie, and if you define it properly, it may only have one dot in the intersection: YOU! People who need your exact expertise, benefit from your point of view, and see that you actually care will discover that hiring your company is the only choice.
But I’d a add a caution: make another Venn diagram to establish market viability: One circle for who needs your expertise (and your solutions), another for who is aware of you or can become aware after minimal exploration, and a third for who is willing and able to pay for that expertise. THAT intersection is your actual potential market, and it should be a lot bigger than a single pinpoint.
I made the mistake of not doing this research 25 years ago when I released my book on how to have fun cheaply. It turned out the frugalists who wanted information on how to legally and ethically see entertainment for no-cost, travel for a fraction of the usual place, and find dating options that cost little or nothing didn’t want to pay for that information—and despite consistent national publicity (including ABC News, the MSN home page, and Redbook, among many others), it took me 8 years to sell through a 2000-copy print run of a $17 book.
You develop a detailed and unique point of view on the issues in that niche (pp. 37-43), perhaps asking how your clients are missing the mark (p. 41). Next, you develop a single content “cornerstone”: a central marketing strategy including the six building blocks on page 51. Something like a book, a regular podcast or blog—that consistently gets you in front of prospects who welcome those messages, that plays the long game—that both helps your audience (of actual prospects) get better at their task and deepens your connection with them. Once one cornerstone is firmly established, you can add a second.
From the cornerstone, develop “cobblestones”: little drips of enticing content that engages, informs, and brings people into your orbit.
In other words, everything should be strategic. As you develop your cornerstone content, you get to play journalist. Call your prospects, invite them to be interviewed, and then turn snippets of the conversation into cobblestones that promote them—and you.
Strategically maximize your efforts with everything from adding captions to all your videos (p. 70) and loading them natively into not just YouTube but other platforms including LinkedIn and Facebook (p. 137) to turning clients and prospects into marketing partners (p. 112), to detailed rinse-and-repeat recipes for getting the most exposure from every effort (pp. 156-165), and even a list of software tools they use.
Each chapter has one author, by the way: a very easy way to collaborate on a book.
So…what’s an authority position? According to McLellan and Woessner, you pick a niche, which could be driven by your industry slice, your audience, or the problem you solve (p. 31). In a Venn diagram, your niche is the intersection of several circles, as on the cover and on page 36, where the intersection is agencies—we’ll substitute “businesses”—with your expertise, those who “give a rip,” and those with your unique point of view. That intersection is tiny slice of a huge pie, and if you define it properly, it may only have one dot in the intersection: YOU! People who need your exact expertise, benefit from your point of view, and see that you actually care will discover that hiring your company is the only choice.
But I’d a add a caution: make another Venn diagram to establish market viability: One circle for who needs your expertise (and your solutions), another for who is aware of you or can become aware after minimal exploration, and a third for who is willing and able to pay for that expertise. THAT intersection is your actual potential market, and it should be a lot bigger than a single pinpoint.
I made the mistake of not doing this research 25 years ago when I released my book on how to have fun cheaply. It turned out the frugalists who wanted information on how to legally and ethically see entertainment for no-cost, travel for a fraction of the usual place, and find dating options that cost little or nothing didn’t want to pay for that information—and despite consistent national publicity (including ABC News, the MSN home page, and Redbook, among many others), it took me 8 years to sell through a 2000-copy print run of a $17 book.
You develop a detailed and unique point of view on the issues in that niche (pp. 37-43), perhaps asking how your clients are missing the mark (p. 41). Next, you develop a single content “cornerstone”: a central marketing strategy including the six building blocks on page 51. Something like a book, a regular podcast or blog—that consistently gets you in front of prospects who welcome those messages, that plays the long game—that both helps your audience (of actual prospects) get better at their task and deepens your connection with them. Once one cornerstone is firmly established, you can add a second.
From the cornerstone, develop “cobblestones”: little drips of enticing content that engages, informs, and brings people into your orbit.
In other words, everything should be strategic. As you develop your cornerstone content, you get to play journalist. Call your prospects, invite them to be interviewed, and then turn snippets of the conversation into cobblestones that promote them—and you.
Strategically maximize your efforts with everything from adding captions to all your videos (p. 70) and loading them natively into not just YouTube but other platforms including LinkedIn and Facebook (p. 137) to turning clients and prospects into marketing partners (p. 112), to detailed rinse-and-repeat recipes for getting the most exposure from every effort (pp. 156-165), and even a list of software tools they use.
Each chapter has one author, by the way: a very easy way to collaborate on a book.
July 4, 2022
Does a great job of spelling out specific steps to build your brand on authority. While this book is aimed at agencies, it can apply to a whole spectrum of businesses - especially solopreneurs. The authors even supply a resource section to give you tools to help your journey.
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April 14, 2025A great primer for how to differentiate your agency - the way to create a sustainable advantage is through expertise and authority. This book makes the case for the investment in this type of content and provides tips on how to actually go out there and make it.
March 14, 2021
Very actionable and hands-on tips from two seasoned pros. It’s also a great read to share with your team to get everyone aligned on building an authoritative voice in your niche market.
March 10, 2025
It’s designed for agency owners and all about content creation and sales funnel - not enough for me.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews