The Big Question
Questions I get from consultants. And my answers.
I received the following question from a reader (presented here in a congested form): “Luk, you often talk in your newsletter about the importance of creating an authentic ‘signature voice’ as a consultant. Can you elaborate on what that entails for consultants?”
I often emphasize that content needs to be authentic to be true thought leadership material. That’s one of the criteria; others are things like addressing the pain points of your target audience, being generous with sharing your knowledge, sharing content regularly, etc.
However, let’s focus on the ‘authenticity’ factor in this edition. Please also read 'The Secret Backstage' in this newsletter to understand how I've developed my signature voice in the past decade.
Authenticity in content – be it articles, speaking engagements, case studies, or other thought leadership – is about having a signature voice as a consultant.
What is a signature voice?
Think of a brand, any brand, let’s say Apple. Whether it’s their advertising, store design, or product design, you can instantly spot the brand’s signature. It’s about elegant, clean designs, the company’s emphasis on innovation, etc. All their marketing collaterals have that unique Apple signature.
A signature voice is the same thing. But instead of visual consistency, it’s about having a voice consistency. It’s a point of view that sets the parameters for all thought leadership content and makes individual articles, social media posts, and other pieces of content instantly recognizable.
Why is it important for consultants to have a signature voice?
A signature voice allows consultants to differentiate themselves and helps prospective clients understand what these consultants stand for.
● Differentiation in the market: decision-makers come across generic content every day. All that content becomes mute. The decision-makers do not commit any of it to memory, let alone stop to research further. Having a signature voice helps you get the attention of your target audience. By being authentic, you differentiate yourself from all the boring generic stuff.
● Building trust: having a signature voice helps your target audience get to know you as an expert – what you do, how you do it, and, most importantly, what your view on the prototypical problems of that audience is. When your prospects feel like they know you, they begin to trust you. And buyers need to trust their service providers before committing to working together.
How to assess your signature voice?
There are two main components in assessing (and developing) your signature voice:
1. Your domain expertise: do you demonstrate the deep expertise prospects are looking for and for which they don't mind paying a premium? Of course, if you aren’t focused on a specific expertise domain for a particular audience with a specific problem, you can pretty much forget developing a signature voice. Generalist consultants will always be struggling.
2. Your connection with the audience problem: do you deeply connect with the problem(s) of your clients/prospects and are you able to inspire them to move from the old (problem status) to the new (problem-solved status)?
Along the Y-axis, is a consultant’s voice of expertise.
Along the X-axis, is a consultant’s voice of problem connection.
The upper quadrant is the ultimate goal: the signature voice, addressing 1) the specific expertise 2) in the context of the target audience’s pain points.
