How to Generate Million Dollar Visibility as An In Demand Guest Expert with Melanie Benson

0:01Boom! Shake the room, Fire Nation. JLD here and welcome to Entrepreneurs on Fire. Brought to you by the HubSpot. podcast network, the audio destination for business professionals with great shows like Billion Dollar Moves. Today, we'll be breaking down how to generate million-dollar visibility as an in-demand guest expert. To drop these value bombs, I brought Melanie Benson into EO Fire Studios. Melanie, authority amplifier for expertpreneurs, shows you how to generate million-dollar visibility. Since 2000, she has a proven track record of two to five X-ing revenue for her clients. She's host of the top 1.5 % podcast, Amplify Your Success, author of Rewired for Wealth, and Entrepreneur.com's Startup Guide for Starting an Information Marketing Business.

0:44In today's information, we'll talk about generating visibility that becomes 24-7, that works for us like an attraction machine, the three visibility barriers that keep us hearing crickets instead of clients, and so much more. And a big thank you for sponsoring today's episode goes to Melanie and our sponsors. Hustle and Flowchart, hosted by Joe Feer, is brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals. Join Joe as he discusses systems, mindset tweaks, reframes, and strategies to help you build a business that gives you freedom and fuel for your life.

1:15A recent episode on using AI for effortless content creation is a must listen. Listen to Hustle and Flowchart wherever you get your podcasts. Melanie, say what's up to Fire Nation and share something that you believe about becoming successful that most people disagree with. What's up, Fire Nation? I'm excited to be here again. You know, the thing that I just think everybody misunderstands is it's okay to simplify your business to multiply your results. And I am living proof that a complicated business is not necessarily the goal. I really have seen so much power and so much momentum. And so my business is amplified by simplifying my focus, simplifying my offers, simplifying my business model, and really choosing to lean into being recognized as an authority in one key solution.

2:12And that really can catapult your business, your brand, your revenue, and your impact in the world. Fire Nation, it is so true that a confused person does nothing, takes no action. So we do not want that confused person. We don't want a complicated offer. We want simplicity, clean, clear, clarity, true. And we're talking about how to generate million-dollar visibility as an in-demand guest expert. And there are countless examples of talented entrepreneurs ending up being a quote-unquote best-kept secret, even though they are marketing consistently. Let's talk about why this is, Melanie. I think going back to a complicated business, a very complex set of marketing steps doesn't necessarily mean you're going to get the right clients seeing you and taking action.

3:06We have a market today that is very interesting in the buying behavior. Talent is not enough to keep sales flowing. A lot of people have over relied on referrals, on standing out in a social media environment. Let's face it, the algorithms are always changing. They've leaned into maybe trying to do too many things to be visible. And what ends up happening is they're not consistently visible where their ideal clients are looking for solutions. So they end up a best kept secret. They end up being the person that only gets new revenue when they get a referral, when that person happens to run across their materials in some way.

3:47And I think for most of us, like if you consider yourself a podcaster, you're a course creator, you're a coach, you're a speaker, you're a trainer, or you are a service professional that is really good at what you do and you know you can deliver results, you have to face the cold hard facts that there are thousands of similar sounding business offers out there. They sound just like you. They end up becoming plain vanilla, if you will. They're, you're swimming in a sea of same sounding messages and that creates some market confusion. As you said before, a confused buyer doesn't take action. So I think that's why we end up with a lot of best kept secrets.

4:27You're relying on things that don't work anymore or unpredictable. You don't stand out. Your message is kind of blending into everyone else. And even if you're talented, if you don't have authority and stand out in a world where 80 % of the buying decisions are made, you're going to be invisible. Fire Nation, you want to become the number one solution to a real problem in this world. If you can do this, you will win on some level for sure. You don't want to be a pale weak imitation of somebody else's number one solution because people will always be the path to the doorstep of the number one solution to their problem.

5:06And one thing, Melanie, that's also true is we love things that actually work when we're not working. I mean, scale, leverage is amazing. So how can we generate visibility that becomes a 24-7 client attraction machine? Yeah, that's what we all want, right? Couldn't we all benefit from having a steady flow of great clients, even when we're sleeping, dropping in, booking consults, buying our low-cost products? It's really the dream. And those become our high-ticket clients over time. So I got to take you back in time a little bit, John, before we actually met the first time back into 2009, I was going through a pretty rough time in my business.

5:47I had built up a seven figure business on the wrong focus. I built something I wasn't passionate about. And when I went through some big life changes, things stopped working. I lost my mojo, all kinds of stuff fell apart. I call it my perfect storm era. And I had to really kind and think about what do I want to be known for? What do I want to do in the world? I went through a big brand pivot after spending a decade building up my authority and my positioning in the market. It was daunting. I'll be honest, it was a little depressing. It was very hard. And I had this kind of epiphany moment and I thought, well, hold on.

6:24I've done this before. I built up a business out of nothing. No one knew who I was. I was invisible in the marketplace. I was a best kept secret when When I started, how did I create that fire, create that momentum, create that buzz that actually built my business for me? And I lean back into a strategy that I now refer to as million-dollar visibility streams. I built my business on borrowing the audiences of highly successful people who had already done the heavy lifting, had built up a valuable audience, and we created win-win-win visibility. I got exposure into their audiences. They solved a problem where they needed content or a great trainer or speaker, and the audience got a problem solved.

7:09And this was so powerful. It worked so well. I thought, how could I lean into that again and recreate it without being on the road? And right about that time, as you know, the popularity of podcasts and online virtual summits and being able to deliver webinars started to really emerge as a successful strategy. to deliver powerful magnetic content without having to leave the comfort of your home. And that is the basis of Million Dollar Visibility. Other people have already built up an audience. You're accelerating your steps to be in an audience of aligned clients and people who are searching for solutions.

7:55You've got a relevant message that solves a really big problem. And And hopefully if you've done the work and you really know what your authority accelerator process is, you have instant recognition as an authority because you're borrowing the influence and gaining the endorsement of the host. Well, and John, I got to tell you, this is just the tip of the iceberg of why it works. We can unpack that a little bit more later. But this strategy of being able to speed up your path to more leads, more aligned clients, it's worked over and over and over again for me. And it ended up like rebuilding my whole business.

8:33Fire Nation, I've been following this process in a very similar one to this as well for 12 years now. It works, it compounds on top of itself, and it's all about putting in the reps and being consistent with it to make sure that it keeps stacking that cool. And we have a lot more cool to talk about as soon as we get back from thanking our sponsors. Every entrepreneur knows that growing a business is hard. Trying to figure out which software to use, when, and for what purpose can be frustrating. You've got your email marketing system, your payment software, your CRM, your content tools, your email tools, your tools to retool your tools.

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9:44Stop spending more time managing tools than connecting with prospects and customers. HubSpot's customer platform is a smoother, more effective way to grow. Suddenly, work feels like no work at all. That's the power of HubSpot. Visit hubspot.com to learn more. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Can you believe we're already halfway through 2024? I mean, time flies, especially when you're head down, trying to grow your business, but one thing I've done consistently for the past 12 years is check in on where I'm at with my goals. Now is a perfect time to do that, and therapy can be a huge help when it comes to taking stock of progress and making adjustments for the remainder of the year.

10:22That's right. Therapy isn't just for those who have experienced trauma. It can be incredibly helpful when it comes to learning how to set boundaries, leveraging your time most effectively, and getting back on track with your goals. Not sure where to start? Give BetterHelp a try. It's not only super convenient and flexible, it's also easy to dive right in. Just fill out a brief questionnaire online and get matched with a licensed therapist. Take a moment. Visit betterhelp.com slash fire today to get 10 % off your first month. That's betterhelp.com slash fire. Melanie, we're back and you have something that I like to call the three visibility barriers.

11:03and these keep us hearing crickets instead of getting clients. Tell us more. I went to work figuring out why was I getting such great traction? I love the word you use, compounding my successes every time I was visible on someone's podcast over and over and over again. Within seven to 10 days, I was getting clients. I was seeing a steady stream of leads coming for years after an episode would air. But I was talking to people, John, that people were saying, this isn't working for me. I'm investing in being a podcast guest. I'm getting on shows. I'm getting crickets. Nothing's happening. It feels like a waste of time.

11:40So I started to study what is different between what I do and what they're doing. And I discovered 17 mistakes. I'm going to cover the top three, because obviously we can't do all 17 here. And the first one, and I know you're going to get this, generic. People are showing up generic. I'm sure you get thousands of pitches to be on your show, just like I do. And I got to tell you when they're generic and they sound like everybody else, what happens? Delete. What happens when you have a generic topic? If you do get through the gatekeeper and get on a podcast, especially one that's really popular in your niche, if your topic is really generic and it has no energy to it, it's not relevant, it doesn't pop, people aren't necessarily going to listen to it.

12:21They're going to go, huh, okay, not what I'm looking for. And they just really click away. So the number one reason most people aren't getting results from their exposure. They're not seeing clients coming through is their message isn't landing for people. It's too vague. It's disinteresting. So that's number one. The second one, and this one really surprised me when I discovered it. And I, and it is probably the top in the top two reasons why people don't get results. They're winging it. They're showing up all over the place. Don't really have a strategy for how to communicate what they do in a way that the audience can lean in and follow what I call a golden thread.

13:04They don't have the topic. They don't have talking points that are organized in a way that are easy to follow. They tell long-winded stories that make no sense, right? They go all over the place. They don't really bring a point home. And ultimately, they're squandering the visibility because they don't really know how to strategically bring their content, their showstoppers, their formulas and frameworks in a way that the audience goes, oh my gosh, this is what I've been looking for. So that's number two. Let's get into number three. They're inconsistent. You nailed it in the previous segment.

13:40You said they're not consistent. And that's what I see happening because really talented people have one common issue. They're busy. They got a lot going on. They're trying to do all the things. And a lot of those things aren't moving the needle. So their inconsistent visibility has two really big impacts. One, let's say you're getting evaluated by a show host. Hey, if they can't figure out what you're good at, what your message is about, what your expertise is, what you're known for, chances are you're not going to get booked or you're going to be investing to get booked or get, you're going to lose the opportunity altogether because you don't have a authority positioning in any consistent way.

14:26Not to mention the fact that inconsistency and visibility is a subliminal message. I'm not all in. And people pick up on that, whether it's a potential client, a potential partner, a host that's vetting you. That inconsistency is eroding social trust. And when you've got a market that vets you online, social trust is a currency you can't afford to minimize. Fire Nation, I hope you were taking notes there because there was some straight value bombs coming your way. And speaking of taking notes, I actually have my notepad out for this next one. because Melanie, you've identified a proven technique to start landing top podcasts and online shows as a guest expert.

15:14Tell us more. If you wanna get booked, you gotta do one thing consistently and that is you need to have visibility on your social platforms with your known for messaging. You have to be seen as an authority. I don't know about you, John, but I'm looking for authorities, looking for experts. I want people who are consistently showing up over and over and over again because they know what they're doing. They solve a problem and they have credibility. Now, I'm going to actually give a little bonus tip here because people are asking me all the time. Should I pay for a booking service? Should I be pitching people online?

15:51How do I do this? Can I just tell you a little secret, John? I have never paid for PR or a booking agency in my entire life, but I've been booked on some of the best shows in my industry from invitations. And this is what gets me booked. The connections that I build. And here's the little catch. You have to be able to have win-win co-created opportunities. opportunities if you want to really fast pass yourself have a give have a way to give something back to the host have an audience reach have a way to showcase them to thousands and thousands of people that their audience or their listeners aren't already in have a way to invite them to your show give something back offer to promote their stuff do something that will create that win-win energy.

16:47And I'll tell you what, as you said earlier, the compounding effect will go viral. You'll start to see all kinds of collaborative opportunities emerge. You'll start to find ways you can promote each other. And that's how the million-dollar visibility takes off and gets into this ripple effect. It's not one transaction. There are ways to multiply the visibility opportunities when you show up with win-win focus and an ability to give and not just get from that visibility. Fire Nation, again, so much great value here. This is a process that you can value. But let's just get to your opinion here, Melanie.

17:22Why do podcasts continue to be a commonly untapped gold mine of profitable visibility? Because the reality is this. I mean, man, I started back in 2012. We actually had our first interview on this show back in 2013, which is crazy. Like that's, you know, such a long time ago, but it feels like a snap of the fingers. And it just seems like podcasting has just continued to be on this amazing rise ever since, but it's still misunderstood and underutilized. Tell us more. Yeah, well, I think a lot of people are daunted by how to get in front of the right audiences on the right shows. And so most of your competitors, as you're listening in, have not tapped into this amazing platform that's going to generate so much visibility for you, so much profitable opportunity if you know how to really get your strategy dialed in.

18:12But I like to follow the podcasting trends. I like to read the statistics. And I've seen statistics like 57 % of people who actively listen to a podcast they enjoy will buy from a guest or something that's being showcased on an episode. 57 % of listeners actively identify that they will buy from their favorite. Yeah, I'm in that category for sure. Me too. Me too. I've bought from people I've heard. I have opened up new opportunities. But not just that, your clients are listening. So there's opportunities to get client leads. As I mentioned earlier, on average, seven to 10 days after an episode airs with some of my favorite hosts, people have been knocking on my door saying, hey, I loved what you talked about.

19:00Is there a way that we can work together? But third, and here's what's really interesting, is other experts in your field who host shows, who book events, who are looking for collaborative partners, they're listening to these episodes too. So you have several layers of opportunity that can emerge. And the faster you learn how to lean into those opportunities, and it can be a colleague, it can also be your competitor. There's ways to create win-win visibility, tapping into those million-dollar visibility streams, with people who do exactly what you do. Because guess what? They need great content too.

19:38Fire Nation, I think that's a great phrase to end on. They need great content too. Just understand that. Like that's a valuable light bulb to have in this entire process. Now, Melanie, I want you to give Fire Nation the best way they can connect with you. If they want to keep learning from your amazing value bombs that you've shared today, what is your call to action for Fire Nation? I mentioned earlier that I've scoured the universe of podcast guesting and looked for what are the traits that get people booked, that get people profitable visibility and get them generating clients. And I identified 17 key mistakes they tend to make over and over and over again that cost the lead and the client.

20:23And if you go to MelanieBenson.com forward slash EOF, that's Entrepreneurs on Fire, EOF podcast, you can download that scorecard absolutely free. And I promise I'll help connect the dots and help you learn how to really step up your game as a guest expert. So you're in demand and you're nailing those podcast interviews and turning them into profitable visibility streams. Fire Nation, you're the average. Of the five people you spend the most time with, you've been hanging out with MB and JLD today. So keep up that heat. For links to everything we talked about, visit eofire.com. type Melanie in the search bar.

21:02The show notes page will pop right up. Melanie, thank you for sharing your truth, your knowledge, your value with Fire Nation. For that, we salute you and we'll catch you on the flip side. Thank you so much. Hey, Fire Nation, a huge thank you to our sponsors and Melanie for sponsoring today's episode and Fire Nation. Over the last decade, I've interviewed more than 4 ,000 of the world's most successful entrepreneurs and I've created a revolutionary 17-step roadmap to your financial freedom and fulfillment. I put it all into my first traditionally published book, The Common Path to Uncommon Success, personally endorsed by Seth Godin and Gary Vaynerchuk.

21:38The Common Path to Uncommon Success is the step-by-step guidance that you need to achieve the lifestyle of your dreams. Visit uncommonsuccessbook.com. I'll catch you there or on the flip side. Hustle and Flowchart, hosted by Joe Feer, is brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals. Join Joe as he discusses systems, mindset tweaks, reframes, and strategies to help you build a business that gives you freedom and fuel for your life. A recent episode on using AI for effortless content creation is a must listen. Listen to Hustle and Flowchart wherever you get your podcasts.