I publish deep dives into how top consultants develop signature content and build profitable business models around their expertise.
Each case study reveals the strategic decisions that transformed them from respected experts to sought-after authorities.
Have you seen the LinkedIn carousel doing the rounds about positioning for expertise-based firms?
Copywriter Alex James wrote it (he’s a smart, thoughtful writer).
It’s a good read that has 1k likes and has been shared across the Slack groups I’m in. But I disagree with his core point.
His two key arguments:
He caught some heat in the comments for point one—the pushback was that most firms don’t niche enough, so it’s still a competitive advantage for those that do.
But he wasn’t talking about all firms—he meant consultants at the top of their field. And on that, I agree with him.
If you’re operating in a well-defined vertical, niching alone won’t set you apart when a dozen other competent firms are playing in the same space.
It’s his second point—about unique perspectives—that I disagree with.
It sounds right. It fits the popular narrative. The idea is that to become the Undisputed Authority in your field, you need to develop a unique point of view.
And yet, something about that explanation doesn’t sit right with me.
The inherent nature of a perspective is that it's unique (no one person has the same experiences and background as another).
By extension, LinkedIn is full of unique perspectives, and most are ignored.
The problem I have is that…
Consider authorities outside our B2B consulting world.
People like Rick Rubin, Neil deGrasse Tyson, or Brené Brown.
They’re known for their unique perspectives on their subject area, but unique perspective is the output of their work, not the input.
Rubin is an authority because he spent decades producing legendary albums with artists like Johnny Cash, Lady Gaga, and Red Hot Chilli Peppers, developing an intuitive sense and taste for what makes commercially successful art.
In doing the work—and reflecting on it—he developed a philosophy with substance. Then he packaged and delivered his thinking into books, podcasts, keynotes, and TV shows.
He became a tastemaker.
It’d sound ridiculous if I suggested he was the Undisputed Authority at what he did because he developed a unique perspective, right?
Yes, Brené Brown became the go-to voice on vulnerability with a compelling point of view, but where did that point of view come from? She spent years obsessing over the subject—researching, running studies, testing ideas—before she framed her insights in a way that resonated with millions.
It's no different for B2B consultants like April Dunford, Chris Walker, and Geoffrey A. Moore.
David Foster Wallace said it best: good nonfiction is a chance "to watch somebody reasonably bright but reasonably average pay far closer attention and think at far more length about all sorts of different stuff than most of us have a chance to in our daily lives.”
That applies to a consultant’s nonfiction (or content), too.
Like every other Undisputed Authority, April Dunford picked one bleeding neck problem, as experienced by one particular person, that she would pay far closer attention to and think at far more length than anyone else.
A bleeding neck problem, as Perry Marshall puts it, involves one or both of the following:
Once she picked the problem (that she'd already spent considerable time working on with clients and employers) she spent two years teaching on stage, developing and refining a framework for communicating her perspective and solution.
One that resonates.
Andre Chaperon defines resonance better than I ever could:
“It’s when something you create – a message, an idea, a story –vibrates at the same frequency as someone else’s thoughts, emotions, or worldview.”
It’s not just that the Undisputed Authorities developed a unique perspective, it’s that they learned to package it in a way that it ‘vibrates’ with their ideal buyer’s worldview.
April Dunford’s book did that, but the book was years in the making.It’s the same for every Undisputed Authority.
Disruptive because it stops your (ideal) reader in their tracks. It breaks a pattern.
It’s novel, and novelty catches attention.
Wisdom because it comes from a place of obsessing over a particular problem, as experienced by a particular person, at far greater length than anyone else chooses to do.
And this is what actually makes an expert the Undisputed Authority in their space.
Yes, they developed a unique perspective, but they didn’t chase it.
They looked at the problem at greater length and depth than anyone else.
Then, they worked tirelessly to package their insight in a way that resonated with their ideal customer. Trial and error, testing messages, throwing away more than they kept.
That’s the work to become an Undisputed Authority.
P.S. The David Foster Wallace quote came via Austin Kleon in Steal Like an Artist. Oh, and here’s the original carousel from Alex James.
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