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How many times have you lost business to someone you knew was less qualified than you?
If your answer is: “Too many to count,” keep reading—I’ve got a solution.
But first, let’s chat for a moment about why it might be happening in your case. Some professionals are better salespeople than others—they’re great at “winning” the business, not so great in their execution.
They might be inferior technicians with less experience or education, but their enthusiasm is conveyed and, as you can see, it’s working.
My approach is and has always been to use a combination of passion for my work, showcasing my expertise in an easily accessible and digestible format, wrapped up in a sales process that focuses on attracting instead of convincing.
And it’s working, and here’s why: I’ve embraced that there’s a fundamental difference between “being an expert” and “being perceived as an authority.” In any sector of business, let’s face it, it’s perception that opens doors, allows for higher fees, and is ultimately what magnetizes our ideal clients.
EXPERT OR AUTHORITY?
Your expertise is what you know and what you can do.
Your authority is what other people believe you know and can do.
If there’s a disconnect between what you know to be true and what others perceive to be true, you’ve got an opportunity to fix that. And it would be in your best interest to do just that.
You can have all of the expertise in the world, but if your network doesn’t know about it (and, on another topic, can’t effectively share about it) it ultimately doesn’t matter.
When you’re perceived as an authority, you, like those you’re watching engage that business, will also engage more business.
If you want to get off of the struggle bus and onto the success bus—you know the one—where you’re asked to speak on stages, appear on podcasts, and work for dream clients, then you need to be more visible.
If you’ve been here for more than a few minutes, you know I’m bullish on books. But even if this is the first time we’ve crossed paths, I think we can both agree having a book is the fastest way to gain more visibility and own your authority.
And if you don’t have one, this isn’t a how-to article and I’m not your writing coach. Keep reading.
WHY SIX MONTHS?
I’m Honorée Corder and I have a proprietary bespoke book process—my team and I craft books for professionals that attract their ideal clients—and our authors don’t write, edit, design, or publish their books—we do it for them.
The natural timeline for a bespoke book to move from concept to finished product—and for your positioning to fundamentally shift forever—is usually about six months
Months 1-4: We start with “what you want more of in your business”—what’s the “job” of the book? There are strategic interviews to extract why your methodology works, success stories of current and previous clients, and what makes you and your business unique and, well, awesome. Me and my team of talented professionals craft, write, edit, and polish what makes you *you*–the obvious choice.
Months 5-6: Design, production, publication, and marketing magic. Your book enters the world—and so does your authority.
Your Time Investment: 8-20 hours, all in.
THE TRANSFORMATION IN ACTION
Let me share what this looks like in practice.
A financial advisor I worked with had been in his industry for 22 years. Excellent credentials. Strong track record. But he was constantly battling price objections and losing prospects to larger firms.
Within six months, he had a professionally published book that articulated his unique approach to wealth management.
Within one year, he had acquired over $200 million in assets from clients, all of whom specifically said: “I read your book. Let’s talk.” This was more than he’d engaged in the previous five years of countless meetings.
He was the same guy, with the same expertise, credentials, education.
But the moment he had a book, he was an authority—and authorities attract a different caliber of opportunity, and much more often.
WHAT CHANGES IN SIX MONTHS?
Sure, the external changes are obvious: once you become “the person who wrote the book,” those introductions come faster and more often. If you want them, you’ll be invited to speak, and you’ll get opportunities to appear on podcasts and in traditional media.
But it’s the internal changes that actually matter more.
Competing on price? Nope. Now, that’s what the other guy does. When you’re the author, you’re no longer a commodity. If you get fee resistance, you’ll know that’s not your ideal client. Pushback on fees decrease because perceived value has markedly increased.
Explaining your value? Unnecessary. Your book does it for you. Your new clients arrive enthusiastically, already pre-sold and ready to engage.
Chasing clients? You can stop that, because they start coming to you. Your book works around the clock, attracting the exact type of client you want to serve.
Doubting your positioning? Not anymore because it’s completely unnecessary. When your methodology exists in print, you own it and you own the marketplace. No one can claim the same intellectual property or approach.
WHAT’S MY TIME INVESTMENT?
If you’ve said, “I don’t have time to write a book,” you’re absolutely right.
Writing a book takes isn’t just “writing the manuscript,” and then “Boom! You’re an author.” There are six skillsets you must have masterful command of in order to produce a book professionally.
Even if you wanted to write your book, you’re looking at 500+ hours (that’s half a year of weekends, and no busy executive has that kind of time).
My bespoke book approach requires just 8-20 hours of your time—primarily through strategic conversations where we extract your expertise, plus your reviews of the outline, manuscript, and final book.
We handle the rest. You invest a fraction of the time and get the same result: a professionally published book with your name on the cover and your methodology inside.
WHAT’S THE ROI?
Let’s talk numbers: with any investment, I know you want a maximum increase in your top-line revenue.
Authors in professional services typically see fee increases of 25-50% within the first year of publication. If you bill $300/hour and increase rates by just 25%, that’s $75 more per hour. At 1,500 billable hours annually, that’s $112,500 in additional revenue.
Authors who sell premium services typically report they double or triple their new client engagements within that first year.
From one book. Subsequent years get even better.
Now add the clients who come specifically because they read your book. Add the referrals that flow easier because your book does the selling. Add the speaking fees that increase because you’re “the author.”
The math isn’t complicated, and the ROI is obvious.
Think of it this way: If you can recoup your investment with 3 to 5 new client engagements, we should talk.
Your book is evergreen content that should work hard for your business for the next five to ten years. Imagine what thirty to fifty new, ideal clients in your business will mean. Then, let’s chat.
Your transformation from expert to authority is an easy decision. And six months is all it takes to make it real.
Ready to transform your expertise into a revenue-generating book? Get your complimentary copy of Your Book Means Business at BookHip.com/FZHRJAL or request a hardcover by sending me an email. You can see some of the 500+ books I’ve produced at HonoreeCorder.com/BespokeBooks.
I’m Honoree Corder, Proud ProVisor since 2024, 68-time author & Executive Book Producer, producing books for professionals that attract premium clients.