The Secret Sauce to Authority: Crafting Your Signature Framework
We live in a knowledge economy where information is not only easily accessible to almost everyone but is also free. This trend has turned titles and credentials into commodities and means that we now face increased competition in the traditional employment space. Not only that - there's also been an increase in experienced professionals looking to monetise their expertise and experience, stepping out of traditional employment for various reasons and into into the consulting and coaching industry. Both sectors are growing rapidly, which is fantastic, but the increased supply has made it more challenging to stand out. Yes - it’s your personal brand for sure, meaning - your reputation in the market but it’s even more so your signature framework that you connect with it.
Especially in professions like coaching or consulting, having a transparent process or method is what not only builds trust but creates predictability of results as well as repeatability. But the question is - how do you even come up with your framework? This is exactly what we discuss in this blog.
The last few months have been busy for various reasons: I have been traveling a fair bit. By the time you listen to this episode, I am in Queenstown. In December, I will be in Melbourne and I just got back from las vegas a few weeks ago. But that’s not the only reason why it’s been quite a full few months; I haven’t developed that many signature frameworks in the last 6 years than I have in the last 6 months alone. There’s a clear demand in professionals taking their expertise serious and wanting to legimitise their next step in their career which is often in the consulting, advisory, coaching or training world. And I absolutely love it because this is exactly what the knowledge and expert economies need: more transparency, more predictability, more objectivity to how an outcome that is promised will be achieved. This in the end shapes your reputation: When your brand promise = your brand performance - this is your reputation in the market.
A couple of weeks ago we talked about self promotion and that most professionals struggle with that. I wholeheartedly believe that it comes down to uncertainty about their performance, aka: them not being certain that they can deliver as well as the fear of rejection when they put an offer out there and get a no.
Now this is what we face in the professional services world all day, every day and it won’t change. What will change however is the selection criteria our decision maker will use. It’s not just the credentials the supplier or contestant for a role has in terms of academic titles, years of experience or accolades, their personality and their social proof but also how they communicate the engagement process from beginning to the end. And this is exactly where your signature framework comes in.
What Is a Signature Framework?
A signature framework is a unique and proprietary system or methodology created based on your expertise, experience, and insights. It represents your distinct perspective and approach to solving problems or achieving specific outcomes within your domain. Your signature framework sets you apart and positions you as a thought leader in your field because no one else can compete with it as easily as someone can showcase their credentials. While having a logical approach to achieving results is crucial, if you've been following my work for some time, you'll know how much I emphasize the importance of connecting logic with emotions. This is where your case studies, testimonials, and stories come into play.
Building Your Unique Framework
Define Your Brand Promise:
Your brand promise is what you want to be known, respected, and trusted for. This step is often more challenging than it seems. Many clients struggle to pinpoint their brand promise clearly, leading to weak positioning, such as being a generic "leadership" or "business" coach. However, these broad labels don't carry much weight as different clients face unique challenges. For instance, a coach for start-ups deals with different issues than one working with Fortune 100 companies, and a leadership coach specializing in emerging technical professionals has a different focus than one working with seasoned professionals on global team leadership.
Understand Your Ideal Decision Maker:
Specify the current situation of your ideal decision maker. What challenges are they facing? What constraints, concerns, or resources are at their disposal (or not)? Where do they aspire to be (the ideal outcome)?
Develop a Step-by-Step Framework:
Based on the understanding of their current state versus the desired future state, create a 3-5 step (though some may go up to 7, which can be challenging to remember) framework. These steps serve as milestones, representing significant deliverables that need to be broken down into smaller, manageable tasks. For example, in my 'imapCCCt' personal brand framework, 'clarify,' 'communicate,' and 'commercialize' are the major milestones. However, it takes several sub-steps to reach these objectives. For instance, to clarify your competitive positioning, you must first address brand promise and brand proposition before focusing on positioning. Each smaller step can be broken down into 3-6 subcategories that must be completed to reach the ultimate goal. When we talk about 'brand promise,' we examine credentials, characteristics, and gained expertise (often from leveraging natural strengths). However, an initial self-assessment is only one part of the process. External feedback is crucial to identify any discrepancies or gaps between current and future perceptions and behaviors. If what you say about yourself conflicts with what those who have worked with you say, it signals potential blind spots and challenges that could hinder your success.
Without delving into every detail, the key takeaway is that if you're serious about monetising your expertise and experience, you need a comprehensive framework supported by relevant tools, methods, and models.
This not only boosts your confidence in achieving results but also cultivates clarity and trust with your decision makers, positioning you as not just an option but the ultimate choice for them. Now speaking of monetising your IP - let’s chat about how you can actually do it.
Commercialising Your Framework
The transition from framework development to commercialisation is where your signature framework truly becomes a game-changer. By monetising your framework, you not only enhance your personal brand but also open doors to revenue opportunities. There are a few ways how you can monetise your IP and that is the best part about having frameworks - you can build a portfolio of income streams leveraging the same methodology you develop once but then use in multiple ways for various audiences and outcomes.
Courses and Workshops: Share your framework through online courses and workshops.
Consulting and Coaching: Offer your expertise and guide others through your framework.
Books and Publications: Author books, ebooks, or whitepapers centered around your framework.
Speaking Engagements: Speak at conferences, webinars, and seminars, showcasing your framework.
Case Studies
Here are a few examples of individuals who have successfully commercialised their signature frameworks and I’m sure you heard of one or a few of them before:
Maslow’s Maslow's hierarchy of needs is a model for understanding the motivations for human behavior
Marie Forleo: B-School
Amy Porterfield: Digital Course Academy
David Rock's SCARF Model
Alex Osterwalder: Business Model Canvas as a strategic management template that helps businesses to describe, design and analyse their business models.
Tony Robbins: Unleash the power within
Tim Ferris: The 4h work week
Ramit Sethi: How to Get Rich with Ramit Sethi
Common Pitfalls
By now, hopefully, you're excited and fully committed to building your own framework. This also means you want to avoid some very common pitfalls. These pitfalls can result not only in a significant loss of credibility but also dent your confidence. So, let's make sure we steer clear of them
Lack of Clarity: Failing to clearly define the purpose and intended outcomes of the framework can lead to confusion and inefficiency.
Overcomplication: Creating a framework that is overly complex can make it challenging for others to understand and implement.
Inflexibility: Not allowing for flexibility within the framework can hinder its adaptability to different situations and needs.
Lack of Relevance: Developing a framework that doesn't address real-world challenges or provide practical solutions can render it ineffective.
Inadequate Testing: Failing to test the framework in real-life scenarios can result in unforeseen issues and a lack of reliability.
Limited Engagement: Not involving key stakeholders or team members in the framework's development can lead to poor buy-in and adoption.
Lack of Documentation: Neglecting to document the framework's components, steps, and rationale can make it difficult to transfer knowledge to others.
Poor Communication: Not effectively communicating the framework's value and benefits can hinder its acceptance and usage.
Neglecting Updates: Failing to review and update the framework regularly can lead to its obsolescence and decreased effectiveness.
Ignoring Feedback: Disregarding feedback from those using the framework can result in missed opportunities for improvement and refinement.
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Want to become the Trusted Authority in your field by building and monetising your expertise?
Here are a few ways you can get started with my resources:
1.) Get your copy of my my book - Trusted Authority - From Technical Expert To Trusted Authority
2.) Watch my brand new 33min training: Trusted Authority Strategy - become known beyond credentials.
3.) Book your complimentary 20min Strategy Session
4.) Connect with Petra Zink on LinkedIn
Check out all show notes and further resources over at https://www.impaccct.com