EP50 - Claim Your Expert Authority with Christine Blosdale

Speaker A: Are you looking to fine tune whether for your business, your job, your team or yourself? In each episode we will be discussing different ideas and opinions using real world examples to help you see opportunities, innovate and succeed. Hi, it's Corby Fine and welcome to finetune.

Speaker B: M. So I've spent a lot of time online really focusing on trying to build my Persona, build my network, build my audience. And it's a, it's a lot of work from the early days of the Internet, really spending time figuring out who do I want to be perceived of online, how do I want people to think of me, what are those topics that I should be maybe considered a expert, if that's even something that I could ever be considered. Imposter syndrome hits me all the time on that. But one of the things that I always try and do both in my corporate world as well as, as a coach, is try and help people really understand what I call how they can be that segment of one, which is really that unique individual that's made up of all the different experiences that that one might have. And then the challenge becomes how do you translate that and make that relevant for other people? And so with me today, I think is someone who can maybe help make that transformation and story connect. Uh, Christine Blosdale, who I just learned is originally from la, but is living in, uh, in a really nice place outside of Sydney, Australia, specializing in branding and social media. She's worked with all kinds of global thought leaders and executives across industries. She's, uh, a best selling author and number one Amazon bestselling author, to be. To be frank. We'll learn a little bit about that. 25 years of experience in helping people do exactly what I'm talking about, which is become that expert authority in their niche. And so, uh, Christine, I'm going to ask you to just say hi and welcome to the podcast today.

Speaker C: Oh, thank you, Corbi. That was an excellent introduction. I must say. You nailed it. I was like, gosh, she sounds very impressive. No, uh, thank you. It's a blast to be here with you, I really appreciate it.

Speaker B: Yeah, no, thank you. So I have an audience that, you know, regardless of whether they're an entrepreneur, uh, they've started up a business, whether they're an executive in a large Fortune 100 organization or really anything in between, uh, we all have this desire to build our network and be sort of known for a number of things. And one of those things is to be, you know, relevant and maybe even considered an expert in a certain area. How does one even begin to think of how to make that a reality?

Speaker C: First of all, um, it's really important to get out of our own way, so to speak, who as, um, individuals sometimes encounter that imposter, uh, or that comparison model where we look at others and we say, oh, I could never be that, or who would want to listen to me, right? Who, you know that. And unfortunately, uh, men suffer from it as well as women. But predominantly a lot of women who are in business suffer from this. And I think it keeps them from going after their dreams and their goals and their passions. But once you get out of your way and you realize and you actually claim that, you know, I have on my desk, I have this statue. Folks that are listening the podcast, you can't see it, but folks that are watching, you can see it. And it's sort of like my Academy Award, right? And I do that because I, and I use this with my clients to say that if they have expertise in any particular field, they've been doing it for, uh, quite some time, they've had the highs, the lows, they've learned what to do, what not to do, they've stumbled, they've gotten back up. Um, that expertise can really help people, society. If they're a service provider, if they're a coach or a consultant or things like that, that they need to actually claim that expert authority. And how do I even, how do I claim that if I'm just sort of in the silo of entrepreneurialism? Right. We're in our little basement of thought and work. Um, there's a few things that you can do to actually start that process and it's everything from I'll look at your digital footprint, I'll look at your website. If you don't have a website, you need a one. I'll take a look at what you have and then, um, and then we'll take it from there. As far as if I think that you should create a best selling book, one of the best things, and you had mentioned it in my introduction, that I've got, I've got actually a five number one bestsellers. Wow. When you have a best selling book on your particular subject of that you know really well or that you're passionate about, that brings you up on the expert authority status, right? Because it's kind of like when you get a college degree, it's not that necessarily all these companies are going to run after you and say, oh my goodness, you're, you've got a bachelor's or a master's degree you, they, they are looking at you and they see that you have follow through, right? You actually can do a four or five year, um, journey and complete it. And then they're like, well, we'll be more apt to have you come on. And we'll as a, as a, as a manager or as an employee. So that's what a best seller can do. It's also great fodder for getting media attention. And if you, you know, if you're brilliant and you're an expert in any field and you want to get more business, you want to get more clients, if you're hiding in your silo or your basement, nobody's going to know you exist. And so my whole thing is to get my clients out there. Creating video, creating podcast as a business tool is brilliant. Uh, as a marketing tool, being a guest on podcast is also a great marketing tool that best, um, is wonderful as well. So there's all these different things that you can do to establish that expert authority and then to rise from that and to get that attention.

Speaker B: So you know, you, you've obviously yourself had, I guess, a diverse career. You know, you've done a bunch of different things. How does that. Because I find myself very similar. I've done a lot of things. I, I like to talk to people about finding their segment of one, which is really that unique combination of all of those elements that only you or only I or only they have that makes them who they are. So what, when you look back on your own personal journey, what is it that stands out that maybe has contributed to you now becoming this expert in helping other people build their expert authority?

Speaker C: You know, it's that, uh, it's that journey of again having those ups and downs and life experiences, the things that you've to do, the tough slog. Uh, I've been in radio broadcasting. I was in a journalist, a producer and a host and did all the editing and all that great stuff for 20 years. And so part of that of course was developing the art of the interview and knowing the power of your voice. Because in radio broadcasting they can't see you, right? They can only feel you and hear you. And I thought it is so powerful, it's such an intimate art form that I knew that when I left broadcasting and getting into the coaching that I, I had to work with people in that medium, getting them on podcasts or getting them to create, um, you know, um, art form is just beautiful. But before that, prior to working in, in broadcasting, I worked for America Online. Now I don't know how old you are, but back in the day.

Speaker B: Older than I look.

Speaker C: Okay, Back in the day, AOL was it America Online was, was the thing. Right, right. It was that horrible screeching sound you'd hear and then you'd get, you know, you've got me. And uh, and it was, it was a great opportunity for me to hone in my skills on real, develop, learning what people want. Okay? And I wrote an entertainment column. Now, I didn't write as Christelle, uh, this human. I wrote through a cartoon character. Uh, very vampy, Hedda Hobbit, uh, Martini Toten, you know, anatomically incorrect, um, a little tipsy. Right? Because I thought it would be fun to do brutally honest movie reviews and press junkets through this cartoon character. And it was a hit. Uh, it was, um, viewed daily columns that um, it won, you know, awards because of how many people would be seeing it. But my editor, I remember at the time, I said, so who's my audience? Who am I writing for? And he said, christine, he goes, it's AOL. He says, uh, your audience is from 8 to 80. And I said, well, that's kind of a big range, don't you think? And he said, that's what it is. You know, if you can write and connect and make it enjoyable for that group, you're good. And I was like, okay. Later, much, much later in life, I realized what I had developed by honing in that idea of being an 8 year old, looking at this content and being an 80 year old and looking at this sort of make, uh, the analogy to the Shrek movies. With Shrek, you know, if you're a kid, you love Shrek, you get it, you think it's fun. If you're an adult, you get Shrek on a different level. Right? And so that's sort of what uh, I had developed. And it's weird that it was a cartoon character that I wrote through. It just happened to be that way. But that really helped me understand how to reach audiences and to speak in a certain way or to write in a certain way. So then when I went into broadcasting, it was the sort of the, the same idea. It was more, I knew it was like a commuter crowd driving in la, traffic, four, you know, four o' clock in the afternoon, very large events. Um, but predominantly this audience were progressive, um, because it was a community sponsored type station, not corporate at all, and some more, um, freedom in the creativity that I could do. So those really honed in my skills on that. And because it was a Nonprofit radio station and network had what? Uh, the PBS model of fundraising, which is you're getting something for free because you're listening to it or you're watching. Um, but we're a nonprofit and we only are alive because of donations, right?

Speaker B: Yes.

Speaker C: And so I had to basically ask for donations. I had to ask for money on the air, on the regular, um, to keep the station alive. Well, you can't just ask for money and say, I know you're already getting something for free. Right. So I had to develop my salesman person, uh, skills. And so I came with um, thank you gifts. I had to find and source thank you gifts that I knew people wanted. And this is where I really developed that skill set of what people want. And I was very successful at it. I don't know, think, um, to the tune of $1.5 million a year I raised just by going on the air and throwing out that phone number repeatedly and offering thank you gifts that I knew people wanted. And there was the pillar of three. There's three things that people want in life. And so if you're a coach or a consultant or a service provider of any sort, think of these three things. And that's health, wealth and love. Not that I can provide love for people necessarily, but love is all different kinds of um, relationship improves people's uh, relationships with themselves or with their family or with one. Um, health is a no brainer. Look at the health industry, look at the fitness industry, look at absolutely, uh, nutrition. I mean it's a multi billion dollar in um, that's health and then wealth, you know, same thing. It's a huge industry. Not just, I can make you a six, seven, you know, entrepreneur. But wealth is a combination of those things, right? It's having time to be with your family and take um, it's having some money in the bank and knowing that you're okay, that, that, that dream of you can, you can grow a business from the ground up and become very successful. So those three things, that's what I focused in on, what people wanted and that's what helped me become really successful there. So it was just a natural progression going into coaching. I'm a, I'm a teacher by, you know.

Speaker B: Got it.

Speaker C: My heart.

Speaker B: Yeah, got it. It's. First of all, I'm, I'm a fan of Donkey. But uh, you know, going back. Yeah, you become an adult, you're like, you like Donkey or if you like Shrek, I better maybe, um, I like

Speaker C: that Lord Fork Farquhar, whatever his name was.

Speaker B: Oh, yeah, you always love the bad guy. I mean.

Speaker C: Yes, I love the bad.

Speaker B: You said something interesting because you were trying to hone your skills and find this path through what I heard was a bit of a transition as well, of media formats, the evolution, you know, radio, now we're doing podcasts. There's a lot of things you talked about there. Um, that's always changing, right? Uh, social media, digital distribution. I went to a LinkedIn corporate event less than 48 hours ago, and to your point, what you just said, like, video, video, video, and I advise you're not doing video now, even on LinkedIn. You are screwed. I mean, the algorithms are video, video, video, number of reasons, obviously, way better to monetize, more engaging. It gives life to the platform. But that aside, when you're talking to people and helping people through this process, uh, in a world where everything's changing, are there any strategies around making sure that the content and the Persona and this niche ownership that people can start to take for themselves, that it can live and establish itself across different formats and channels? Because you mentioned a bunch of them.

Speaker A: What's.

Speaker B: What's the best way to attack that?

Speaker C: Well, what I. Because everybody's individual. So I will look at someone who comes to me, and usually they come to me and they. I need. I need to get people to notice me. Right? Nobody knows that I.

Speaker B: Not for love, not for the loved one.

Speaker C: No, no. But. But, you know, I need media. I need exposure. I need people to know that I'm there. I need to get more clients. I need whatever. And so I'll take a look at them. I'll look at their digital footprint, I'll look at their messaging, their branding. I'll look at their website, if they have one, hopefully. And I'll also have that conversation with them to know who they are as a person. I have some clients that are actually, you know, quite brilliant and really good at what they do, but they're very shy, so I would not necessarily say jump on. And even though I love TikTok, and I have some clients that I am putting and pushing out onto the platform of TikTok because their story is too good or they're so unique, they're. It's like you're a TikTok star waiting to happen, but you're hiding in your silo or your basement. And so some clients I'll push in that direction, and others, I'll say that's not your style. Right, but your style is your place is more on a LinkedIn, let's say, uh, they're two different animals for sure, completely. So it depends on, um, but a lot of times they don't know what their star quality is. They'll say, well, I've done this, I do this, I do that, I'll throw it on the wall. I help everybody with everything. I'm like, no, you don't. No, no, no, no, no. We need to just hone in on that. And I have, I have one client here in Australia who's 82 years old and she just wants to get some uh, press and publicity for the book that she's written. But, um, as a legacy builder, right, because she's 82 years old, she was the first, uh, the first, uh, balloon, hot air balloonist. And this is back in the day when it was very male dominated. Right. He, um, almost died like seven times. She's got a story that is so incredible about how a pod of dolphins saved her life when she was in the water, bleeding in the ocean, which, if you're in Australia, you know, it's shark territory.

Speaker B: Yep.

Speaker C: So she's got all these great stories and I'm like, I'm seeing like a movie as well made of her life. But I said, we need to get you out there. And even though you would think an 82 year old Aussie, ah, woman wouldn't get on a tick on TikTok, I'm like, this is where we're putting you. We're putting you there because your stories are so great. She's got so much energy. She's got more energy than a 20 year old. Uh, she's got this endearing quality. It's almost like that grandmother that you really wish you had. Right, Right. And she's, she's, she's a fighter against ageism. Um, she's an accidental feminist. And I said, you are a great role model also for young women. And she said, you think so? You think I can do that? I said, yeah. And so we're working with that, but that's because of her personality. Somebody else, I would be looking at them and go, no, we're gonna go a different route. We're gonna get you interviewed on, we're gonna get you interviewed on different shows and we're gonna develop you. Um, so it's having somebody, if it's myself or someone like you, it's having someone from the outside look at you, look at your life, look at your experiences and, and going right. We're going to cherry pick the Golden Nuggets as podcasting of podcasts and as a former Radio personality and producer. I know, uh, I know a winner and the winner is going to be someone who's that great best selling book, that amazing. Your TikTok channel has a million views. Oh my gosh. And you're 82 years old. That's fantastic. So those stories that we know as, um, hosts and producers, those are the cherry picking things that we want to do. I've got some clients that are, they're sitting on gold mines and they just don't realize it.

Speaker B: They're like. And that's your job to help them, um, mine it out and uncover it.

Speaker C: Exactly, exactly.

Speaker B: So, so you're talking to a lot of different people, you're seeing a lot of different stories. Maybe what are one or two absolute must dos and maybe one or two, you kind of got to not do that. That you see as those repeated winners and those repeated, you know, barriers to really making someone that go to authority and uncovering those stories and getting people to care.

Speaker C: A really important thing is to claim your title. Uh, and when I, when I have, I've seen so many clients say, uh, I say, okay, so elevator pitch. Okay, so I meet you, um, hi, I'm Christine. What is it that you do? And they look, some of them will look at you like a deer in headlights. And I, uh, do lots of things. That's the wrong answer. Right? And for the longest time, even myself, it took me a while. I mean when I was working radio, I could say I'm a, I'm a host do sir of a, of a radio show. But when I was start coaching, I didn't, I was like, well, I'm a media coach. I help people. And I didn't know I had to really work at honing in my title as an expert authority coach. Do I do other, do I do I like gardening? Do I, you know, do I like. Yeah, yeah, I love all these things. But I had to really hone in on that. I've got some people that I say, okay, so what is it that you do? Who are you? Yeah, and they'll say, I'm, I'm an author. And I say, okay, that's not what you do. That's not what you do. I said, listen to me, I'm an expert authority business coach who happens to be an author.

Speaker B: You see, so what I hear you doing is almost applying the notion of a purpose and then the channel or tactic by how you actually achieve that.

Speaker C: Correct. Got it. So it's like um, a heart surgeon, right? Your heart surgeon isn't going to Say, well, I've got a diploma in this and that and the other. Those things are important. They're on the wall and they're want to. You, you want that person to say, I'm the number one heart surgeon in New York or whatever.

Speaker B: Right. It's interesting. You see that. No, it's interesting. I actually go to the next level and I would kind of take it to, um, what I want to hear is I saved 487 lives last year. I just happened to do it by opening up people's chests and putting their hearts back together.

Speaker C: That's even better because I could have

Speaker B: achieved it by all kinds of ways.

Speaker C: Right.

Speaker B: Curing cancer or cutting off whatever. But, but the point is, to me, I, I like to think about the stories come from the outcomes.

Speaker C: Right.

Speaker B: Like a great telecommunications company doesn't say we sell phones and Internet. What they should say is, we allowed 87,000 grandmothers to say goodnight to their grandkids last year, no matter where they were in the world. We just happened to do it by owning fixed lines and wireless towers.

Speaker C: Which doesn't sound as sexy.

Speaker B: Well, exactly, but I hear a little bit of that and what, what you're saying. So actually that's good. So. So Christine, what do you do?

Speaker C: I help overwhelmed entrepreneurs sleep at night.

Speaker B: You just happen to do it through coaching and helping them become, uh, own, uh, their own. Their space.

Speaker C: Exactly.

Speaker B: Yeah. I love it.

Speaker C: It's, it is, it's important. And again, we don't. Because we're hustling and we're just sort of in that one person island. We don't see all those things. And that's why you need to have somebody from the outside. If it's a coach or a mentor, uh, somebody that can look on the outside and look in and go, oh, did you know that you did this? And that's really important for people to know. It might be something that you just forgot. You forgot about. Right. I remember when I started talking to people when I was, um, promoting the work, um, I had forgotten that I had worked at America Online. And I worked really hard during those times. I mean, it was because I was on the west coast and I had an east coast editor. So I had to get up at the crack of, to get everything in to write the column for that day, because it had to be written that day. So I was working against the three hour time difference. Uh, and it was a lot of work and I had a lot of fun. I met a lot of stars and celebrities and blah, blah, blah. Um, that was important, and it really gave me a lot of skills that I've carried over and I'm using today. Now. I put that on my as seen, on, or as featured, um, badge. The wall, as we call it. The wall.

Speaker A: Neat.

Speaker B: So let me ask you one more big question then. You've been doing this a while. You helped a lot of people. I always like to leave my audience with a couple of more, you know, tangible, takeaway things that say, that was worth the half an hour of listening time.

Speaker C: Yeah.

Speaker B: So what are maybe one or two things that you would recommend given some of the changes you see coming in terms of personal branding and establishing expert authority over the next couple of years? Um, shit's changing. Excuse my language. The. The economy's all over the place. Companies are all nervous. People are trying to figure out what to do. There's political upheaval, social media channels are changing. Like, it's chaos out there. So what do people do to. To really establish themselves in this current world of madness?

Speaker C: Well, hearkening, uh, back to what you had said earlier and what we both agree on, video is king or queen in your world, and you need to be creating video. And I'll say, um, a couple quick tips. If you have a website, instead of having gobs and gobs of text, please don't do that. Have a brief, tiny, short, little maybe bio there. But above the fold. When people come to your website, if you have a video that plays, that introduces you, that you can capture somebody's attention right away. If you have a service where you're trying to get money from people in exchange for that service, they need to trust you. They need to. So they know when you're talking on that video that you're not some, you know, sharp. Uh, that's really. At first, it's the first thing that we. We see on somebody's website.

Speaker B: Right.

Speaker C: So that's, um, the other thing. The. In addition to doing the video, I highly recommend that you Google yourself. And when you Google yourself, you will see what has been written about you. And if there's not a lot about you, that means you need to start getting out there. So, uh, that means putting together a media kit or an EPK for those that don't know. EPK is an electronic press kit. You can create one in Canva. I do it for my clients all the time. And you have an excellent headshot. If you have a professional photo of you that is worth its weight in gold. Do not do a selfie off of your phone. Make sure it's A good representation of you. And if you're able to do that media kit, basically it just says what those accolades, those things that you've done right, those cherry picked things, uh, and that EPK can be sent out to podcast hosts, radio show hosts, producers, television, all of those different. But get out there and take action. Too many times we live in our dreams and we say, one day I'll write that book, one day I'll create a podcast, one day I'll do a video. And we don't. And so taking action is absolutely the most important things.

Speaker B: No, I appreciate that. But if people did want more and wanted to reach out to you, uh, what's the best way to get you.

Speaker C: Best way to get me is expert authority coach.com they can go to that website, expert authoritycoach.com there they can, if they're interested, if they want to talk, they can, uh, schedule a strategy session. And also if they want to rate their own expert authority ness, if that's a word. It is now they can, uh, take my quiz. It's a scorecard quiz. So you can see rate, uh, in your expert authority. It doesn't matter what field you're in. You can take the quiz. It's 10 questions. It's a great exercise to do because it's asking you the questions that you should be asking yourself and you get rated on that so you can see where you fall. And that's Expert authority quiz.

Speaker B: Got it? Yeah, I will, I will do it myself and uh, I will report back to you and don't slap my hand if I'm bad. And I will also share that link out when I, when I do the publish.

Speaker C: So, uh, that's beautiful.

Speaker B: That's great too. Well, listen, lots to think about. I worked in radio, wasn't on radio. Kind of thought I always wanted to be. But thank God for podcasting. I enjoy it. I'm not shy. Neither are you. Uh, Christine Blasdale, the Expert Authority coach. Uh, I really appreciate the time and I know you got up early and I'm staying up late. So we balanced out on this one.

Speaker C: Yes, yes. And we're both, we're, we're not too far. I don't even have many thousands of miles. We are apart. But thank you.

Speaker B: We're literally on the other side of the planet. So, uh, wow, the Internet is working really well. I, I appreciate the time, I appreciate the answer.

Speaker C: Thank you so much. I really appreciate it.

Speaker B: Appreciate it. Take,

Speaker C: um,

Speaker A: You've been listening to Fine Tune. If you haven't done so already. Please subscribe to the show wherever you get your podcasts. You can connect with me on Twitter @CFine, through LinkedIn @CorbyFine, or visit my website CorbyFine.com. Fine Tune is produced by me, Corby Fine. Thanks for listening.