Are you a thought leader? In the past, it has been hard to identify the qualities that distinguish true innovators from the rest of the pack. In this incisive and challenging book, leading thought leadership strategist Mindy Gibbins-Klein presents an exciting, systematic approach to becoming a ‘REAL Thought Leader’ and gaining recognition and credibility. Discover the 4 key attributes of REAL Thought Leaders, Become a master of BOLD thought leadership, See your profile and your income skyrocket as you claim your position as the top expert in your field.

Thought leadership strategist Mindy Gibbins-Klein outlines three simple ways to achieve a more intimate and successful relationship with clients:

• -Ensuring they hear from you frequently enough
• -Proving them with relevant insights
• -Giving them something good to read in bed

When we go to bed, most of us are looking to relax and unwind. That can involve reading a book, and for some of us, that is the only relaxing and focused time we get to spend all day. If you connect with your clients and become part of their bedtime rituals, you will have a bigger impact and more success. REAL thought leaders know how to do this.

REAL is an acronym because REAL thought leaders tend to do four things really well: they achieve significant Reach in their target market, they do so with excellent Engagement, they become recognised Authorities in their field and they have sustained impact or Longevity in the mind of their clients.

Longevity is a tricky thing to achieve, especially in this climate of overstimulation and saturation of people’s attention. There are three keys, however, which, if implemented successfully, will help you stay in someone’s mind longer. They are Recency, Relevance and Reference. So, it turns out your teachers were right – it pays to master the three R’s.

Recency simply means ensuring your market hears from you often enough so that you are always top of mind. People seem to have a shorter span of attention, which means they need more reminders. When someone has a need for what you do, chances are greater that they will think of you if you have contacted them within the past few days, rather than weeks or months earlier.

People also only seem to have time and attention for things that are relevant, which is why thought leaders make such an impact. They get the reader where it hurts and offer insights on his most urgent issues. Information overload has forced many people to filter out most of the ‘noise’ that arrives in their inbox and even face-to-face. For example, at a networking meeting, one survival mechanism is to remember only those people who said something you could relate to.

Finally, it helps if you have something tangible for your followers to read, listen to or watch in their own time. A book is the obvious choice because it can sit by the bed and represent you even when you are not there. Books in print are still the de facto credibility builders, we will see good quality ebooks being read on handheld readers. Although, despite all the hype, I have only ever seen one person on public transport using an ebook reader. I don’t know what they do in bed.

The goal of effective communication is intimacy. Clients want to get to know you, the person, not just a corporate entity. Many small business owners make the mistake of over-marketing their company brand and under-marketing themselves. It may feel uncomfortable to share personal information with your market, but if you think about it, social media is making this more and more commonplace. (This is why the younger generation is finding it easier to do business in this way). You can fight it if you like, only talking about business and putting on a corporate façade, but remember, your clients want to feel like they know you. The best ways to do this are to build rapport by speaking their language and being conversational. Don’t you prefer this style too? Real thought leaders seem to get into the other person’s head and then boldly lead them to the solutions to their biggest concerns.

Mindy Gibbins-Klein is a specialist in turning experts into thought leaders and published authors and has helped hundred of business leaders around the world gain recognition as thought leaders and experts in their fields. She does this by showing them how to create the best possible books, ebooks and articles with which to raise their game and become more well known for what they do. As a Thought Leadership Executive Coach, Mindy regularly works with business leaders with her REAL Thought Leaders methodology, enabling them to raise their profile and deliver presentations and speeches with greater impact, and emphasis. A native New Yorker, residing in the UK, Mindy owns and operates two successful businesses. She is founder & CEO of The Book Midwife® and CEO & owner of Panoma Press: the cooperative publishing house for business authors. Mindy has an MBA in International Business, is a trained coach and marketing consultant with over 18 years of experience in the corporate world, largely running marketing departments. She is a sought-after international motivational business speaker and is a regular media contributor.