Establishing your Market Eminence, with David Newman

Ever felt like you're doing great work, but you're stuck in a sea of sameness? 😥 You're not alone. Many experts and founders struggle to stand out, feeling like they're constantly trying to convince new prospects of their value.

This week on ‘Building Your LeaderBrand’ I spoke with David Newman, author of "Market Eminence," about how to break free from this cycle. He shared a powerful approach to building a brand that's not just visible, but truly unmistakable.

It's not about being wacky or putting on a show. It's about amplifying who you already are to create a category of one.

✨ Here are a few things that really stood out for me:

✳️ Build an "Electromagnetic Fence". Your brand should act like a magnet. It should powerfully attract your ideal clients, partners, and talent while just as powerfully repelling the bad fits. Stop trying to appeal to everyone.

✳️ Find Your Contrarian Slant. What conventional wisdom in your field do you secretly think is wrong? What harsh truth are clients desperate for someone to finally say out loud? This is where your unique point of view lies, and it's the key to differentiation.

✳️ Stop Trying to Be Liked. As businesses grow, founders often start playing it safe. They try to "sound smart" and "be liked," which leads to blending in. David argues you need to let go of these instincts and embrace the scrappy, opinionated, and authentic voice you had when you started.

✨ Ready to take action? Here are three things David recommends you can do today:

👉 Define Your Point of View. Answer these questions:

❓What conventional wisdom in your field do you think is wrong?

❓ What harsh truth are clients desperate for someone to acknowledge?

❓ What strong opinion do you hold that would make insiders uncomfortable but resonates with ideal clients?

👉 Shift Your Content from "How-To" to "How-to-Think". In a world of AI, information is a commodity. Your value is in your perspective. Share frameworks, principles, and manifestos that change how your audience sees the world.

👉 Become a Trailblazer. Help your audience prepare for what's coming next. Share trends and future-cast to help them see around corners. This builds immense trust and positions you as a leader.

If you want a quick win, start with the contrarian exercise. It’s the simplest way to stop being generic and start being memorable.

More about David :

David's assessment : https://doitmarketing.com/quiz

Market Eminence Book : http://www.marketeminence.com/

Chapters

00:00:00 Intro — Why this episode matters

Why I invited David and what you’ll get from this conversation.

00:01:30 Guest intro — Meet David Newman & Market Eminence

Who David is, his Do It Marketing work, and the idea behind Market Eminence.

00:03:48 The problem — The “marketing monkey show”

Why doing more of the same marketing won’t get you unstuck.

00:08:42 Category of one — The Grateful Dead example

How being radically different creates a category of one, not a stunt.

00:11:42 The “electromagnetic fence” exercise

A practical workshop: list nightmare clients and hires to clarify who you repel and attract.

00:16:20 Authenticity vs attention stunts

Why being distinct is about revealing who you already are, not putting on a show.

00:22:25 Contrarian slant — 3 prompts to find your opinion

David’s three questions to surface the contrarian views that will make you memorable.

00:30:35 Founder identity — the bell curve and reclaiming your voice

How leaders lose their edge and how to bring back the scrappy identity that scales.

00:35:31 Short-term memory & relationships

Why reappearing in people’s short-term memory matters more than chasing new leads.

00:37:14 Three practical things to do today (David’s closing)

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