The Expert to Thought Leader Podcast

Maeve Ferguson
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The Expert to Thought Leader Podcast

If you're an expert ready to step out of the shadows and become The One in your industry, this podcast is for you.Join Maeve Ferguson, business strategist and quiz funnel expert, as she unpacks the real strategies behind thought leadership, so you can move from being just another expert to a recognized industry leader with authority, impact, and effortless client attraction.Each episode dives into practical, no-fluff tactics on marketing, positioning, systems, and automation helping you scale without burnout and build a business that runs for you.💡 Whether you're looking to attract high-ticket clients, create a signature methodology, or leverage quiz funnels to pre-qualify leads on autopilot, this is where expertise meets influence.🚀 Ready to go from best-kept secret to The One in your niche?Subscribe now!

Episodes

  1. APR 18

    Episode 8: The Diagnostic Diagram™ – How to Turn a Qualified Lead Into a Client in One Conversation

    What if your sales calls felt more like “how and when” conversations, instead of “if and why”? In this episode, Maeve reveals how elite experts can collapse the lead-to-sale timeline using the Diagnostic Diagram™ a visual, IP-based framework that maps the client’s pain points to your proprietary solution in real time. When paired with personalized data from your lead qualification assessment, this tool positions you as the trusted advisor before you ever make an offer. Inside this episode: Why traditional sales calls break down (and how most experts are improvising instead of advising)How to visually anchor your intellectual property with a 3–5 part modelHow to integrate real-time assessment data to diagnose, not pitchWhy Diagnostic Diagrams turn sales conversations into elegant, insight-driven enrollment callsThe exact structure Maeve uses to close high-caliber clients with an 80%+ close rateWhether you’re doing the selling yourself or leading a team of advisors, this approach transforms your sales process from persuasive to precision-based—and positions you as The One in your industry. 🎯 Want us to build your Diagnostic Diagram + Qualified Leads Machine™? We’re opening one new spot this month. Apply here: → www.maeveferguson.com/application 🧠 Take the Impact Score Assessment: → www.impactscoreassessment.com 📩 DM Maeve on LinkedIn with your biggest takeaway from this episode and receive a curated micro-course to help you implement faster. Your Expertise Can Impact More Than a Mere Few Get the Right Message and The Right Offer in front of the Right People at the Right Time. Take the Impact Score Assessment Today

    20 min

  2. APR 11

    Episode 7: Qualified Leads – Why Volume Is a Vanity Metric and Fit Is Everything

    If your calendar is full but your conversion rate is low, you don’t have a lead problem, you have a qualification problem. In this episode, Maeve breaks down why unqualified leads distort your data, waste your team’s energy, and destroy conversion confidence. She shares how high-level experts often mistake visibility and volume for traction, when what they really need is a Qualified Leads Machine™. You’ll learn how to define what “qualified” actually means for your business (fit, intent, readiness, and relevance) and how to implement diagnostic quizzes and score-based assessments to pre-qualify, segment, and elevate your lead gen strategy at scale. Key Takeaways:Why Lead Volume is a Vanity Metric More leads ≠ more opportunity.Unqualified leads skew your data, slow your sales, and hurt your confidence.You must stop tracking how many and start tracking who. The 4-Part Qualified Lead Framework Fit: Do they align with your offer, values, and stage of business?Intent: Are they actively seeking to solve their problem now?Readiness: Do they have the resources—emotional + financial—to invest?Relevance: Are they responding to your actual positioning—not just a freebie? Build a Qualified Leads Machine™ Use diagnostic quizzes to pre-screen leads before they ever hit your calendarLet their answers segment them and tailor their nurture sequenceAutomate lead scoring so your best prospects get to the front of the lineGive insights before they ever speak to you—so they're already 80% sold The True Cost of Unqualified Leads Distorted KPIs that make great offers look brokenWasted sales calls with people who can’t or won’t buyFatigued lists, confused messaging, and lost momentumYour list should be a signal, not a number—let your funnel filter them for youResources & Next Steps:✅ Take the Impact Score Assessment™ Find out if your lead strategy is actually working—or just keeping you busy. → https://www.impactscoreassessment.com 📩 Apply to Work with Maeve Want Maeve’s team to build your lead qualification funnel for you? Apply here: → https://www.impactscoreassessment.com/application 📬 Connect on LinkedIn DM Maeve (@Maeve Ferguson) with your biggest takeaway from this episode and get a free curated micro-course based on your bottleneck. Your Expertise Can Impact More Than a Mere Few Get the Right Message and The Right Offer in front of the Right People at the Right Time. Take the Impact Score Assessment Today

    27 min

  3. MAR 31

    Episode 6: The Value-Driven Offer – Why Your Brilliance Isn’t Enough

    If you’ve ever thought, ‘But my offer should be selling…’ this episode will show you why it isn’t. To be seen as The Answer in your space, being brilliant at what you do isn’t enough. You need an offer that’s so specific, urgent, and clearly valuable that it cuts through the noise and compels your ideal client to act—now. In this episode, Maeve kicks off a three-part deep dive into the Expert Tier of the Thought Leader’s Pathway™, starting with the Value-Driven Offer. This goes beyond surface-level advice and breaks down what makes an offer magnetic in today’s relief-based economy. You’ll discover: Why “Fix Me Right Now” problems outperform vague aspirationsHow to clarify your outcome, not just your deliveryWhat it looks like to sell from IP, not trendsThe silent friction points that stall sales—even with a strong offerAnd how to deliver high-ticket results without burning out She dives into: ✅ The Specificity Layer – Specific result, person, and timeframe ✅ The “Dentist Rule” – Why speed = value in a relief-cycle market ✅ Objection Preemption – How to handle resistance before the sales call ✅ Friction Removal – Why complexity kills even good offers ✅ Delivery as a Strategic Moat – Elegant delivery that scales trust and results Next Steps: 🧠 Take the Impact Score Assessment to identify if your offer is actually in the green → impactscoreassessment.com 📩 Apply to work with Maeve to build or refine your high-converting, thought-leader-level offer → https://www.impactscoreassessment.com/application 💬 DM Maeve on LinkedIn with your takeaway and get a curated micro-course tailored to your biggest current challenge. Your Expertise Can Impact More Than a Mere Few Get the Right Message and The Right Offer in front of the Right People at the Right Time. Take the Impact Score Assessment Today

    26 min

  4. MAR 26

    Episode 5 - Being Seen as The Answer: The 3 Expert-Level Metrics That Make or Break Your Authority

    You can’t build true authority or thought leadership until you’re first seen as The Answer in your space. And that doesn’t come from being good at what you do. It comes from having your Offer, Leads, and Sales systems operating in sync and in the green. In this foundational episode, Maeve unpacks the Expert Tier of the Expert to Thought Leader Pathway™. If you’re not yet getting inbound demand, consistent conversion, or highly qualified leads, this is where you need to focus. She breaks down exactly how to build a value-driven offer, implement a Qualified Leads Machine™, and conduct elegant, insight-driven sales conversations that position you as the obvious choice. The Expert Tier: Why being brilliant isn’t enough—offer, leads, and sales must be dialed in first.What it means to be seen as The Answer—the go-to expert everyone thinks of first.1. Offers: Why vague, aspirational offers no longer work in a relief-cycle economy.The importance of solving “Fix Me Right Now” problems with specific, high-value transformations.The “Dentist Rule” – why your clients want the fastest path out of pain, not the longest path to enlightenment.Why ROI must be clear and communicable in one sentence.2. Leads: Why volume doesn’t matter—fit and intent do.How quiz funnels and diagnostic assessments help filter the qualified from the curious.Why your lead gen must segment, pre-qualify, and personalize at scale.How unqualified leads distort your metrics and waste valuable resources.3. Sales: Why a proper sales system must be rooted in insight, not charisma or pressure.How to use a Diagnostic Diagram™ to turn a sales call into an advisory conversation.What it looks like when your sales calls become “how and when” chats—not “if.”The power of using your lead’s own data to guide the conversation and tailor the pitch.Next Steps:✅ Take the Impact Score Assessment™ Identify your current bottleneck in Offer, Leads, or Sales—and get a personalized report to help you fix it fast. → www.impactscoreassessment.com 📩 Apply to Work with Maeve Want us to build your lead qualification quiz or assessment funnel for you? → https://www.impactscoreassessment.com/application Be sure to complete it thoroughly as we only work with the best of the best. 📬 DM Maeve on LinkedIn Share your takeaway from this episode and let her know your biggest insight. 🔊 Next Episode: Dialing in Your Value-Driven Offer We’ll go even deeper into the #1 success pillar of the Expert tier—how to create an irresistible offer that solves the exact pain your ideal client is feeling right now. Subscribe now so you don’t miss it. Your Expertise Can Impact More Than a Mere Few Get the Right Message and The Right Offer in front of the Right People at the Right Time. Take the Impact Score Assessment Today

    24 min

  5. MAR 19

    Episode 4 - The Influence Illusion: Why Your Reputation Isn’t Matching Your Results

    You’ve built a powerful body of work. You’ve created IP that changes lives. You’re showing up on podcasts, LinkedIn, even in the press… and yet? You're not being recognized as the go-to authority in your industry. In this episode, I unpack The Influence Illusion™ which is the disconnect between being seen and being sought-after. We’ll explore three hidden forces sabotaging your visibility and impact, and more importantly, I’ll share the strategic assets you need to build instead: The Influence Amplifier™, Data-Driven Diagnostic™, and Evergreen Ecosystem™—tools that elevate you beyond content chaos into sustained authority and inbound influence. Key Talking Points:Force 1: Empty Promise Promotion Why your visibility efforts aren’t compounding into demandThe danger of relying on episodic exposure (PR, JV, launches)✅ Solution: The Influence Amplifier™ - Build a self-sustaining referral & reputation enginePosition yourself as the source, not just another voiceLeverage layered IP assets that magnetise the right attention Force 2: The Shot-in-the-Dark Syndrome The high cost of guessing what your market wantsWhy anecdotal feedback isn’t enough at your level✅ Solution: The Data-Driven Diagnostic™ - Embed a diagnostic assessment to gather gold-dust market insightsMove from reactive to data-backed decision-makingCreate adaptive messaging and segmented nurture paths Force 3: The Guru Gauntlet How following too many coaches has diluted your unique voiceWhy your content feels scattered—and how to regain clarity✅ Solution: The Evergreen Ecosystem™ - Build a visibility engine that blends paid + organic seamlesslyAnchor your marketing in your diagnostic and IPConvert attention into trust through structured, strategic nurture Resources & Next Steps:Take the Impact Score Assessment™ You'll identify which force is blocking your influence and get a personalized report to fix it: ImpactScoreAssessment.com 📩 Let’s Connect: DM me on LinkedIn (@Maeve Ferguson) and share your biggest takeaway from this episode. 🎁 If you leave a written review and send me a screenshot, I’ll gift you a curated micro-course from my suite, matched to your current biggest challenge. Your Expertise Can Impact More Than a Mere Few Get the Right Message and The Right Offer in front of the Right People at the Right Time. Take the Impact Score Assessment Today

    18 min

  6. FEB 26

    Episode 3: Why You’re Overworking & How to Break Through

    You’re working harder than ever, yet you feel stuck, like no matter what you do, you just can’t seem to break past a certain revenue level. You’re drowning in the day-to-day of your business, constantly putting out fires, and barely have time to think about stepping into the spotlight as a thought leader. This is Growth Gridlock, and in today’s episode, I’m breaking down the three hidden forces keeping you trapped: 1️⃣ Silver Bullet Syndrome – The myth that “one funnel” will solve everything. 2️⃣ Revenue Obsession – When your entire focus is on making money, but your business lacks processes to sustain real growth. 3️⃣ The VA Myth – Why relying on a patchwork team of VAs with no structure is slowing you down. I’ll also share three core solutions: The System Suite, Process Playbook, and Success Squad, to help you escape Growth Gridlock, scale efficiently, and finally free yourself to step into true thought leadership. Key Takeaways:✅ Why “one funnel away” is a lie – And what you actually need to build a sustainable business. ✅ The revenue trap – Why chasing sales without a solid backend is keeping you stuck. ✅ How to remove bottlenecks in your business with systems and automation. ✅ Why SOPs aren’t boring—they’re your ticket to freedom. ✅ The biggest hiring mistake experts make – And how to build a real team that supports your growth. ✅ How to start measuring success the right way – It’s not about “doing the work,” it’s about what results it creates. ✅ Your next step – How to identify what’s blocking your growth and what to fix first. Resources & Next Steps: 🚀 Take the Impact Score Assessment – Find out which success pillars are blocking your growth and what to fix next! 👉 ImpactScoreAssessment.com 📩 Let’s Connect: DM me on LinkedIn! Click here and let me know your biggest takeaway from this episode.Leave a review & get a free micro-course! Take a screenshot of your review, send it to me on LinkedIn, and I’ll gift you a micro-course tailored to your biggest challenge. 🔊 Next Episode: The Authority Illusion – We’ll unpack the three forces that keep experts stuck at the authority level, unable to transition into true thought leadership. Stay tuned! 🚀 Your Expertise Can Impact More Than a Mere Few Get the Right Message and The Right Offer in front of the Right People at the Right Time. Take the Impact Score Assessment Today

    16 min

  7. FEB 26

    Episode 2: Overcoming the Noise Economy: The Thought Leader’s Antidote

    The online space is louder than ever… AI-driven content, vague messaging, and high-pressure sales tactics have created a Noise Economy that drowns out real experts like you.  But there’s a way to rise above it. In this episode, I break down the three forces fuelling the Noise Economy and reveal how the Expert to Thought Leader Pathway helps you overcome them.  From crafting a Value-Driven Offer that eliminates The Value Void, to using a Diagnostic Diagram to replace pushy sales tactics, to building a Qualified Leads Machine that attracts and nurtures the right prospects, you’ll discover how to cut through the noise and position yourself as The One in your industry. Key Takeaways:1️⃣ The Value Void: Why AI-generated, vague, and generic offers are drowning out real experts and how a Value-Driven Offer solves this. 2️⃣ The “Fix Me Right Now” Factor: Why nice-to-have offers no longer work and how to create urgency in your positioning. 3️⃣ Pitch Over People: Why traditional sales tactics have eroded trust and how using a Diagnostic Diagram turns sales into a two-way conversation. 4️⃣ The Power of a Qualified Leads Machine: Why most lead magnets fail and how quiz funnels create vested interest and attract real buyers. 5️⃣ Separating the Wheat from the Chaff: How strategic questions inside your quiz or assessment filter out unqualified leads before they reach your sales process. 6️⃣ The Clickbait Culture Problem: How rising ad costs and unqualified leads are wasting time and money and how a quiz funnel solves both. 7️⃣ Why Thought Leaders Build Ecosystems, Not Just Offers: How an ecosystem approach keeps you top of mind without constant launching. 📩 Let’s Connect: DM me on LinkedIn! Click here – Tell me your biggest takeaway from this episode!Leave a review & get a free micro-course! Take a screenshot of your review, send it to me on LinkedIn, and I’ll gift you a tailored micro-course to help you implement faster. 🔊 In The Next Episode: Growth Gridlock – How experts at the Authority level struggle to scale because their systems, team, and processes are a hot mess. If you feel like you're too busy to step into the spotlight, this one’s for you!  Your Expertise Can Impact More Than a Mere Few Get the Right Message and The Right Offer in front of the Right People at the Right Time. Take the Impact Score Assessment Today

    19 min

  8. FEB 26

    Episode 1: Move From Being The Expert to Being The One

    Most experts never become the go-to authority in their space, not because they lack skill, but because they are operating like an expert instead of a thought leader. In this episode, I’m breaking down the Expert to Thought Leader Pathway, a 9-part framework that moves you from being an invisible expert to the one in your industry. You’ll discover why there isn’t just one magic fix, but instead, a strategic sequence of success pillars you must align to truly be seen as the leader. Key Takeaways: 1️⃣ Why being great at what you do isn’t enough – and how relying solely on skills and referrals keeps you stuck. 2️⃣ The 9 key success pillars that separate an expert from a true thought leader. 3️⃣ The three swim-lanes of growth – Expert, Authority, and Thought Leadership – and why skipping steps will stall your momentum. 4️⃣ The “lone wolf” trap – how isolation is keeping you hidden and hurting your business. 5️⃣ Why you need an ecosystem, not just a marketing strategy – and how thought leaders build movements, not just businesses. 6️⃣ The biggest mistake experts make – putting the cart before the horse by chasing visibility before their foundations are dialed in. 7️⃣ The Impact Score Assessment – your next step to identifying where you are and what to focus on next. Resources & Next Steps:🚀 Take the Impact Score Assessment – Find out your success pillar scores and what to focus on next! 👉 ImpactScoreAssessment.com 📩 Let’s Connect: Share your assessment results with me on LinkedIn! Go here and send me a message.Leave a review & get a free micro-course! Take a screenshot of your review and send it to me on LinkedIn and I’ll gift you the best micro-course for your stage of business.🔊 Next Episode: The Noise Economy – Unpacking the three forces that are impacting your ability to stand out and generate sales. Stay tuned! 🚀 Your Expertise Can Impact More Than a Mere Few Get the Right Message and The Right Offer in front of the Right People at the Right Time. Take the Impact Score Assessment Today

    15 min
  • 8 Episodes

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About

If you're an expert ready to step out of the shadows and become The One in your industry, this podcast is for you.Join Maeve Ferguson, business strategist and quiz funnel expert, as she unpacks the real strategies behind thought leadership, so you can move from being just another expert to a recognized industry leader with authority, impact, and effortless client attraction.Each episode dives into practical, no-fluff tactics on marketing, positioning, systems, and automation helping you scale without burnout and build a business that runs for you.💡 Whether you're looking to attract high-ticket clients, create a signature methodology, or leverage quiz funnels to pre-qualify leads on autopilot, this is where expertise meets influence.🚀 Ready to go from best-kept secret to The One in your niche?Subscribe now!

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