It’s always more effective for a solopreneur to attract clients rather than chase after them. Cold calls and cold emails are usually unwanted, most likely not immediately relevant to the recipient, and often filtered as spam. Building a reputation as a respected expert in your field, on the other hand, can be an efficient way to attract clients who need, value and will pay you for your services. Following are seven traits that successful thought leaders develop.

Be curious. Read news sources that cover trends in your industry and reflect on what impacts new developments will have. Attend conferences; the conversations and serendipitous meetings enhance your credibility and expand your horizons.
Be a story-teller. Have a big perspective and communicate it effectively. Offer ideas that can be shared and acted upon.
Be generous. Share your time and insights with others, being mindful that generosity is always eventually rewarded.
Be yourself. You have a unique set of experiences and perspectives; own your own style.
Be brave. Put yourself out there, share your point of view, talk about the issues you care about passionately. Dare to be unique!
Be consistent. Earning your reputation as a thought leader takes time. Set meaningful goals for measuring your effectiveness and fine-tune your efforts as you learn what resonates with your client base.
Be human. Acknowledge when you make mistakes; share when you doubts about your own perspective. Keep yourself from seeing a situation as black and white; look for the nuances.

Plus a bonus trait, thanks to John Hutson. Be prolific: Blog frequently with content that showcases your expertise. This helps elevate your name in search results so that your prospective clients can find you.