 Element
Of Expertise - Becoming A Recognized Expert
By Steven Von Yoder, author of Get Slightly Famous
Bill Connington is a New Jersey-based financial advisor
who is actively working to position his firm as a specialist in helping
physicians deal with investment, retirement planning and money management
issues. Bill publishes articles about investing in magazines like
Physician’s Money Digest and Dermatology Today. He is creating a special
report about investing for doctors, and has assembled a client advisory
board that meets once a quarter to discuss how he can better direct his firm
to the unique investment needs of physicians. Bill also hosts monthly
seminar/events for clients and prospects, and volunteers for a non-profit
comprised of physicians. Bill is targeting his best prospects, and boosting
his visibility and credibility by becoming a recognized expert within that
community.
After only a year, his efforts are paying off. Bill now gets calls from
physicians all over the country who read his articles. His events are a big
hit, and Bill’s increasing visibility within doctors’ communities in his
area has grown his reputation in a way that attracts new clients.
The Expert Advantage - Not so long ago, expertise was equated with
the number of years you were in business, or the college diploma that hung
on your wall. That has changed; people are now more interested in the
results you can produce than in whether your career started 25 years ago, or
whether your degree is from a University.
As an expert, you’ll be sought-after. You will get more business with less
effort, and command higher fees. Journalists will come to you for
information. You will be asked to speak at conferences. You will
out-position your competitors because you know more and will be recognized
as knowing more. And you don’t have to be appointed by anyone other than
yourself to become an expert in your field. If you can deliver to your
prospects’ unique needs, people will be interested in you, no matter how
brief your business experience or how few diplomas grace your walls.
Becoming an expert takes work, but it’s within your reach. You don’t need a
special degree, but you do need a willingness to learn.
Niche Your Expertise - Slightly famous businesses focus on distinct
target markets they can realistically hope to dominate. Why? Because market
niches are, above all, manageable. To become that market expert, you will
need to get your mind around it effectively enough to design a marketing
strategy that speaks in personal terms to real prospects. Create a
deliberate strategy to help you understand all you can about your target
market. It would be impossible for you to know everything, but you certainly
need to be considerably better informed than most. Being able to keep
yourself in this position is a process that never ends.
Read Everything You Can - Experts set aside time to read a variety of
media that affect their target market. Start with trade and special interest
magazines that cover issues affecting your niche and provide focused,
up-to-the-minute information. You might be able to find them in a library,
or read back issues on the publications’ Web sites. Subscribe to e-mail
newsletters, news services and specialized publications. These sources
enable you to take the pulse of your industry. Make frequent trips to a good
business bookstore and look for books that address your industry, niche and
type of work. Develop a reference collection that you can turn to for
immediate, dependable information.
Articulate a Distinct Viewpoint - It’s not enough just to be an
expert. You need to use your knowledge to deliberately distinguish yourself
from your competitors. Plug yourself into every possible outlet that
influences your niche. Assess what others are doing, saying and writing
about your industry. Your goal is not just to be fully informed, but also to
develop a keen perspective that sees links between your industry and the
larger world.
Experts know that they must actively seek out new evidence that impacts
their theories and assumptions. You don’t need an ultimate truth, but you do
need to articulate your position clearly and have relevant facts close at
hand.
You Are the Resource - Becoming a resource within your target market
starts with sharing your knowledge. Publishing articles and giving talks are
powerful techniques to establish your expertise. Writing and speaking
pre-sells others on your abilities, and exposes you to thousands of
prospects. Reprints of published articles make excellent, low-cost sales
literature, replacing expensive but less targeted brochures, mailers, and
newsletters.
The more you become known as a source of expert information, the more
potential customers trust you. You become part of their world, a center of
influence, and because people like to do business with people they know, or
know of, you will be their first choice.
Keep It Going - Your expertise will also be the foundation of a
strong business that delivers great service. This will generate
word-of-mouth referrals that attract clients with less effort because you
have proved that you deliver results that people seek, want and need.
Maintaining your expertise is an ongoing process. If you persist, becoming a
recognized expert can serve as your most effective marketing strategy. The
process starts with you. Once you begin to see yourself as an expert, others
will see you as an expert too!
Steven Van Yoder is author of Get Slightly Famous: Become a Celebrity
in Your Field & Attract More Business with Less Effort. Visit
www.getslightlyfamous.com to read the book & learn about
“slightly” famous teleclasses, workshops & marketing materials to help small
businesses & solo professionals attract more business. |
