The Expert

TIP OF THE DAY: you should become an expert! – become an expert in the world that you work in.

People hate buying form a ‘follower’ or an ‘also-ran’ but love buying from an expert…. whether you are an accountant, a homeopath or a plumber, you can do it…..

And because everyone will know and see you as the expert….. so they will ask you first to do the work and they will pay a premium price!

So what does an expert do?

1. An expert focuses – they have a focus on specific people (target customers) who have specific problems and issues.  Experts have their own 30 second introduction sorted and defined, focusing on target clients and benefits.
   
   
2. An expert writes – how to’s, white papers, research, surveys, articles, columns, books(?), ‘10 Things To Know About …’, ‘Impact Of New Legislation…’
   
   
3. An expert possesses - a website, knowledge, a filofax to die for..
   
   
4. An expert knows – the movers and shakers, influencers, key people in their world or at least they have access to them
   
   
5. An expert speaks – at the Chamber, networking events, workshops, seminars, business clubs, Masterclasses and so on..

The interesting thing about these five aspects of being the expert is that they all interlock and inter-weave.

Once you clarify your specialisation then you can walk and talk and write about it using the same case studies or examples to confirm your expert status.  Each element of the expert model supports the others.

My experience tells me that you can get your articles published although you may need to persevere in the beginning.  However, each article published can be sent to existing and potential clients and so your reputation as an expert starts to grow.

So, what’s holding you back?

Most people are happy to run with the pack.  However, in this age of mediocrity you only have to be five per cent better than the competition… so go for it!

And as the business coaches say, ‘fake it till you make it’!

About the author

Robert Craven is a keynote speaker and author of the business best-sellers 'Kick-Start Your Business' and 'Customer Is King'. He has recently been described as 'one of the UK’s leading marketing specialists' and the 'entrepreneurship guru'. He runs The Directors’ Centre, helping growing businesses to grow.
For further information, contact Robert Craven on 01225 851044. (rc@directorscentre.com) www.directorscentre.com

©2005 Robert Craven, Wiltshire Times.

publication details

First published in Wiltshire Times, 2005.