Tip #376: 3 Steps For Positioning Yourself As An Industry Expert

One of the easiest ways to drive sales opportunities and to ensure job security is to become an expert in your field. In fact, the term "expert" carries a tremendous amount of authority, trust, and credibility - the things that reduce the risk of people not buying what you have to sell . . . and goes a long way in ensuring your job security.

3 Steps To Help Position You And/Or Your Business As The Go-To Expert.

Step 1: Focus On A Niche-- Instead of trying to sell or market yourself to everyone (including your own company), you are better off narrowing down your focus to a specific industry/industries or job function. Doing so will help you develop certain skills, buzzwords, and contacts. It will also position you as the resident expert. Recently, a business acquaintance of mine told me how she was able to set herself up as the go-to expert for management/leadership training in three industries (nuclear energy, coal, and solar). When she told me what she was doing, I asked, "Are there enough companies you can target to make a living from it?" She smiled and said, "There are hundreds of locations, and I am the only management/leadership training expert in the country who concentrates on these industries." Find your niche and you will eliminate any sales obstacles or job issues.

Step 2: Write About Your Industry Expertise-- After reaffirming your niche, you need to begin the process of writing about your area of expertise. You could write weekly e-tips, newsletters, books, articles, training manuals, new processes, and techniques; your options are endless. You can even create your own website and design it as a way for people to access your information. If you can, write about things that teach people about your expertise and what you do.

The More Business You Do In An Industry, The More Of An Expert You Will Become.

Once you start marketing yourself on a proactive basis, you will become recognized as an expert in an industry -- even if you never had formal education in it; however, there are times when certification or specific training is needed to truly be considered as an expert.

Step 3: Become A Speaker Or Presenter As Often As You Can-- If you are proactive in networking and publishing articles, you will find that people will ask you to speak at conferences, chamber meetings, and industry associations, or even make presentations within your own organization. Sure, most of us get nervous about speaking in front of a group, but keep this in mind: You will gain instant trust and credibility when you do it.

Executive Summary: Start today by thinking of niches in which you could become an expert. After that, write down ways you can network, i.e. trade shows or associations meetings, as well as targets of opportunities. The key here is building up a database of names/e-mail addresses. After you build this database, start the process of "dripping" on people with e-mails and direct mail campaigns . . . just make sure the content is relevant to whomever you are targeting.

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