Let’s face it; you wouldn’t be going into business to do something you have no idea about. Actually, I bet that you probably know more about your industry and what you do than many of your peers.
And, that’s good. Finally being able to do the things you love and are passionate about is by far the best reason to starting a business.
But, there’s a catch!
When you’re starting out, you are the only one who knows about that passion, expertise and knowledge you have. Well, few of your family members or friends might know something about it too but that’s just about it.
If you want to grow a business, you need to convince the whole wide world (or at least that part where your prospects are) about it. Only then you can start earning the trust of the people that you want to do business with you. As the old sales adage goes: if they trust you then they MAY buy from you, fact.
But how do you show everyone around you that you really are an expert and not only know everything about the industry but also know how to help them solve their problems?
Well, there are many ways to do so but below are the 5 that worked extremely well for me.
5 Ways to Establish Yourself as an Expert
1. Write a blog
This is actually what I have been doing for nearly two years now. I post regularly about building a successful business, because that is what I am passionate about. I love business and I love developing companies. But above all I love helping people to kick start their self employed careers and launch successful enterprises.
So, start a blog and write about what you do. Help others who are not as fortunate to have the same knowledge or experience as you.
Oh, and if you want to tell me that you don’t know how, well, check out my series of posts on business blogging.
2. Post white papers or write a column in your local paper
Blogging takes a lot of time and dedication. Not everyone might be cut out for this. Also, blogging might not work for every industry therefore choose whatever format you feel will be more attractive to your potential clients. Write white papers or simply post tips relating to what you do in your local paper. I am not sure about your corner of the world but here in Ireland small, local papers always welcome new contributors, especially when they feel that what you will write about will benefit their readers. You probably won’t get paid for doing this but that’s not the point anyway.
Contrary to common belief, writing is quite easy (even if you haven’t done that before). That’s why I put so much emphasis on it. Anyone can do it, of course yours and mine writing might not be as good as the one created by some professional writers but that’s OK. I am not up for any contests; I only use words on the paper to pass my ideas to you. I am not a pro and I don’t aspire to be one.
And I know that this attitude works for others too. Only recently a friend of mine started a small, home based print brokering business and he uses articles to promote it. He is not a writer and never wrote anything beyond essays at school. But by following few simple steps he has managed to very quickly develop a good writing skill. It’s too early to see real results from his actions yet but seeing his dedication I am sure he will build credibility amongst his local prospects in no time.
3. Speak in public
OK, I have to admit that whenever I mention speaking in public I get at least a few “looks” (and if looks could kill ….) but that’s OK. I believe that public speaking is a brilliant way to build your credibility and show off your passion and I know I am not the only one thinking this.
You don’t have to talk in front of thousands of people. You don’t need to go out onto a big stage and stand in a spotlight. Why not deliver a short speech at your local Chamber of Commerce breakfast meeting instead? There will be only a handful of people there. Or you could present to your local networking group? That’s even a smaller audience. Even better, you could simply organize a lunch meeting for only a handful of people during which everyone will speak for 5 minutes only. Call it business matchmaking but it works (I have done it).
There is one thing that people often overlook when it comes to speaking; voice shows emotions better than anything else. Writing is great but it’s polished by edits and re-edits. Recordings are great but often done in many takes which take away the electrifying power of a speech. If you speak though, even to one person, you have a chance to electrify them with your passion and your ideas.
4. Run training sessions / workshops
Nothing shows your knowledge and experience better than when you start passing it to others. Run monthly training sessions or workshops and start inviting your potential clients to them. Find out what they problems relating to what you do are and start showing them solutions.
Doing this will not only help you establish your brand, it will also tie you in very closely with your clients and prospects.
TIP: If you want info about your sessions to spread quickly, don’t make them open for public. Not only limit the number of people that can attend but also who can attend. Create an elite club and don’t let outsiders in. Believe me; it will help with spreading the word about you.
5. Be active on internet forums
As obvious as this method seems to be, it is in fact the least used out of the ones I mentioned here. Internet forums, especially local ones gathering key people from your industry together allow you to build credibility amongst your colleagues. And it is a known fact that major part of your clients can actually come from referrals from your peers. So by being helpful and establishing yourself as an expert in your industry you expose yourself to those referrals, simple, isn’t it?
OK, So You’re an Expert Now, What’s Next?
Most businesses I know spend vast amounts of time and effort on doing all the things I mentioned above (and more, the above are my subjective choices for what I think works best in terms of investing time, especially in early stages of your business development) and they leave things at that missing one final and extremely crucial ingredient.
A follow up!
Once people consider you an expert, it is time to start turning them into your fans who will them go and spread the message about you further. These people might actually have never bought from you, but they believe that you are an expert; they trust you without even trying you out. They are your opportunity to spread that belief onto others.
Simple, isn’t it? So how come so few actually do it?
And the best part is that it’s actually quite simple to do:
1. Start a newsletter (but no, not just a mailer)
Once you build your initial following, bring them closer to yourself. Tie them in with you. A newsletter with even more value is a perfect tool for that. But here’s the catch, don’t make it available to anyone. Send it only to your believers and make it difficult for non-believers to sign in. Make it special and forbid your subscribers to pass it on to anyone. Fill it in with value and watch them start talking about it. They will!
2. Expand your training sessions for selected members
Another way to do it is to create special workshops, training sessions or networking events for your believers only.
TIP: Workshops like that is an opportunity for you to kindly ask your believers to spread the word about you. Make a rule that they can come in to a meeting only if they bring one guest in – you can guess the rest.
3. Build a membership only club
Set up a membership only networking group with strict rules about outsiders coming in and delivering great value. You don’t even have to make it a group meeting in a physical location; it can be a website, a portal or simply a private Twitter account.
4. Offer free advice sessions
This worked extremely well for me. I allowed my believers to meet me once a week to sort their problems relating to my profession. After few weeks people from outside the group started showing up or emailing for permission to come.
For the end – the biggest secret of your success
Before I close this (quite lenghty, I admit) post, I want to share one last thing with you, the biggest secret to building your expert image:
It only works if you believe that by what you’re doing you are helping your clients and prospects. You can’t just do it because of your own reasons. You have to be doing it for them, sincerely. Only then, your passion and fire will show up in its full force.
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