Are You A Brand Expert?
One of my interests, especially when I am doing research has been learning new things and developing my own skills. Developing expertise in new fields helps me conduct my business more professionally.
During my research I am amazed at others knowledge in their fields and how willing they are to share their expertise. We benefit from helping others and many then begin to seek us out as a source of information.
What makes you an expert?
Let’s consider a few questions. What does it involve to be an expert? Is it product knowledge? Is it industry knowledge? What defines you or your company as an expert? Here are six ideas that may help position you as an expert.
What is your reputation?
How long have you been in business doing what you are doing? What is your reputation in your business field? Have you built your brand into a respected example in your community?
Do others in your field seek you out and value your advice and respect your knowledge? The company who has been in business for a long period of time, with obvious growth, has a level of perceived expertise and success.
Are you an active participant?
Are you active in trade associations, meetings or forums related to your companies business? It takes more than just attendance, are you an active participant.
Do you serve on panels involved in developing guidelines or regulations to govern your industry segment? Do you blog about or write articles for industry publications? Are you involved in industry events, perhaps even serving on committees and boards.
Have you been recognized?
Have you been recognized with awards by your peers, or by others outside of your industry? Have you been recognized with a quality or service award in your industry? Think about how this builds your reputation and positions you with your customers.
Have you built your brand?
Do others seek you out as an expert in your business and industry by public media? What strategies are you using to get media to recognize you as the expert of what you do?
Think about how your customers might perceive you if they saw a news story that looked to you as an expert or source of information. This public exposure helps build your reputation and your brand both personally and professionally.
Are you a trusted advisor?
Are you a trusted advisor? While attending a financial planners meeting was when I first heard the term trusted advisor.
Meeting attendees were financial advisors, and it was a clever way for them to create an image of trust. The term is now frequently heard when referring to people in diverse industries. The bottom line is that customers trust their vendors to help them with what they need.
Advisors show expertise in the areas mentioned above, but another important element is added to it all. To the public advisors exemplify the highest level of moral and ethical behavior.
Advisors take the high road, and are recognized as being fair and honest. Advisors are trusted by those who they serve and those they meet in the course of doing business.
Leverage Your Trusted Advisor Expertise
Expertise is earned over time and it does not come easy. While it may be a powerful concept that helps differentiate you from others in your field, it is not the final and only answer.
Being an expert simply means that your reputation and brand are built based on the knowledge gained and respect built with others in your community. By leveraging this knowledge you can enhance your reputation with those you meet and serve every day.
Remember what Gerhard Gschwandtner (Personal Selling Power) once said:
“Your customers don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care!”
