How to Position Yourself as an Expert Within Your Industry
Want to become the “Go-To” expert in your industry? One of the easiest ways to drive prospective clients and customers to your business is to become “the” expert in your field. The term Expert carries credibility and prestige that can open many doors for you. Oddly enough, the term is relatively easy to acquire. This simple three-step process can help you quickly and easily set yourself up as “the go-to” expert in your field. Determine a Specific Niche and Position Yourself as the Expert of that Niche. Write about Your Niche — Your Specific Area of Expertise in Your Industry. Look for Opportunities to Speak about this Niche. The Person Who Presents on a Topis Is Automatically Seen as an Expert. I first realized this about 20 years ago after struggling to build my new company. The reason why we are called “The Leaders Institute” is that, in the beginning, I was trying to teach leadership training to everyone. Since I was really good a promotion and marketing, I was able to generate some customers. However, growth was slow in the early days. Then, by accident really, I built up an expertise in a certain niche. One of my clients was a commercial builder who introduced me to the local Associated General Contractors. After teaching classes for this association for over a year, I became known as the “leadership coach” for the construction industry. The word spread within the industry very quickly, and The Leaders Institute was born. Let’s go into more detail on each of these steps. Step 1: Determine a Specific Niche and Position Yourself as the Expert of that Niche.Instead of trying to be everything to everybody, narrow down your focus to the things that you are really, really good at. A friend of mine set himself up as an expert at leadership training for water treatment facilities. When he told me what he was doing, I asked, “Is there any money in that?” He smiled and said, “Every city’s got one, and I’m the only leadership expert in this field in the country.” He was frequently quoted in trade journals and asked to speak at their conventions. When Covid-19 first hit many cities and companies were shutting down. A law firm that we had previously done a lot of work with wanted us to develop a virtual escape room for them. My team worked for weeks creating a number of options. We delivered the first one a couple of months ago, and it worked so well that we have done dozens of them since then. 90% of all of them that we have done have been for other law firms. Keep in mind that we are not the only company in the world who does virtual team building or virtual escape rooms. However, because we have a lot of success in that industry, we don’t have a lot of competition there. Find your niche, and you’ll eliminate your competition.For more details visit the show notes at Position Yourself as the Expert