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How To Be An "Instant" Expert! (Hint: Stop Waiting ForThe Expert Fairy Because She Ain't Comin
By Craig Garber
When my kids were little, whenever they lost a tooth, they'd
put the tooth under their pillow, knowing full well the
tooth fairy would pay them a visit overnight, taking their
tooth, and leaving some money in its place.
Interestingly enough, I find many clients of mine and other
independent business-owners I speak to, are also waiting
for a fairy to come and rescue them.
A very unusual... and very imaginary... fairy.
Today's tip is going to stray off the beaten path a bit -- I
want you to know a little about human psychology, because if
you're writing sales copy you're going to need it.
Plus, opening your mind about new ways to look at your marketing
will increase your sales.
Here's what I mean: There's a fundamental rule of human
relationships, that says...
People will treat you the
way you ask them to be treated.
For example, if you're passive and meek, and you're the kind
of person who's basically a bleeding heart and takes on
everyone's chaos, then guess what?
You're going to consistently get dumped on and everyone's
going to make their problems...your problems.
May not be fair, but that's the way it works.
On the other hand, if you're a kind and compassion person,
but it's clear you don't tolerate any nonsense, then for the
most part... people will respect your generosity and not
take advantage of what you have to offer.
These are simple facts, yet not many people leverage this
dynamic to their best interests, when it comes to their
marketing.
For instance, guess what happens, if... in your marketing,
you position yourself as an "expert" in your industry?
What happens is, exactly what you'd expect under the "People
will treat you the way you ask to be treated", theory:
Your credibility goes w-a-a-y up, and your prospects believe
in you -- you're perceived as having more knowledge and more
insight than your competitors.
Instead of looking like a sales person, you come off like a
highly valued asset with a wealth of information to offer.
Your prospects will look to you for answers, and they'll
listen very... very closely whenever you speak.
And most important...
They'll Pay You A Bundle For Those Answers As Well!
You see, NOT positioning yourself as an expert, is one of
the biggest shortcomings people have in their marketing.
Look, if you start off your sales pitch saying something
like (and you see things like this all the time): "Here at
Lawyers-R-Us, we're friendly and courteous, and... we put
your needs first."
Guess what's going to happen?
Absolutely Nothing!
Your prospects are going to shut down, turn "off" and stop
reading before they even get through that very first sentence.
True?
You're not positioning yourself as an expert, and... you're
certainly not inspiring any confidence with that
statement.
As opposed to: "When you work with the attorneys here at
Lawyers-R-Us, you get an army of powerful legal experts on
your side. Last year alone, we represented over 217 clients
across 37 different industries.
And the good news is, only 20 of these clients (that's less
than 10%) were forced to go to trial. And, in those situations,
our firm won 8 of the cases.
That's an 80% win ratio, which has been consistent for us,
over our 17-year history..." blah, blah, blah...
Big difference, hey?
So what inspires your prospects to feel safe and confident
working with you, in your marketing?
Remember, you can be the nicest person in the world... but
when it comes to money...
Your prospects are dead serious about where they spend it!
How nice you are (or aren't)... doesn't even enter into the
equation until AFTER your prospects become your customers and
clients.
But what do you do, if... you're either not that confident,
or you're too shy... or, you're just not comfortable
holding yourself out as an expert?
The answer is simple: In the long run...
You Starve!
See, you must position yourself as an expert, regardless of
what you're selling.
If you feel "awkward" about positioning yourself like this,
yet you're willing to try and get out of your comfort zone
and change, here are a few things you can do.
First, you've got to uncover where your source of discomfort comes from.
Sometimes it comes from childhood messages you heard
over-and-over again, like:
"Don't brag -- be humble."... or...
"Why can't you just be thankful for what you have?"... or,
at the very extreme end...
"Shut up you moron - what makes you think you're so special!"
But regardless of which of these messages you heard, each
of them... especially when heard repeatedly, "programs" you
into feeling uncomfortable with self-promotion.
And overcoming this programming so you can start touting
yourself as an expert, well... frankly, it's just not that
easy.
In a minute I'll tell you a few of the things I've done,
that have worked for me... and maybe some of them will work
for you too.
But first, let's talk about "positioning" a little more.
"When" should you start positioning yourself as the expert?
You should start...
Immediately!
After all, what are you waiting for?
If you don't anoint yourself as an expert today, who else is
going to do it for you?
Do you think, once you really are an "expert", the "Expert
Fairy" is going to come flying in through your front door,
with her wand in her hand and her crown on her head...
Appointing You As An "Expert"?
Because if that is what you're waiting for, I've got
some very very disappointing news for you:
She Ain't Comin'!
And here's another way you don't become an expert: You
don't fill out the "Expert Application Form" and submit it
to your industry's regulatory body... or to your
competitors, asking them for permission to call yourself a
pro.
Some people actually feel, "But if I go around saying I'm the
best CPA in town... all the other CPA's are going to get
really really pissed off, especially since they have bigger
offices than me... more clients... more hair... " blah,
blah, blah.
Listen, unless your competition is paying your mortgage and
feeding your family, as long as you're not disparaging
anyone...
How you market yourself is your business!
There's only one person responsible for your marketing and
how it's done -- YOU!
So start positioning yourself as an expert right now, and
you'll see a noticeable shift in how you're perceived (and
how you're treated) by your prospects and clients.
O.K.?
Oh, before I go... let me get back to what I was telling you
a few minutes ago. Here are a few of the things I've used
over the years, to overcome being uncomfortable with
positioning myself as an expert:
There were more than a few times in the past, when I was
really really broke.
And that... totally... sucked!
So trust me on this one -- when it comes down to it, the pain
of positioning yourself as an expert, is a lot less than the
pain of being broke!
In fact, it beats being broke by a long-shot.
I've also used the visualization principles of
psycho-cybernetics. I've found them to be very helpful as
far as addressing the "re-programming" you may need.
Sometimes it's hard to keep that old negative tape loop
("the critic within") that's stuck in your head, from
automatically re-playing itself when you can least afford to hear it.
The New Psycho-Cybernetics book by Dr. Leonard Maltz, and
updated by Dan Kennedy, does a good job of addressing how to
reverse these messages.
The thing is, and you've GOT to understand this... your past
really has very little to do with your future -- unless you
let it.
Another resource I found very helpful, was Dr. Robert
Anthony's CD's on success.
These CD's offer scientific proof that being "negative"
really is bad for you, along with a "formula" for
eliminating negative thoughts.
Also, the 1911 classic book "The Science Of Getting Rich"
really opened my eyes, and my mind, to a very exciting (and
deserving) new way of looking at accumulating wealth.
It's a very easy and practical book to read -- you can
probably knock it off in less than an hour -- and, you can
download the whole book, FREE of charge, from my website,
right here:
http://www.kingofcopy.com/products/science.html
At a minimum, you must read this book -- it'll change the way
you look at wealth accumulation, dramatically.
Finally, the thing that really helps me "shed" any fears I
have, is simply living in the moment: Thinking about what I
have instead of what I don't have... enjoying my family...
and taking care of myself, outside of business.
Doing things like exercising, getting out of the house,
taking a break to laugh with my wife, and playing with my
kids. Heck, even enjoying my dog when I walk her, lets me
live in the moment.
Remember, if you position yourself as an expert, you'll be
treated like one.
And if you position yourself like a hungry salesperson who
needs your prospect's business...
You'll always be hungry!
Now go sell something,
Craig Garber
P.S. Check out all the prior archives you've been
missing, right here at:
http://www.kingofcopy.com/tips/tiparchives.html
About the Author
Craig Garber is America's Top Direct-Response Copywriter. Uncover hundreds of FREE direct-response copywriting and marketing tips that dramatically boost your sales and lift the response of your marketing, on his website: http://www.kingofcopy.com
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