There are a lot of ‘so-called’ gurus out there; marketing gurus, sports gurus, relationship gurus, sales gurus, wealth gurus…. I personally grab my wallet and run for the hills when I hear the word guru. I know it’s just a word, but for some reason I prefer an ‘expert’ or ‘specialist’, even though they probably do the same thing. Ahh, the love of semantics (maybe I just have to get over myself!).
Anyway, this article is not about the meaning of words but about how you can become an expert in your industry. The good news is that becoming an expert or specialist is not reserved for the rich, hot or privileged. There are a few things you can do to become an expert.
Keep learning and practice:
Unless you are superhuman, you are most likely not born an expert. You become an expert by learning, growing and applying yourself.
Roger Federer was not born with a tennis racket. He trained hard, was committed to his career and never gave up.
Learn from someone who has achieved more than you. Go get a mentor.
Do the doing:
Don’t just preach stuff, do it, get your hands dirty. Get results and show that your stuff works. If for example you are a sales expert, use your system to get great sales results, either for yourself or your clients. Don’t just talk about it, do it. It’s one thing to talk about a system that could potentially make someone rich and actually doing it, getting the results.
Share your knowledge:
Be generous with your knowledge and expertise and share it with everyone that wants to hear it. Don’t hold back! If you want to become an expert, you need to start sharing your knowledge to establish your ‘expert status’ even if it doesn’t make you a cent at the beginning.
Speak at events, write a blog, write articles, create videos….
Join associations:
Alex Pirouz, business expert and founder of Ridc Advisory became an expert in his industry in less than 12 months and recommends joining industry and government associations. “Being a member of such associations is an indication to others that you take your profession, and by extension your career, seriously” Alex states. “Government departments are highly respected by the general public and by working with your industry department you will quickly establish yourself as a trusted and credible expert.”
Become Famous:
Getting media appearances online and offline is very powerful. “It can help produce greater levels of credibility and trust when communicating with customers, new business partners or marketing your services” Alex Pirouz says.
Get Others to Talk About You:
Just make sure it’s something positive! Alex suggests “endorsements from clients, celebrities and influential people within your industry is another great way to help build your credibility given that it provides third party recognition.” How do you get endorsements though? Just ask people that have worked with you and like you!
Ask lots of great questions:
Alex made a quick rise by interviewing many top leaders in his field and states “conducting interviews with top leaders in your field is a great way to boost your credibility and expertise within your industry. This is mainly due to the brand association people make with you and the influential person.” Very clever strategy!
It’s not that hard to become an expert, right? It does take a bit of effort and consistency though, especially in a fast moving world where you need to keep working on your presence otherwise you’ll end up ‘yesterday’s news’ in no time!
Looking forward to seeing you becoming an expert in your industry!
Franziska Iseli-Hall is a marketing specialist helping small business attract more clients through smart marketing and the founder of Basic Bananas – Small Business Marketing Made Simple. You find out more about her on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin or YouTube.
