For professional services partners being seen as an expert helps to build trust & authority and could win you new business.
More and more buyers want people that have knowledge of their industry or are a subject matter expert. Less and less buyers want generic experts. Professional services is a crowded market place and we’re seeing more fatigue for generalists and proving your expertise is more pertinent.
Today for accountants and lawyers, technical expertise and qualifications, no matter how impressive are simply not enough to differentiate you from every other accountant or lawyer out there. So, proving your expertise is vital in this ever-crowded marketplace and to cut through the noise.
In this blog post I talk about how to prove your expertise, build authority, improve your reputation, and become more visible.
Firstly, lets look at what the definition is of a visible expert…
What you need to become a visible expert
a) Have a specific area of expertise – that may be service driven i.e. international tax, strategic planning or cloud accounting or it could be sector driven i.e. expert in architects, fast growth IT, motor dealers or healthcare.
b) A high quantity of awareness in your chosen target audience / marketplace. You may well be well known in your own firm, or even amongst other peers in the industry but if you remain largely unknown to potential clients in your target market or influencers then you won’t gain any of the benefits listed below that a visible expert will experience.
Benefits of being a visible expert
There are benefits to both you and your firm if you become a visible expert.
Improves personal brand recognition & reputation – People buy people, so your personal brand and reputation are particularly important. Remember that your personal brand (how your seen/positioned as an individual will ultimately impact your firm’s overall brand.
Improves you firms brand recognition & reputation – There is a well-researched psychological concept. It’s where we assume that because people are good at doing A, they will also be good at doing B, C and D or where someone may have a positive experience of an individual and your whole firm brand benefits from this.
Attract new clients – Whether through the content you produce and distribute, speaking opportunities at events, networking activities, referrals or social media search or search engine marketing, it’s likely that if leveraged properly, as a visible expert you will generate more high-quality inbound leads.
More revenue from niche services – If you’re a visible expert in a niche service line then it will provide the firm with a platform to promote and sell more of this service.
Command higher fees – Often visible experts can command higher fees and therefore bigger margins.
Attract stronger talent – One benefit often overlooked is that often the best talent wants to work with people with authority.
Become a preferred choice when the time is right – by building your authority and visibility, you will be more likely to be a preferred choice when the time is right for a company needs your services.
Business owners and individuals want people they can trust as accountants and lawyers. The visible expert is more likely to be someone that people will turn to for trusted advice and opinion.
Providing confidence & benefits to your clients
Your clients benefit from you being an expert in many ways and will certainly be more confident in working with you. Why? Here’s Why:
They get specialist help to overcome their challenges.
They learn from you just by working with you.
They get introduced to new solutions that they wouldn’t have thought of themselves.
They get their problems solved quicker.
They get even their most complicated problems solved.
They credibility may be raised by working with you.
They reduce their risk.
How to become a visible expert
If it was easy, everyone would be doing it. Becoming an authority / visible expert will take planning, time and effort. Heres’ some of the things you will need to do:
Be clear on your target audience / specialism or niche. The more specialist / niche it is the easier it may be to become a visible expert.
Understand your audience – Whether by simply talking to people or carrying out full blown research into the marketplace. You’ve got to know your audience inside out and be up to the minute with your understanding.
Be active in the right business communities / groups.
Create and publish regular content – whether its social media posts, blogs, videos, podcasts or whole books
Speak at events – not just events you’ve organised but work hard to be invited to speak at the type of events your audience will engage with.
Be a guest – take up guest opportunities for podcasts, guest blog writing to widen your reach.
Get in the media – one sure fire way to be seen as credible as a visible expert is with your content and opinion being sought by relevant third-party media. This could be industry publications, well rated and visited websites, national or regional press.
Planning and working on becoming a visible expert is not for the faint hearted, but the benefits can be huge to both you professionally and your firm if you succeed. Need help with any of the above? Then contact me.
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