The word “expert” immediately paints a picture of the classic nerd: Bowtie or matching suit, tweed, and heavily framed glasses—someone who walks around with a book in hand, spouting off intelligent phrases that leave peers speechless.
This isn’t exactly what we mean by “expert,” but if that’s how you roll then, we tip our tweed hats to you. An expert is someone who specialises in one area of an industry. They dive deep, learn everything about that topic, and create new concepts. They eventually begin teaching these concepts for the benefit of others, and this establishes the expert as an expert.
There are at least 5 lucrative reasons to become an expert in your specialist area:
- Narrowing down your area of true expertise makes you a more focused business owner. The tasks you once had–but are now unrelated to your expertise—have been doled out to qualified team members or contractors, leaving you with time and energy to do what you do best.
- Concentrating on one area of study (from remodeling historic homes to curing diseases or creating software) allows you to know your target audience intimately. It facilitates a loyal and long relationship that will often translate into pound notes.
- Being well-known for one clearly-defined trait is easier than becoming moderately recognised for a handful of traits. Remaining exclusive with your intelligence and resources allows you to pump 100% of them into that one trait and gives you an undeniable edge on your competition.
- Your clearly-defined expertise makes it easy for your customers to measure the results they get from you. They know what that lack, what your expertise offers, and how your expertise will benefit them. As you create a consistent track record of measurable, positive results, word-of-mouth will become your biggest and least costly marketing asset.
- Experts can set their own rates, regardless of industry standards, and people will pay. Why? Because experts are the direct opposite of “standard.” They make clear promises based on proven track records and measureable results.
What if you don’t have a niche but really want one?
While becoming an expert is optional, specifying your niche is non-negotiable. You can’t—and shouldn’t want to—serve everyone.
To narrow down your niche, keep these ideas in mind:
- You don’t create a niche. The niche already exists no matter how unique you think it is.
- The tribe has already congregated. You only need to hunt it down and seek out the members.
- You and your collective team have a concoction of knowledge that will best serve only one or two groups of people (niches). Discuss with your team the passions they have that could serve a specific type of person.
If you already have an idea of what your niche is but can’t seem to find the actual gather of people, try looking in these two places:
Industry-specific networking groups
General networking groups often fail because most members throw sales pitches blindly into space. Specific networking groups are teeming with untapped leads, which is exactly why a remodeling company would join an interior design network, because interior designers and remodelers serve the same clientele in complementary roles.
Facebook groups
Facebook groups are on the rise as like-minded people find internet homes for their niche interests or needs. Once limited to online forums, these people have created thousands of Facebook groups where they can discuss the one thing that binds them together—and that one thing might be squarely in the middle of your expertise. Pound notes!
Join a Facebook group and start adding value. Don’t pitch your service or product. Don’t talk about your prices, good deals, or special sales. Instead, ask questions. Answer questions. Direct fellow members to your website or blog if you can offer more complete information that would answer their questions.
Members will start to notice and trust you if you consistently interact with the group (5 minutes a day) and remain non-salesy. Developing a loyal following is a slow, steady journey with long-lasting rewards.
