How to Leverage Your Expertise Into Profits

Be an inch wide and be prepared to go a mile deep with your target market.
“Good enough” simply will not cut it, anymore!

Volunteering to serve on the board of a professional association takes time.  Professionally, your time was a value. Perhaps you are “worth” (professionally speaking, of course) $80,000+ a year.  Maybe you charge clients $350 an hour.  If you are really in-demand, perhaps your clients pay you a six-figure retainer, just in case they need your expertise to solve a problem! No matter the amount, your skills have value, right?

boardroomBoard service is often more give than take.   Long hours, un-reimbursed expenses, and the added stress of carrying the responsibility to keep said organization on the right path often take a toll on your energy (or worse, your own business & family).  When you serve, however, the journey of your tenure is often repaid by way of making new friendships, establishing connections you might otherwise have never made, and often learning that “one little nugget” of information that has eluded you for years.

A couple of years ago, my friend and colleague Lois Creamer (Visit her at www.BookMoreBusiness.com) was in town to speak at our local chapter of the National Speakers Association.  As has become customary for our chapter, the night preceding the monthly meeting includes a dinner with the visiting speaker and members of the board, along with their spouses – as an informal way to help the presenter get a feel for the chapter & enjoy some time with fellow speaking professionals.  What typically happens, though, between the laughter, connections, and sharing of stories from the road, is the bubbling through of constructive ideas in a rare, one-on-one session with an expert.  That is the real payment for the job, and it is awesome!

That night with Lois, the conversation turned toward the inevitable, “So, what do you speak about?”  For the first time that night, a few of the attendees were speechless (funny, if you consider the association). What followed next for some was a collection of responses so convoluted even the best cryptographers would have struggled. Not to be outdone, others delivered a concise retort so vague and broadly worded Lois STILL did not understand “what they meant” any more than the first group.  Then it came to me.  “Well, Lois,” I began, “What I want people to understand …” Then she stopped me and gave me this:  “Scott.  When someone asks what you do, I want  your topic to be an inch wide…and a mile deep.  Your expertise needs to be obvious and relevant right away. When you cast too wide a net, the listener hears a lack of conviction and does not understand why they should hire you over someone else more specific.”   We worked on it after the dinner, and came to a confident, concise statement that says “I work with financial services professionals and sales teams to enable them to build lasting, profitable relationships with their customers and clients.”  [A statement which conveys my expertise in a way that solves the kind of problems my ideal client might be willing to pay to address.  You’ll have a chance to try out a statement of your own in a minute…Keep reading.]

Her point:

Equilibrium

floato via Compfight

Be an expert. Vague does not sell.  Audiences, buyers, and the people with whom you network do not have time (or the incentive) to work through everything you have said, just to try to figure out what you really meant or why you are relevant for what they need.  Do people really KNOW how you can help them solve THEIR problems?  (This is critical if your livelihood depends on it!)

You have an expertise.

No matter your job title or professional role, you know something better than someone else. Your expertise may have nothing that directly ties to what you do at work, but may lie in a passion.  Do you like to cook?  Maybe you are into running, cycling, or working out.  Perhaps you are the world’s greatest avoid-er of commitment.  Whatever your talent, draw a connection back to your profession. (e.g. Chefs take raw ingredients to create wonderful dishes.  Explain how you do the same, figuratively, with your clients.) Regardless of how the recognition manifests itself, deep down, we all want to be respected for our knowledge of some task, skill, craft or ability. For you, it may be mission critical that others be so confident in your expertise that they are willing to pay to access that expertise.  It is your job to connect the dots for them, so you become easy to hire.

Be clear about your area of knowledge.

If you are not sure what that is, ask 20 people whom you trust to tell you an honest response.  Your expertise may not be what you think it is.  Should that be the case, I challenge you to consider how that might shift how you approach what you do or how you do it -leveraging that expertise.

Grow confident in your expertise.

Continue to refine your practice and knowledge in your gifted area.  It will open doors for you.  Most importantly, your enjoyment and satisfaction in how you spend your time just might become even more rewarding for you.  What a great repayment for just being “you”.

PLUG IN:

Give it some thought and share in the comments to this article what your reflection or research says might be your own area of expertise.  If you have a website relating to who you are or what you do that allows you to leverage that expertise, please include a link to your website / Pinterest page / YouTube channel / Twitter account in the body of your reply below.  Let’s connect a network of experts and see what happens!

9 Comments

  1. Lois Creamer on April 2, 2014 at 11:20 am

    Thanks for your kind words Scott! One of the great things about visiting chapters is the joy of making new friends. I’m so happy with your your positioning statement! Excellent example! Here’s a post about it in case others are interested in doing it:

    http://bookmorebusiness.com/blog/position-yourself-for-success/

    • charger on April 2, 2014 at 1:15 pm

      Thanks for the link, Lois! Your advice is timeless.

      For the readers, this is relevant to anyone in business, not just speakers.

  2. Tai Goodwin (@TaiGoodwin) on April 2, 2014 at 2:03 pm

    Here’s how I describe my expertise: I show speakers, coaches, and consultants how turn what they know into products and programs they can sell so they can reach more people AND make more money.

    This has been the clearest way for me to communicate the value of what I do and peak people’s interest.

    • charger on April 2, 2014 at 2:38 pm

      Nicely done, Tai! That phrase leads right into someone asking “So…how do you do that?” Perfect result! Thanks for sharing!

  3. Stacey on April 3, 2014 at 12:42 pm

    This is so timely for me. I have been working on honing my message in a clear and concise way. Here’s what I’ve got:

    “I work with 40-ish people to shed the facade of expectation, while giving them permission to be who they were born to be – themselves.”

    • charger on April 3, 2014 at 2:55 pm

      Stacey- Thanks for CONNECTing! Is your target audience one receptive to a message of empowerment? If so, I think you’re right on track.

  4. Dr Rob Pennington (@drrobpennington) on May 5, 2014 at 9:01 am

    How about this:
    “I help CEOs and their Leadership Team improve performance through a balance of authority and collaboration.”

    • charger on May 5, 2014 at 9:29 am

      Nicely done, Dr. Rob! It begs the question “So, how do you do that?” Might I also suggest reference to the result your work does with clients (…to achieve _____” at the end, for impact? What a perfect setup for a conversation!

  5. Coty on June 4, 2014 at 5:42 pm

    Another great message. Clarity is key. If we don’t even know what we do and how to say it, how are the clients supposed to number 1, know, then number 2, be able to convey that to others to help get you referrals.
    And while clarity is key, we all struggle with it. I think it’s one of the hardest things to tackle in having your own business. So thanks for the reminder about it and making sure to sit down and really think about it before you speak. ; )

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