What Did You Say You Do? - article by Roberta Guise

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Leverage Your Knowledge and Expertise:
Get Known as an Expert
By Roberta Guise, MBA

Every professional who is serious about their chosen field should strive to be known as an expert. Why? Because it will force you to delve deeper into your field, you’ll solidify your knowledge, you’ll provide significantly more value to your clients, you’ll generate more income, and you’ll be publicly acknowledged for your knowledge, wisdom and expertise.

I know some of you reading this will cringe, because you think it’s arrogant and self-aggrandizing to call yourself an expert. One colleague told me, “We can’t know everything.” True. But being an expert — an acknowledged authority is another way to say it — doesn’t mean that you know everything. It does mean that you have a profound depth of knowledge in your field, that you communicate this knowledge, and that your ideas are acknowledged and broadly available.

In her book, Necessary Dreams: Ambition in Women’s Changing Lives, (Pantheon Books, 1994), Anna Fels tells us that it’s human nature to seek acknowledgement or recognition for our efforts and accomplishments, and that without that affirmation, long-term learning and performance goals frequently are not reached. So, why argue with nature?

Let’s face it: everyone loves a winner. Your visibility is not only good for you, it’s good also for your clients or customers.

Wear the hat
While there is no step-by-step process per se, you can readily establish yourself as an authority if you adhere to the following short list of guidelines and adopt the mindset that you are indeed an expert.

Know your field inside out. Without knowledge you are not an expert. Be able to readily roll this knowledge off your tongue and put it into crisp, coherent written and spoken presentations that showcase your important ideas and opinions.
Be the purveyor of new knowledge in your field. If you have your own new ideas or concepts, you need to articulate them, get them branded and packaged, and disseminate them. They are your contribution to the existing body of knowledge.
Apply your knowledge and expertise through your work with clients. Having hands-on experience gives you your own stories and case studies that are uniquely yours to draw from, as well as giving you the opportunity to apply your knowledge and see how it works in practice.
Present information in a new way. Alan Weiss, author of Million Dollar Consulting (and 22+ other books for consultants and speakers), turned the concept of “value” on its head by showing consultants how to set fees based on the true value that results from their work. What ideas do you have that are contrarian or buck conventional wisdom, that you can prove are valid, and that you can make accessible and distribute to a broad audience?
Write and speak knowledgeably about your field. This will build your credibility beyond that of a professional running a successful business or consulting practice.
Let people know that you’re an expert. The hallmark of an expert is visibility. People will start to say, “I’ve heard your name!” To get visibility, distribute your writing to publications that accept author by-lined articles. Make your writing available on Web sites other than your own. Write a newsletter. Suggest a regular column for a publication. Better yet, syndicate your own column. Suggest story ideas to editors that feature you as their primary source. Stay in touch with editors and journalists by letting them know how you can provide valuable, expert content for their stories. Pitch your ideas to TV/cable and radio. Get paid — and paid well — to speak.
Show your passion for what you do. You’ll come across as even more credible, and your ideas will resonate better with your audiences.
Not mandatory but advisable: get a Ph.D. in curiosity. Be inquisitive. Know what’s going on outside your usual interest zone. If you don’t already have it, develop a childlike amazement for the mundane.

You’ve spent years developing your expertise, building a strong foundation of experience and knowledge that enriches both your clients and you. When you purposefully present yourself as an expert or acknowledged authority, you’re imparting your wisdom for the benefit of many. Whether your ideas offer new insights or help transform people’s lives, your wisdom is a gift you can share many times over.

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