I've already mentioned that you probably do not want to be an expert just for the sake of being an expert. You want to be an expert because it will help you achieve a certain goal or set of goals. You want to become an expert who others perceive as an expert. You want them to look at you as one of the top experts in your field. How are you going to get them to look at you in that way?
You may have heard it said before that one of the best ways to become an expert is simply to declare that you are one. While there's more to it than that, it's not too far off the truth. In fact, there are many experts running around who really don't know what they're talking about.
Yet, people blindly follow them simply because they have declared their own expertise. Some of these people are quickly revealed for who they really are, while others are left to their own devices, misleading people for years. The funny thing is that if they had dedicated themselves to truly becoming an expert, they could have accomplished so much more.
You want to become an expert who truly is an expert. But you can still follow the advice to simply declare that you are an expert. Let people know that you are someone to follow– someone to watch. Show that you know what you're talking about and that you deserve the title of expert.
And then, of course, go out and really become that expert or enhance your expertise in any way possible.
There are some people out there who declare themselves an expert much too quickly. They try something once or learn a little something and then decide that they are an expert who knows more than people who've been doing it for years— a conceited opinion. That's not what you want to do.
In fact, I know of one Internet marketer who teaches that you can simply find a way to produce around $500 income from a relatively unknown method, and then start teaching that method to others, bringing in enormous amounts of money in the process.
I’ve found that it’s even more common to wait too long to declare oneself an expert, however. People are afraid that they don't deserve the title. They feel like they have to know more than anyone else in the world in order to become an expert. They are scared to claim the title.
They don't realize that all you really have to know is more than the newest person in order to help them. If you have dedicated yourself to the topic and you know more than average, then yes, you are an expert. If you have dedicated yourself to consistent study and you realize that you will be learning this for a lifetime, then you'll also realize that you can, indeed, consider yourself an expert.
There is a transition period, though, when you go from non-expert to expert. You have to come to terms with the fact that you are, now, an expert. This is somewhat a change in identity. It's an exciting one, but a change nonetheless.
You might look at yourself and think that you're not as good as the other experts out there. That could actually be true, and you might not feel like you have a right to be there in the space. But, you do have that right. You are an expert and you are going to help people who want to learn your topic. You are going to achieve your goals through your expertise. This is a winning situation all the way around it– you just have to get comfortable with considering yourself an expert.
Don’t Just Look Like an Expert
You don't want to just look like an expert– you want to be an actual expert to the people you are presenting yourself to. That's why we’ve spent so much time dedicated to the topic of actually becoming an expert. I don't want you to read this book and decide that you can just start calling yourself an expert. You need to know what you're talking about first.
I promise that if you really dedicate yourself to this, it will be very much worth it. You'll stand out in a crowded field of experts and find ways to innovate. People will look up to you and it will be that much easier to reach your goals.
Treat People Well
It's extremely important that you treat people well on your journey. If you want people to look at you as an expert, then you need to be someone they can look up to. You need to be dedicated to helping them and innovating. Keep people and their needs at the top of your mind at all times and news of your expertise will spread far and wide.
If you treat people well and are a true expert, then word of mouth will spread. It'll be a lot easier for people to look at you as an expert if other people are shouting your name from the Mountain tops. The more people you truly help, the easier this becomes. Because, in their minds, you are a top expert.
Know that every expert out there has doubts about themselves, at least sometimes. Sometimes you'll doubt your knowledge and your expertise. But it can be really reaffirming when you have people out there who are thankful for what you do… and that's exactly what will happen.
Stand Out From Other Experts
People aren't going to talk about you if you don't stand out from the crowd. They may not even perceive you as an expert if you are doing the same thing everyone else is doing.
Sometimes, this might mean being a little controversial. Maybe you take a different opinion than is popular. But, if you can back it up and explain your opinion, you will get followers. If you can argue your case, against other experts and the general audience, then you will get respect, even if not everyone agrees with you.
You’ll get rabid followers because of your controversial or different opinion. Don't be afraid to go against the grain. If you know enough about your topic, it is absolutely okay to do this. It can even be very beneficial and boost your perceived expertise very quickly.
Don't be afraid to invent and innovate either. Take the common knowledge and practice out there and put your own twist on it. This is how you get instant recognition. If you find a better way to do things, share that. People in your audience will be all over it and will instantly perceive you as an expert to watch.
Constantly find better ways to do things and new ways to perceive things. Share what you know, think, and have learned. That's how you get attention in important ways, and become a go-to expert in your field.
Give More Than You Receive
One of the best pieces of advice I can give you as a new expert is to give more than you receive. Think about the value you can give people. People in your audience should literally be able to get something from you that they cannot get anywhere else. If you can provide this to people, then you will instantly stand out. People will come to you again and again and will pass your name along to others.
If you are teaching people something or presenting them with something, make sure they always come away with more than they bargained for. I highly suggest you brainstorm ways you can do that with everything you do. Ideally, people will never come away disappointed when they try to learn from you.
You are going to receive a lot of value by being an expert. Becoming an expert is going to help you achieve your goals– you wouldn't be here reading this otherwise. Everything you give will return to you tenfold if you focus on providing value to your audience. Don't just think about what you are getting out of this – think about what you are providing to others. Dazzle them with plenty of value.
Have Other People’s Best Interests at Heart
It's also important to have other people's best interests at heart. Think about what is good for your audience and what will help them the most. You can tailor what you teach or present to them based on what you know they need at the time. Remember that everything you do needs to be in line with your goals, but think about others before you think about yourself.
Be open and honest even when other experts are hesitant to do so. Your honesty and truthfulness will stand out. If people know that you always have their best interests at heart, they will more readily follow you and tell other people about you.
This is about more than just being a nice person. As an expert, you are going to be someone in a position of power. You need to use that power for good and to help other people. Other experts may not always do that, but hopefully the ones that you follow yourself do.
Never Get Too Big
As an expert, you might find that other experts welcome you much more readily than they did when you were a newbie. They may now contact you for partnerships, share top-secret information they wouldn't share with the general public, and more.
You might also find that people start to look at you in a different way. They might expect that you know more than you do. They might lump you together with other experts in your field, even though you're very different.
You have to learn how to handle this. Don't let any success you have go to your head. Remember your journey. Remember where you came from and how hard you had to work to get to where you are today.
On your journey, you may run into experts who won't give you the time of day, especially in the beginning. That's not the type of expert you want to become. But, do you know that as your perceived expertise grows, people will be more commanding of your time. You simply won't have time to answer all of the comments on your blog, or every single email that comes in. It may get harder to keep up and get things done.
But literally not having time for every little thing is different from forgetting where you came from. Always try to help people and never get too big for your britches. If you lose touch with people who are new to your topic and your general audience, you'll lose a huge part of what makes you a true expert. Think about how you feel right now and how you would want to be treated by the experts out there.