August 26, 2004
In this issue:
IDEA: Be An Expert
Bevans Group News
Take the Challenge
IDEA: Be An Expert
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Last week, my kids informed me that the showerhead
in their bathroom was totally gunked up and needed
to be replaced. I dutifully toddled off to Home
Depot, purchased the required part, brought it
home, and screwed it on. Then, I stood back and
basked in the glow of a job well-done.
I was thoroughly impressed with myself, to be
sure, but let's be honest: screwing on a showerhead
is not exactly the most daunting plumbing task.
All of this gave me an IDEA about being an expert.
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We would all agree that significant plumbing problems
require well-qualified plumbing experts. And how do
you find a plumbing expert? You could simply throw a
dart at the yellow pages, but when you go about it that
way, you never know what you're going to get.
Do people know what they're going to get when they
call you? They will if you established yourself as an
expert in your field. Here are some ideas on how to
do that:
| 1. |
In Print. You know
that free business paper that gets delivered to
your office every month? Where do you think they
get all those articles? From people like you!
And they're always looking for new contributors.
Start by calling the paper (or industry rag, if
that's more suited to your business), and requesting
an editorial calendar. The editorial calendar
includes all the topics that will be covered during
the course of the year. Find a topic that suits
your area of expertise, then see if you can come
up with a related article that will simultaneously
engage the publication's readers and illustrate
how smart you are. Somewhere, someone will read
that article and think, "This is just the
expert I need!"
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| 2. |
Online. You can
use this same technique online, only your results
will be even greater. Sprinkling your expert opinion
(along with your website address) all over the
internet will drive traffic to your website. Traffic
will come directly from the websites and newsgroups
that post your articles and indirectly from the
increased search engine exposure the entire process
creates.
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| 3. |
In Person. Oh no!
Public speaking! Yep, it's true. If you want to
steal business from the mouths of all those people
at the Chamber breakfast who compete with you, sign
up to be the featured speaker. Then, do something
surprising. Instead of blathering about your services
for 10 minutes, walk up to the podium and start
spouting off free advice. See how many people approach
you afterwards to schedule an appointment. |
| 4. |
Vicarously. The best
way to position yourself as an expert is to do an
unbelieveable job for your clients...every time.
If you're good at what you do, people will hear
about it. This is the key to being an expert, rather
than just acting like one. |
Remember, if you know it, flaunt it! Let me know how
it goes.
| |
My best,
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Take the Challenge
It's an idea bonanza! For a limited time, the Bevans
Group will evaluate any one of your marketing pieces
for free. (You pick it,
we rip into it). We'll let you know exactly what you're
doing right, and what you could do better.
Just visit www.bevansgroup.com
to learn how you can participate. If we suggest some
changes that make sense, you'll know where to find us.
It's that simple.
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