For many months now in our sales training, we’ve been stressing how the great sales people of the future will be “experts in their own niches.” And while the 
message is catching on, marginally, most sales people are scared to death of it.
This is a sales strategy who’s time has come. Time for you to seriously consider it.
Rather than give you more techniques on how to become the expert, I thought it best to talk about the “inner game” of expertise.
The Inner Game of Success
You know how we believe in the importance of the inner game–that part of our success that is determined by how we think about ourselves.
You hear it in our Advanced Selling Podcast and in The Ultimate Sales Chick Podcast. But what impact does it have on your becoming an expert?
- You must have an educator’s heart. You must think of yourself as part educator–part sales person. An expert educates. They take their wisdom and can’t wait to share it with the masses. They see themselves as a channel through which they contribute their gift to the world.
- You must gather and synthesize. Don’t think you have to create the ‘world’s best idea.’ Too much pressure. You don’t. All you have to do is become an expert in your field and allow your enrichment of the content serve as the difference. My rule is 3 books and 3 hours on Google can make you an expert. Remember, “In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is a hero.”
- Feel a sense of obligation. If you truly are oriented to helping prospects find and solve problems, then that obligation should be second nature. You have to feel, in your heart, an obligation to teach someone something. (If you are struggling with this whole ‘expert status’ thing, this is probably where the issue is.)
These are three very brief thoughts about how you can change your mind to become an expert in your field. Change your thinking around these things and you’ll see changes in your results.
It requires a new way to look at the world.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
I wasn’t exactly sure how to become an “expert” in something within my field, but this article has shown me a series of very simple steps that will help me gain knowledge, and in turn confidence. Thank you for posting.
http://www.salesjournal.com
Well, a fact that is enjoyable and scary – is that on the internet, with social media, EVERYONE can be an expert at something.
My “blog”( I do not like calling it that) was started with the idea of attracting prospects to information regarding a product that I sell.
The site has exploded into something much more. As a matter of fact, I now write about anything I want to – but I know sales and I know my industry – and that seems to resonate.
I have nearly 16,000 views/month, I have been published in industry specific journals, I have received Press Credentials for big, industry shows, my articles are in magazines around the world and I have been interviewed so many times, I have forgotten how many.
Get it started and see what happens – there was a day when I first received 12 views, I was excited – and the day I came up on Google, I called my mom.(she of course had little idea what a “google” was)
I also remember the first Caskey Podcast…LOL!
This is what I tell people, “don’t try to be anything…just “be”
My o.o2o worth…
Greg, Always good to hear from you. Yes, we forget how awful we were when we start something…(thanks for reminding us.) Congrats on your web success.