Thoughts
From time to time I post articles here with new ideas, insights, or information around how to build and grow a business that matters – using your expertise.
This is strategy number 3 in a series of strategies for how to position as the expert and authority in your industry.
The first strategy was the Beacon Strategy.
The second strategy, was the Ratcheting Up Strategy.
This strategy is the Personalisation Strategy.
In the Ratcheting Up Strategy, we focused on a particular capability of yours – and then scaling out that solution to another similar market segments as well. That’s called a “horizontal positioning” strategy, since it’s taking the same skill or expertise “horizontally” to different market segments.
Of course, you can do the opposite – stick with one target market segment, and add other services and capabilities to help serve them. That’s called a “vertical positioning” strategy, since it sticks with one market segment and serves them more deeply.
And that’s also the Personalisation Strategy: pick a single, specific market segment, and personalise your services to meet their particular needs.
There are many ways to position as the expert and authority in your industry.
The first strategy that we talked about was the Beacon Strategy.
The second strategy, which I’ll share now, is the Ratcheting Up Strategy.
But first …
What are the benefits of positioning yourself as an expert and authority in your
industry?
Being the recognised expert or authority can lead to many benefits, including that a
recognised expert and authority can more easily:
* Be the first, “go-to” choice for prospects thinking about who they might hire or
work with
* Generate inbound leads – people reaching out to you to ask if they can work with
you
* Make more sales and get more clients – more people coming to you for help
* Make more premium or “high ticket” sales – higher priced coaching, event,
program, or service sales
* Get better “gigs,” from speaking gigs to writing opportunities for magazines such
as Forbes or Entrepreneur
* Generate new and better opportunities to partner with strategic partners (“JV
partners”)
What is an industry expert or authority?
A recognised expert and authority in an industry is someone who is prominent and
respected in their niche.
They are known for their capabilities or ideas.
Their message cuts through in a noisy environment.
They are the people that we turn to first.
They create a high degree of trust with their audience.
People listen closely to experts and authorities.
Why would you want to position yourself as an expert and authority in your
industry?
Being the recognised expert or authority can lead to many benefits, including that a
recognised expert and authority can more easily:
Be the first, “go-to” choice for prospects thinking about who they might hire or
work with
Generate inbound leads – people reaching out to you to ask if they can work with
you
Make more sales
Make more premium or “high ticket” sales – higher priced coaching, event,
program, or service sales
Get better “gigs,” from speaking gigs to writing opportunities for magazines such
as Forbes or Entrepreneur
Generate new and better opportunities to partner with strategic partners (“JV
partners”)
How do you position as an expert or authority in your niche?
There are many ways to position as an expert or authority – there are lots of different
strategies you can employ.
Usually you would have to hang out in lots of different places to learn these
strategies – like participate in expensive high level mastermind groups, hire an expert
coach, or read obscure books. You’d have to gather them, one by one, from different
sources and places and people.
That can take a lot of time – in many cases, years – to learn the strategies.
This guide though brings together and gives you an overview of 21 of the most
powerful expert and authority positioning strategies that you can use.
Here is the first one: The Beacon Strategy