It has been asserted that, in order to gain true expertise in any field, you need to be actively engaged with it for 10,000 hours. This is true even of those who have exceptional inborn talent.
Truly successful people don’t just have ability; they are willing to do whatever it takes to prepare themselves for success, including putting in those thousands of hours of practice. After all, some people have a knack for numbers, but no one is born knowing the ins and outs of investing!
If you are a new business owner (or even if you’ve been working in your business for a while), you might feel that, if you have to wait until you reach that magical 10,000-hour mark to call yourself an expert, you may as well throw in the towel right now. I’m here to tell you, don’t give up! True mastery does, in fact, come from experience, but there’s no reason why you can’t make yourself a trusted resource for your clients and community long before you reach that tipping point.
You see, expertise is based on experience—but expert status is all about perception and mindset.
As I mentioned above, you should always be learning and growing, both as a business owner and as a person. Expanding your knowledge in your field should be part of your daily to-do list. e more excited you are about accumulating knowledge, the faster you will move toward actually becoming an expert.
When I started my real estate business, I didn’t just follow my mentor’s instructions. I read everything about real estate investing and personal growth that I could get my hands on. I listened to audio books at the gym, in the shower, and in my car. I compared methodologies and opinions. I added new tips and tricks to my personal tool box. I still followed my mentor’s method to the letter (because once you tweak a proven method, it’s no longer proven), but the more I learned, the more I understood the why of what I was doing, and saw how all of the pieces t together. Soon, I was able to navigate the world of real estate with far greater ease and confidence. I was walking the walk, not just talking the talk—and the more versed in my field I became, the more my clients’ and peers’ perceptions of me changed. I wasn’t an “expert” yet, but the people who I wanted to serve regarded me as one, and my wealth and success expanded accordingly.
Attaining expert status in your field means becoming the go-to resource for your ideal clients, and achieving name recognition and brand association in your field. There are many ways to do that—but in order to really be successful with them, you have to walk your talk, speak to your niche, and continually grow your knowledge base. Otherwise, any gains you make will quickly be outpaced by changing markets.
Here are some simple things to consider as you begin to cultivate your expert status:
- Find your niche. Some people are afraid to niche because they think that they won’t be able to find enough clients. But when you really narrow down your field of expertise, you can rise to the top more quickly. More, you can tailor your offerings to your ideal client, which results in greater success and results for everyone.
- Educate your audience. Share your knowledge through blogs, newsletters, speaking engagements, and any other opportunities you can create. Don’t be afraid to “give away” what you know; the more useful information you can provide for people, the more they will value your expertise.
- Get out there! Network. Speak. Lead workshops. Meet people. Ask your existing clients for referrals. Name recognition is a big part of expert status, so don’t hide out and wait for clients to come to you.
- Treat yourself as the expert in your business. Don’t shortchange yourself by playing down the expertise you already have. You may not know everything yet, but own what you do know, and be willing to learn what you don’t.
- Invest in your growth. Attend educational seminars and training events in your field. Join professional associations and online forums. Get around other like- minded people. more you advance yourself in your field, the more quickly you will start thinking and acting like an expert.
- Work with coaches and mentors. This is another form of investing in yourself. A great coach or mentor will help to keep you accountable to your own development, both personally and in your business, and make sure you’re not slipping into unhealthy patterns or catabolic energy.
- Look at your circle of influence. Are you surrounded by people who li you up, or people pull you down? It’s hard to believe in yourself as an expert if you’re constantly bombarded with doubt and negativity. If someone in your circle isn’t supporting your growth, try to create some space in that relationship so you can expand. Above all, don’t let others’ catabolic energy drag you down!
- And, above all, walk your talk! Congruency is a big deal. If I’m using my expert status to teach crowds of people about real estate investing, but I’m not currently investing or keeping up in my business, an energetic shift happens. Suddenly, I’ve moved from “do as I do” to “do as I say.” Even if all of the right words are coming out of my mouth, there is an energetic disparity at play, and people can sense it. My sales plummet, and my audience’s trust in me is lessened. But when I’m actively engaged in my own investments, the opposite is true. I’m walking my talk, people sense my authenticity, and my program sales skyrocket. It’s a cycle I’ve observed over and over, and it holds true every time.
You’ve got this!
