Positioning Yourself as an Expert

If you want to rise to the top of the pile in your chosen niche, then positioning yourself as an expert is one of the most important things, if not the most important thing you can do. One of the biggest mistakes people make when they enter a niche is to offer people information rather than solid advice.

People don’t want information. They don’t want hundreds of different options. People want somebody to recommend to them the best option out of the hundreds available based on their own knowledge and expertise.

This is especially true in my own experience. I had been trying to crack internet marketing for a number of years and when I made the decision to get a mentor I didn’t want somebody to tell me all the different ways I could run an online business – I had gone through this “information process” myself without success.

What I wanted was somebody to tell me the fastest, easiest way to succeed online, based on them doing it themselves, which is why I chose both Rich Schefren and Alex Jeffreys.

What’s Your Story?

We unquestionably live in the age of celebrity and are fascinated by other people’s stories.

We see this all the time on reality TV shows such as American Idol in the USA and X Factor in the UK. Often, the contestants back story overshadows their actual story, with more importance being given on who they are and where they came from rather than their actual singing ability.

I wrote previously about proof and credentials and these are so important if you are going to position yourself as an expert. Knowing your markets frustrations are vital if you are going to present yourself, in your own story, as someone who has overcome their own frustrations.

Being able to show this will make you fascinating in the eyes of people who want to know how you did it.

If you can work other peoples pain and frustration into your own story you are halfway there – the second step is to actually get people to care.

To get people to care about you, you have to reveal certain things about yourself but keep certain things mysterious so they remain fascinated. You should disclose enough information so people feel as though they know, like and trust you but not so much you remove your perceived authority over them.

(photograph attributed to Jill Clardy)

Different Types of Stories

Rich Schefren believes we don’t leverage our own stories enough and that we should build a catalogue of stories we can use to establish our own positioning.

These stories can be from anywhere, such as memories, discoveries, tragedies, special abilities or defects you had during your childhood.

Stories about your family. Stories about how you started in business, your first job, the first dollar you ever made online, your mentors – who they are, why you chose them and what they taught you.

The are numerous reasons why you should have a bank of stories and here are just a few:

• To explain who you are
• To explain your authority – why should anyone listen to you?
• To show you are just like them
• To bond against a common enemy
• To make yourself more human and believable
• To share your point of view
• To build up your audience’s self confidence

These stories reflect your take on the market and you can use them everywhere, such as in webinars, blog posts and on stage.

Niche Specific Stories

In case you are struggling to come up with your own stories, I want to give a couple of examples of stories which are required in the internet marketing niche.

Firstly, a lot of people tend to procrastinate so you need a story to help people overcome procrastination. People need to make a decision about your product so tell them a story about how you overcame it and how it changed your life.

What about a story about how you invested in a mentor, or education and how it was the best decision you ever made?

A lot of people face opposition from their friends and families when they decide to work for themselves as an internet marketer. I am no exception here and a story about standing up to criticism and the changes it made to your life is always a winner.

Conclusion

Using stories is a very powerful method to instantly position yourself as an expert in your niche and it is something I will use a lot more of myself in my own marketing.

Real stories and they are real because we all have them, can make a huge difference in helping you to solidify your position, be fascinating and encourage the actions you desire.

So tell me, what’s your story?