What’s your area of self-marketing expertise?
Not sure what that means? Well, you have one, but it’s possible you haven’t isolated and cultivated it yet.
Before defining “area of self-marketing expertise,” allow me share how I unwittingly stumbled into one years ago at a cocktail party.
In the late 1990s, I left my previous career and got a license, so I could work in commercial real estate. It was a significant change from what I had been doing.
After two weeks on the job, I went to a party on Saturday night.
“Now that you’re in real estate; you’ll know,” my friend said with an inquisitive look on his face. “What company is moving into that big office building under construction along the freeway?”
This was a problematic question for me, because I hadn’t even noticed the office building under construction along the freeway. Another person asked me about a condominium project downtown. A third person asked about new retailers coming to the market.
I must have sounded pretty ill-informed, because I didn’t have answers for any of their questions.
I had spent my first two weeks on the job diligently learning about the legal, technical and even mathematical aspects of real estate. But at the party, nobody wanted to know the boring stuff. They wanted to talk about the glamorous side of the industry.
Something suddenly became quite clear: It wasn’t enough to become technically proficient in my new trade. I had to become an expert on those things related to commercial real estate that were most fascinating to people outside the profession.
I made a commitment to become an expert on the most interesting aspects. I studied the local marketplace. I read every article and publication I could find. I became an expert is the growth and development in my local marketplace.
Armed with a collection of eyebrow-raising stats and trivia, I had something to talk about at networking events. I had material to pitch to the local media, allowing me to become a go-to source. Community groups booked me as a luncheon speaker, and we even started a radio talk show. All of this public exposure was good for business.
I didn’t realize it at the time, but I accidentally discovered an “area of self-marketing expertise.” I’ve taken that lesson and applied it to my current work as a professional speaker and sales trainer.
Everyone is hopefully an expert in his or her profession, but an area of self-marketing expertise is quite different. It consists of the most fascinating aspects of your job, company or industry.
So, what’s your area of self-marketing expertise?
If you’re not sure, sit down with a few friends and explain what you do. Ask them what they find most interesting. Take notes.
Once you have decided on your area of self-marketing expertise, think about how you will communicate it in an intriguing way. When that’s mastered, it’s time to put your area of self-marketing expertise to work for you. Use it at networking events, in articles, in social media posts/videos, in public speaking and when dealing with your local/industry media.
Professionals who have well defined and carefully crafted areas of self-marketing expertise will ultimately be more successful, because they never run out of interesting things to talk about. An area of self-marketing expertise becomes a magnet, attracting people to you.
When people are impressed by what you have to say, they’ll be more than happy to hire you when they need help with the more technical and details aspects of your profession – the things you actually do each day.
