How to look like an expert in your industry

Any business owner knows that one of the hardest things to achieve is the customers' trust.  To look credible, the business representative needs to appear as an expert in the industry they are serving.

However, being an expert goes far beyond being good at what you do and requires a lot more work.

Internet Biz Owners Club founder Pam Siow turned her business into a million-dollar brand which helps hundreds of new and established business owners find success. Here are some tips she offers to help you look like a credible expert in your clients' eyes.

1) Have a professional image

Having a positive image is important in any business. If you do not look the part at first sight, no one is likely to believe that you are an expert.

Business owners must invest in the various facets of their company that can help to project professionalism. This can include anything from renting a good office space to buying presentable attire.

How do you present a professional image? Ms. Siow recommends that business owners should imagine themselves 5 years from now and project that image through presentation.

This will enable you to gain the attention of the right clients while reinforcing the image of yourself as a highly-capable and successful expert.

2) Share & contribute insights regularly

Being an expert means being less of a sales person (as tempting as it may be), and more of a resource to your client.

The key to looking like an expert is to convince your clients that you know much more about the industry than they do. When this happens, they are more likely to trust you because you become a valuable source of  information and knowledge.

The way to achieve this is to share real insights on a regular basis. Once they become increasingly attracted to the information you provide, they will be more willing to buy from you.

To avoid overwhelming them, you should share these insights and updates at least once a week over a defined period of time.

The most efficient way of sharing insights is to identify the internet portals which are willing to take your insights and post articles or updates regularly.

3) Provide Social Proof

In business, the hard truth is that few people are early-adopters of something new because of the perceived risk involved.

In other words, people don't like being the first to try something because they don't want to waste their money on something untested.

To avoid this, always seek to provide as much social proof as possible on why your company is the expert in your industry and recommend the best solution for their needs.

Social proof can include client testimonials, videos, pictures, and even an interactive fan page that proves that you are credible and deserve their attention.

Obtaining media coverage is a great way of garnering social proof because it endorses your legitimacy as an expert in your field.

4) Build fanbase

Would you prefer a product recommended by a friend or sold to you by a business?

When someone endorses you as an expert, any barrier in trust is reduced because these new clients have lesser reason to doubt their friends. The trick to this is to identify the people who will endorse you.

One easy way to find these fans is through social media. Loyal customers will engage with you across various platforms on a regular basis.

Businesses must remember to reward these loyal fans regularly. This not only will increase their satisfaction with your brand, it will also further encourage them to recommend you to their friends.

However, businesses will need to build a community of like-minded clients to maintain the clients' positive attitudes around the brand.

5) Understand The Concept Of Association

Safe to say, clients will judge you by the friends you associate yourself with.

As such, being an expert means being linked to people, organisations and brands that will lend credibility to your claims as an expert.

You should not appear at events unless it has a positive impact on your position as an expert.

For example, if you are a dentist, being an expert means appearing as a credited expert in the media. A credible dentist would have a recognised speaking role at dental seminars and important dental conferences, contribute articles and quotes to various publications, and might even be the president of the dental association.

This enhances your credibility as an expert because you are endorsed by both your peers in your industry and the media in general, which in turn, can positively influence the perceptions of your market.

To pick the right events that help you achieve the ideal perception, a good tip is to try for the platforms that you see yourself appearing on 5 years from now.

Ultimately, becoming the expert is a combination of having the correct image and doing the right things. Industry experts mingle with the right crowd, conduct the right activities and target the right platforms.

A combination of all these activities should empower you to be an expert in the minds of your current and potential clients.

Pam Siow is the founder of the Internet Biz Owners Club. Pam is a renowned business coach within the region, helping hundreds of business owners, entrepreneurs, and corporations gain true success and massive profits with her knowledge and real-world experience. For more information, go to www.internetbizownersclub.com.