Are You An Accessible Expert?

It's all well and good to be an expert these days.
It's a credit to your profession that you know your business
well enough to get that particular stamp of public appreciation.
The question is, are you an accessible expert?

The fact is, in these days of cold hard realities and
tumultuous times consumers have no patience with huge egos and
hard to reach professionals. It doesn't matter how much time
and effort you have put into your status. What consumers do
respond to is the expert that makes himself friendly and
available. If you have spent the last few years working hard
to build your expert status, take the next step by expanding on
that effort by making yourself accessible. Consider the
following friendly maneuvers:

Email:
The more popular you become as an expert the harder it will be
to manage the ongoing and increasing flow of email. However,
with that expert status comes more income. Use some of it to
hire assistance to tend to the incoming email in a friendly and
approachable manner.

Usually it's not who answers the email as much as that the
email gets answered. Don't leave customers hanging, prospects
wondering, and leads languishing. As you grow in expert status
grow the help you need to keep your business running smoothly.
Lost emails sent to experts give the sender a feel of not being
important.

Hardcopy Newsletter:
Everyone has an email newsletter. Break out from the pack and
offer a hard copy newsletter as well. It can be offered as
infrequently as four times a year. Hardcopy newsletters that
are informative and resourceful give the receiver a sense of
being cared about.

Phone:
When in doubt, pick up the phone. If email is not getting the
job done with a particular client, don't hesitate to pick up
the phone. Voice to voice is the means for building true
confidence and that necessary personal touch.

Picture:
Show your visitors, clients, and leads who you are. A site
with a picture of the owner feels more friendly and personal
that an ultra-swift website without one.

Tell Your Story In First Person:
Many biographies are most appropriate in a third person format.
However, at your website it is more approachable to tell about
your experience and background as if you were speaking with a
friend.

Speak English:
Don't show off your in-depth industry skills by verbally
overwhelming your clients or prospects. Respect their level
of knowledge by speaking clear and easy-to- understand English.

Experts abound in the marketplace, but accessible experts are
the ones that set themselves off the pedestal and into the crowd.
This is the next step in personal, confidence building marketing
with today's smarter consumer.