Becoming an expert can help you bolster your consulting business. After all, as a consultant, you’re supposed to be an expert. If you establish your status as an expert, you should be able to win over more clients and charge higher fees. You should also be able to work more productively, since, as an expert, you know the tricks of the trade.
But becoming an expert isn’t as hard as it sounds. Malcolm Gladwell, in his new book Outliers, says it takes 10,000 hours to become world class at something. But, to boost your consulting business, no one’s saying you need to be world class. (That’s a noble goal, of course.) You can definitely benefit from becoming an expert without needing to become worldclass at it. Really, to become an expert, you just need to know more than your audience does. And that’s not quite as hard to achieve.
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From what I’ve experienced, most people who can be termed an expert don’t even know they are one. I started an expert referral service built along this premise. When an employer is looking for an expert, whether they are a law firm or small company, they need an expert with a very specific skill or talent. The expert that usually fits is someone who wouldn’t normally call themselves an expert. If you have a unique skill or talent, it’s worth your time to look into being an expert consultant.
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Expert Referral Service