The ExpertClick
Top 10 Ways to
Establish Your
Expert Credentials
®

10)
The news media is
now everyone who can
find you on the Web.
Are your ideas being
“broadcast” so more
people find you? Are
you creating new ideas,
and moving forward
and bringing those who
search on problems to find
your solutions? Please read
that once more: People know
their problems; they don’t know
your solutions. That’s the commonality, and
why a campaign we’ve run for a year on the
phrase “disgruntled employees” that was
based on an Alan Weiss news release headline -- “Creating Loyal Employees” -- has
had thousands of click-throughs. Have you
made a list of your clients’ problems? The
blogs, comments and news releases you push
via our system, reach the media, the Internet,
syndication – and, most importantly, your
buyers, the public that search the Internet.

expert before you are able to
author the book. A book is
a fancy business card, as
most people never get
past the dust jacket.
Want to hire a great dust
jacket person and write
four chapters? Then, be
very careful which chapter you run first, for consultants have to listen and
come up with the solution.
Speakers offer a great overview and
insights but often are not responsible for client
success. Trainers help you with defined problems and offer programs, and coaches seem
caught in a time warp of pay, based on time not
success. What are you selling? Solutions,
ideas, driving lessons or therapy? If you have
a book, it should start conversations which end
in conversions and business for you.

8) Publish a bio. Make sure it comes up #1
at Google when your name is searched. Make
sure when people “Google” you they see your
9) Speak? Train? Consult? Coach? You’ve bio and your accomplishments first.
bottled a lot of information and experience Remember this is very different than #1 where
over the years. Are you re-packaging it? you are creating a “search phrase” so that peoSure that “book as a credential” is what every- ple who don’t know your name can find you.
one says you need, and that’s a great welcome
token, give-away or deal sweetener. I’ve left it 7) Use Skip’s 20-20 media rule. First, make
off this list, for I don’t think “having a book a list of your best 20 revenue customers. Then,
makes you an expert.” You have to be an figure out which media outlets they follow.

 Make up a list of the 20 editors or journalists that
most influence your 20 money makers. Create a
media tip list for those 20 journalists: On an
IRREGULAR basis, only when you have ideas or
things you know they want, sent it to them. Don’t
fall into the trap I saw when I interned at the Larry
King Show decades ago. I asked the producer why
he was throwing away some of mail unopened, and
he said: “I’ve seen stuff with that return address
before and it wasn’t interesting.” Send out good
ideas, not just about you, but as a “cub reporter” for
your list.
(Thanks to Skip Weitzen, author of
“HyperGrowth,” for his added advice here.)

4) Create the atmosphere for referrals and collaboration. You have business associates who do
not know exactly what you do, but they deal with the
same kind of prospects. Suggest a referral to them.
Ask them if they know of anyone who can use your
services. You can even collaborate on the work created. That is how many consultants share big projects. If you are top-of-mind by feeding the prospect
pipeline for your associates, you can win big.

3) Give face time. Make sure people know and
see your photo. Do you have an "official" current
photo? Have you plastered it as many places as
possible? I was flabbergasted at a recent association board meeting when it was asked if you should
6) Figure out your “needle-in-the-haystack” have your photo on your Web site. You are the
uniqueness. Use those phrases as your meta-tags, brand: People have to know who you are.
on your Web site, in your “elevator speech.” It (GlamourShots.com will even do your hair!)
should be two or three word and put it everywhere
-- from your business cards to your vanity license 2) Be seen, and travel. Take clients, current and
plate. Use WordTracker.com and KWMap.com. former, as well as prospects to dinner.
Watch my videos at www.WebHandbook.com to You can listen to what they want, and learn how
learn how.
you can serve them. Even if people cannot make
the event, they are pleased they were invited. One
5) Get inbound links to your URL: on one, the ideas can flow over a bottle of wine.
ExpertClick.com has 48,000. Test your count by One dinner at the Rainbow Room in New York last
entering “links: and your URL” into Google. Try it year has resulted in so much referral business I can’t
with both the “www” and without. Ask for text believe it. This is just #3 “face time” in person.
links with your special words in them. Ask for
links from sites that have better rankings than you 1) Have testimonials available, and check them.
have; search Alexa.com or DMOZ.org to find What do people say about you on “the street”?
them. Get and read the Bruce Clay Search Engine Find out by asking around. Yes, have those mystery
book. I spent time and money to earn Clay’s SEO shoppers call your business, and report if someone
training certificate. For $27, you can buy this use- trying to book you for a speech can -- ask them to
ful book.
call speaker bureaus and ask about you. Search the
Read the back issues right now at Web. What information do they get? What kind of
http://searchoptimizationnews.com
follow up?
Sincerely,

Mitchell P. Davis, Editor & Publisher
Mitchell@YearbookofExperts.com

Mitchell P. Davis, Editor
Yearbook of Experts
Broadcast Interview Source, Inc.
Washington, D.C.
202-333-5000

Updated: June 30, 2010

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