How To Be An "Instant" Expert! (Hint: Stop Waiting ForThe Expert Fairy Because She Ain't

When my kids were little, whenever they lost a tooth, they'd

put the tooth under their pillow, knowing full well the

tooth fairy would pay them a visit overnight, taking their

tooth, and leaving some money in its place.



Interestingly enough, I find many clients of mine and other

independent business-owners I speak to, are also waiting

for a fairy to come and rescue them.



A very unusual... and very imaginary... fairy.



Today's tip is going to stray off the beaten path a bit -- I

want you to know a little about human psychology, because if

you're writing sales copy you're going to need it.



Plus, opening your mind about new ways to look at your marketing

will increase your sales.



Here's what I mean: There's a fundamental rule of human

relationships, that says...



People will treat you the

way you ask them to be treated.



For example, if you're passive and meek, and you're the kind

of person who's basically a bleeding heart and takes on

everyone's chaos, then guess what?



You're going to consistently get dumped on and everyone's

going to make their problems...your problems.



May not be fair, but that's the way it works.



On the other hand, if you're a kind and compassion person,

but it's clear you don't tolerate any nonsense, then for the

most part... people will respect your generosity and not

take advantage of what you have to offer.



These are simple facts, yet not many people leverage this

dynamic to their best interests, when it comes to their

marketing.



For instance, guess what happens, if... in your marketing,

you position yourself as an "expert" in your industry?



What happens is, exactly what you'd expect under the "People

will treat you the way you ask to be treated", theory:

Your credibility goes w-a-a-y up, and your prospects believe

in you -- you're perceived as having more knowledge and more

insight than your competitors.



Instead of looking like a sales person, you come off like a

highly valued asset with a wealth of information to offer.



Your prospects will look to you for answers, and they'll

listen very... very closely whenever you speak.



And most important...



They'll Pay You A Bundle For Those Answers As Well!



You see, NOT positioning yourself as an expert, is one of

the biggest shortcomings people have in their marketing.



Look, if you start off your sales pitch saying something

like (and you see things like this all the time): "Here at

Lawyers-R-Us, we're friendly and courteous, and... we put

your needs first."



Guess what's going to happen?



Absolutely Nothing!



Your prospects are going to shut down, turn "off" and stop

reading before they even get through that very first sentence.



True?



You're not positioning yourself as an expert, and... you're

certainly not inspiring any confidence with that

statement.



As opposed to: "When you work with the attorneys here at

Lawyers-R-Us, you get an army of powerful legal experts on

your side. Last year alone, we represented over 217 clients

across 37 different industries.



And the good news is, only 20 of these clients (that's less

than 10%) were forced to go to trial. And, in those situations,

our firm won 8 of the cases.



That's an 80% win ratio, which has been consistent for us,

over our 17-year history..." blah, blah, blah...



Big difference, hey?



So what inspires your prospects to feel safe and confident

working with you, in your marketing?



Remember, you can be the nicest person in the world... but

when it comes to money...



Your prospects are dead serious about where they spend it!



How nice you are (or aren't)... doesn't even enter into the

equation until AFTER your prospects become your customers and

clients.



But what do you do, if... you're either not that confident,

or you're too shy... or, you're just not comfortable

holding yourself out as an expert?



The answer is simple: In the long run...



You Starve!



See, you must position yourself as an expert, regardless of

what you're selling.



If you feel "awkward" about positioning yourself like this,

yet you're willing to try and get out of your comfort zone

and change, here are a few things you can do.



First, you've got to uncover where your source of discomfort comes from.



Sometimes it comes from childhood messages you heard

over-and-over again, like:



"Don't brag -- be humble."... or...



"Why can't you just be thankful for what you have?"... or,

at the very extreme end...



"Shut up you moron - what makes you think you're so special!"



But regardless of which of these messages you heard, each

of them... especially when heard repeatedly, "programs" you

into feeling uncomfortable with self-promotion.



And overcoming this programming so you can start touting

yourself as an expert, well... frankly, it's just not that

easy.



In a minute I'll tell you a few of the things I've done,

that have worked for me... and maybe some of them will work

for you too.



But first, let's talk about "positioning" a little more.



"When" should you start positioning yourself as the expert?



You should start...



Immediately!



After all, what are you waiting for?



If you don't anoint yourself as an expert today, who else is

going to do it for you?



Do you think, once you really are an "expert", the "Expert

Fairy" is going to come flying in through your front door,

with her wand in her hand and her crown on her head...



Appointing You As An "Expert"?



Because if that is what you're waiting for, I've got

some very very disappointing news for you:



She Ain't Comin'!



And here's another way you don't become an expert: You

don't fill out the "Expert Application Form" and submit it

to your industry's regulatory body... or to your

competitors, asking them for permission to call yourself a

pro.



Some people actually feel, "But if I go around saying I'm the

best CPA in town... all the other CPA's are going to get

really really pissed off, especially since they have bigger

offices than me... more clients... more hair... " blah,

blah, blah.



Listen, unless your competition is paying your mortgage and

feeding your family, as long as you're not disparaging

anyone...



How you market yourself is your business!



There's only one person responsible for your marketing and

how it's done -- YOU!



So start positioning yourself as an expert right now, and

you'll see a noticeable shift in how you're perceived (and

how you're treated) by your prospects and clients.



O.K.?



Oh, before I go... let me get back to what I was telling you

a few minutes ago. Here are a few of the things I've used

over the years, to overcome being uncomfortable with

positioning myself as an expert:



There were more than a few times in the past, when I was

really really broke.



And that... totally... sucked!



So trust me on this one -- when it comes down to it, the pain

of positioning yourself as an expert, is a lot less than the

pain of being broke!



In fact, it beats being broke by a long-shot.



I've also used the visualization principles of

psycho-cybernetics. I've found them to be very helpful as

far as addressing the "re-programming" you may need.



Sometimes it's hard to keep that old negative tape loop

("the critic within") that's stuck in your head, from

automatically re-playing itself when you can least afford to hear it.



The New Psycho-Cybernetics book by Dr. Leonard Maltz, and

updated by Dan Kennedy, does a good job of addressing how to

reverse these messages.



The thing is, and you've GOT to understand this... your past

really has very little to do with your future -- unless you

let it.



Another resource I found very helpful, was Dr. Robert

Anthony's CD's on success.



These CD's offer scientific proof that being "negative"

really is bad for you, along with a "formula" for

eliminating negative thoughts.



Also, the 1911 classic book "The Science Of Getting Rich"

really opened my eyes, and my mind, to a very exciting (and

deserving) new way of looking at accumulating wealth.



It's a very easy and practical book to read -- you can

probably knock it off in less than an hour -- and, you can

download the whole book, FREE of charge, from my website,

right here:



http://www.kingofcopy.com/products/science.html



At a minimum, you must read this book -- it'll change the way

you look at wealth accumulation, dramatically.



Finally, the thing that really helps me "shed" any fears I

have, is simply living in the moment: Thinking about what I

have instead of what I don't have... enjoying my family...

and taking care of myself, outside of business.



Doing things like exercising, getting out of the house,

taking a break to laugh with my wife, and playing with my

kids. Heck, even enjoying my dog when I walk her, lets me

live in the moment.



Remember, if you position yourself as an expert, you'll be

treated like one.



And if you position yourself like a hungry salesperson who

needs your prospect's business...



You'll always be hungry!



Now go sell something,



Craig Garber



P.S. Check out all the prior archives you've been

missing, right here at:

http://www.kingofcopy.com/tips/tiparchives.html



About The Author:



Craig Garber is America's Top Direct-Response Copywriter. Uncover hundreds of FREE direct-response copywriting and marketing tips that dramatically boost your sales and lift the response of your marketing, on his website: http://www.kingofcopy.com