Becoming a subject matter expert (SME) doesn’t just happen. It requires a lot of hard work, time, and effort. However, if you want to make progress in your business and become a big success, you will have to become an SME so that when the other person needs what you are offering, you will be the one that he or she chooses to hire instead of someone else.
Personal branding is about honing your skills, narrowing your focus, and clearly understanding what you’re passionate about. Branding is not just about you being better than your competition. It’s about getting your prospects to choose you as the only solution to their problem. Of course, you can only do that if you have an edge that nobody else has. An edge that is unique enough to be irresistible to others.
Your niche or industry is extremely competitive and you must do everything possible to make sure that you have an edge over your competitors. In fact, not only is there tremendous competition but the competition is getting worse day after day.
As you are building your credibility, there are many things that you can do before you actually meet a single client or prospective client. Positioning your brand is critical before you do anything else. Everything else will follow after that.
As you are building your online reputation, one of the key elements that you need to establish is your position as a subject matter expert (SME). You need to go from anonymity to respected and credible expert.
The arrival of the Internet has drastically changed the way we do business. Therefore, it has become increasingly important to differentiate yourself — to stand out among your competitors and to be known as an expert in your area. Why is it so important? The answer is simple. People simply want to deal with someone who is credible and knows his subject well, and the only way to earn that confidence is to be an “expert” in your area.