Not an expert or authority

Banned 14 years ago

Originally Posted by archivefive

I'm not an expert or authority, so why would anyone listen to me? I don't have the confidence that I will have anything valuable to say.

(Actually, I know a LOT about an academic-type area, but I checked, there's not much commercial demand for it. So that's why I'm looking to branch out.)

Can someone tell me how to handle this? I mean, Dan Kennedy and Jay Abraham had to start SOMEWHERE, right? I just don't know where.

You can give the illusion that you are an expert, using a pen name (a fake name which represents yourself) and you can slowly become an expert on a topic- just start reseraching, try afffiliate marketing, and promote products.

I would start with a blog, and make posts about the popular topic keywords, with some basic SEO linking.

start of small, work your way up the ladder.

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WD Mino

14 years ago

Originally Posted by innocent07

You can give the illusion that you are an expert, using a pen name (a fake name which represents yourself) and you can slowly become an expert on a topic- just start reseraching, try afffiliate marketing, and promote products.

I would start with a blog, and make posts about the popular topic keywords, with some basic SEO linking.

start of small, work your way up the ladder.

Here is a prime example of bad advice

You say your not an expert. Ok what are you passionate about? what hobbies do you have? focus on what you do have and do not focus on what you don't
-WD

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scottgallagher

14 years ago

Originally Posted by WD Mino

Here is a prime example of bad advice

You say your not an expert. Ok what are you passionate about? what hobbies do you have? focus on what you do have and do not focus on what you don't
-WD

I couldn't agree more!!! lol, I guess while I was writing you posted, I like your response! :-)

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Killer Joe 14 years ago

I agree with WD, as well.

The fastest way to lose credibility is to fake being an expert and forget that the road to success means allowing people to test your depth of knowledge through questions, products, forum interactions, etc.. If you are indeed just faking it the chances of you being outed before you actually become an expert are substantial.

But here's what you can do...

Take on the persona of a reporter.

Reporters hold a certain perceived expertise all their own. And they can also move from topic to topic without the need to fake expertise on any given subject.

As a reporter you can organize information for others, filter out the obvious junk, and provide a real service.

You don't need to be an expert or an authority to make money. You just need to know how to leverage knowledge and then to be able to sell that ability.

KJ
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butters

14 years ago

Originally Posted by WD Mino

Here is a prime example of bad advice

You say your not an expert. Ok what are you passionate about? what hobbies do you have? focus on what you do have and do not focus on what you don't
-WD

Although I agree with you here, I see top gurus, big names say to do exactly what he said. Just throwing it out there

.

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WD Mino

14 years ago

Originally Posted by butters

Although I agree with you here, I see top gurus, big names say to do exactly what he said. Just throwing it out there

.

And that is exactly why it is bad advice guru is not a good name to have thanks to the dorks doing this very thing promising the secret to their garbage under the guise of being an expert when all they are is expert at lying. everyone has something to offer but not everyone can offer the same way or thing everyone has something they like that is a good starting point to progress from
-WD

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butters

14 years ago

Originally Posted by WD Mino

And that is exactly why it is bad advice guru is not a good name to have thanks to the dorks doing this very thing promising the secret to their garbage under the guise of being an expert when all they are is expert at lying. everyone has something to offer but not everyone can offer the same way or thing everyone has something they like that is a good starting point to progress from
-WD

Hehe, I agree with you

Maybe you have to stoop to that level to do the multimillion dollar launches which they do

.

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innocent07

Banned 14 years ago

Originally Posted by WD Mino

Here is a prime example of bad advice

You say your not an expert. Ok what are you passionate about? what hobbies do you have? focus on what you do have and do not focus on what you don't
-WD

I guess it is not the best way to go, but many people do it, and many are doing this exact marketing model.

It is what Ryan Deiss suggests (the Million dollar napkin guy)

that said, that is not the only marketing model out there, and there are better ones.

Find out what you enjoy doing, and what you have good knowledge on. Playing Poker? a love for pets? Surfing?

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Dennis Gaskill

14 years ago

Originally Posted by innocent07

I guess it is not the best way to go, but many people do it, and many are doing this exact marketing model.

It is what Ryan Deiss suggests (the Million dollar napkin guy)

that said, that is not the only marketing model out there, and there are better ones.

Find out what you enjoy doing, and what you have good knowledge on. Playing Poker? a love for pets? Surfing?

Don't feel too badly. It's actually is good advice IF there is money in your passion. That's the trouble, not every passion pays well.

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WD Mino

14 years ago

Originally Posted by innocent07

I guess it is not the best way to go, but many people do it, and many are doing this exact marketing model.

It is what Ryan Deiss suggests (the Million dollar napkin guy)

that said, that is not the only marketing model out there, and there are better ones.

Find out what you enjoy doing, and what you have good knowledge on. Playing Poker? a love for pets? Surfing?

If Ryan suggests lying then that is stupid advice. never should you present anything to your customers that is false or misleading. using something you have a passion about or for is a great way to start because obviously you have a knowledge on that and with 6 and a half billion people in the world it is safe to say others do as well.
-WD

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Davioli

14 years ago

Originally Posted by WD Mino

If Ryan suggests lying then that is stupid advice. never should you present anything to your customers that is false or misleading. using something you have a passion about or for is a great way to start because obviously you have a knowledge on that and with 6 and a half billion people in the world it is safe to say others do as well.
-WD

What is your passion may I ask?

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butters

14 years ago

Originally Posted by WD Mino

If Ryan suggests lying then that is stupid advice. never should you present anything to your customers that is false or misleading. using something you have a passion about or for is a great way to start because obviously you have a knowledge on that and with 6 and a half billion people in the world it is safe to say others do as well.
-WD

There is a problem with doing your passion though, you will try and try to make it work when in reality, you should just let it go if it is going bad. If you are just starting out I guess you should go with a subject you like because it allows you to get a grasp of what industry is all about.

but

Doing something you don't know nothing about doesn't mean you shouldn't go into that market. You don't obviously start out as an expert or portray yourself as that, you would portray yourself as someone who understands what he is talking about. The advice they give you is to build up to expert level, like you are doing with your passion. You choose to do your passion because you already know about it, people choose to learn on the go and do it that way, whats the difference?

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scottgallagher

14 years ago

Follow your passion.

There are so many ways to make money on the Internet, start with your passion.

Do research on it, you'll discover several models people are making money. You'll uncover several different methods from ecommerce stores to info products.

Each of models you find that people are banking from, you'll discover many methods to promote that model.

Perhaps your knowledge in the academic-type is your passion, or perhaps you can discover ways to sell your knowledge.

Then find out where the buyers are. Know that on the average, search engines drive more traffic to a website than all other methods combined. There are several exceptions to this.

With info products, the money is in the list. You need a list of hungary buyers. There are several methods to build a quality list.

There are many products on here from several people that can really help you, but don't jump into one. Plan you path first. I'm sure many people will disagree with me on that. I didn't do that my first time around but fortunately now I'm in a business that I absolutly love and I wouldn't change a thing. Now I'm following many of my passions. Its not too hard to figure out a path if you follow your passion.

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Dennis Gaskill

14 years ago

Originally Posted by archivefive

I'm not an expert or authority, so why would anyone listen to me? I don't have the confidence that I will have anything valuable to say.

Can someone tell me how to handle this? I mean, Dan Kennedy and Jay Abraham had to start SOMEWHERE, right? I just don't know where.

Forgive me for stating the obvious...but start by learning. That's where Dan and Jay and everyone starts, by choosing an area or three and studying it. It's how you began gaining expertise in academia, and how you'll learn IM.

You will find threads where you can contribute, not every thread is strictly IM knowledge. I would guess some of your current expertise will crossover into IM.

Your thread here is an example of how you can contribute now. Ask questions until you find answers you can contribute. Many of the questions asked here are asked over and over, some daily it seems. Those who know the answers would welcome someone else to start answering some of the repetitive questions.

Edited to Add: I also meant to say, you don't have to be the world's foremost expert to be helpful or to make money, you just have to know more than those who are trying to learn, and in the case of making money, market to the right target audience and price your work accordingly.

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Davioli

14 years ago

Forgive me for being too straightforward but I have never made a cent marketing online in a niche i'm passionate about.

All this advice about writing ONLY on what you're passionate about is pure BS to be honest.

If you really want to make money online.. you don't have to fake it either. When I want to start working on a new niche I spend a few weeks learning all about it. Its not that hard when you have a search engine like Google at your disposal. There's also a ton of books which you can read.

Once you start working on the niche you gain more experience and start learning more. After a few months you probably know the same amount as the next "authority" blogger in that niche.

Now.. I don't say this works for all niches. If you try and become an authority in the penny stock niche by just learning it ain't gonna happen.. but most subjects can be learned and exploited online.

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scrofford

14 years ago

Originally Posted by Davioli

Forgive me for being too straightforward but I have never made a cent marketing online in a niche i'm passionate about.

All this advice about writing ONLY on what you're passionate about is pure BS to be honest.

If you really want to make money online.. you don't have to fake it either. When I want to start working on a new niche I spend a few weeks learning all about it. Its not that hard when you have a search engine like Google at your disposal. There's also a ton of books which you can read.

Once you start working on the niche you gain more experience and start learning more. After a few months you probably know the same amount as the next "authority" blogger in that niche.

Now.. I don't say this works for all niches. If you try and become an authority in the penny stock niche by just learning it ain't gonna happen.. but most subjects can be learned and exploited online.

I fully agree here. It is called researching your niche. I have learned a lot about things just by researching a niche I knew nothing about. After you learn something about it you can then start to work on building a business.

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digigo

14 years ago

Originally Posted by Davioli

Forgive me for being too straightforward but I have never made a cent marketing online in a niche i'm passionate about.

All this advice about writing ONLY on what you're passionate about is pure BS to be honest.

Not entirely true.. it makes sense to start out on something you are passionate about, you know why?

1) You will be more likely knowledgeable about what you are passionate about..

2) It is more likely you will have something of value.. something insightful..

3) Normally you do not get paid much at the beginning.. you need to have something that motivates you..

4) If you start out on something you know nothing about.. most will get discouraged when they do not see the result

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Davioli

14 years ago

Originally Posted by digigo

Not entirely true.. it makes sense to start out on something you are passionate about, you know why?

1) You will be more likely knowledgeable about what you are passionate about..

2) It is more likely you will have something of value.. something insightful..

3) Normally you do not get paid much at the beginning.. you need to have something that motivates you..

4) If you start out on something you know nothing about.. most will get discouraged when they do not see the result

I think most people would be discouraged more when they figure they're not really making money from what they're doing whether it interests them or not.

It seems against the tide.. but Id recommend people starting out with a niche that's easy to get into. there's no better motivator than to see a ton of traffic coming to your website. Once you learn the ropes with an easy niche.. you can then use that knowledge to make your "passion" work.

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WD Mino

14 years ago

I am sorry you made no money however what is better . to do something you already have a knowledge of or do something you do not?

always you should focus on what you have and not what you do not I don't care what it is there is a whole heck of a lot more to business then learning and exploiting that knowledge. but this is what is proven to work so I respectfully disagree with your opinion I would not want my student running around like chickens with their head cut off 'trying to find" something they can put into practice.
-WD

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ShelbyC

14 years ago

Just because you're not an expert doesn't mean you can't provide value, when Dan Kennedy started out marketing to Chiropractors he wasn't an expert either at least in that area of business.

What did he do? He went out and got all the trade journals, magazines, and books, and started reading until he knew more about Chiropractors than they knew themselves. He knew their businesses inside and out, putting him in a very lucrative position.

As another poster said, become a reporter, there's a lot of B.S. out there so you can help people weed through it and become a recognized authority at the same time.

Some key points to remember are that it won't happen in a day, and to be truthful.

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Paul Hancox

14 years ago

Or get someone to coach you, and leverage their skills and abilities.

That's one way of BECOMING AN EXPERT.

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Mr. Enthusiastic

14 years ago

You could be an affiliate, who helps sell a program that someone else has created. As long as your sales letter doesn't say that you personally are the expert, that's not a problem. You can show that you understand the problem, and offer a solution that some other genius created. Read Gary Halbert's "Water Letter" for a great example of this. There's lots of good affiliate marketing material in the main forum.

You could be a publisher or info product creator, who interviews experts and makes a product based on other people's expertise. The War Room has some excellent reports explaining how to do this.

What's your academic specialty? Maybe there is a way to sell that knowledge, too.

Dan Kennedy and Jay Abraham teach marketing strategies that can be adapted to any type of business. For example, if they had a widget manufacturing client, they wouldn't necessary have any clue how to better oil the bearings of a widget lathe. But they could help the widget maker explain that the precision turned widgets last five times as long, and only 100 can be turned at a time, so you'd better get your widget order in today.

Chris

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WD Mino

14 years ago

My passion is to help and teach others

online or off so I focus my business around that.I am very good at what my passion is I also have a passion for old toys which I have made thousands and thousands of dollars selling. I could go on

thanks for asking

-WD

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Davioli

14 years ago

Originally Posted by WD Mino

My passion is to help and teach others

online or off so I focus my business around that.I am very good at what my passion is I also have a passion for old toys which I have made thousands and thousands of dollars selling. I could go on

thanks for asking

-WD

Oh man.. and here I was thinking "passion" was referring to niches!

To alot of people... when you say "work on what your passion is" it means to work on a niche they are interested in. THAT is pure BS.

Isn't helping others what we do?.. in all sorts of niches.. you're learning and then providing valuable information to people.

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WD Mino

14 years ago

Originally Posted by Davioli

Oh man.. and here I was thinking "passion" was referring to niches!

To alot of people... when you say "work on what your passion is" it means to work on a niche they are interested in. THAT is pure BS.

Isn't helping others what we do?.. in all sorts of niches.. you're learning and then providing valuable information to people.

Well a niche is an interest a market as it were I mean there is a huge market in crocheting now I would not enter that market because it does not interest me in the least but if we limit ourselves in what we deem to be valuable we leave a lot of open market space. helping others is now what all do though a lot of folks take advantage of others . When I tell someone what is your passion you will get a variety of answers like football=huge market-baseball-good size market-cooking-hands down enormous market.

I mean if you have a passion in life like seeing others go from depression to happiness there is a huge huge market right there look at psychiatrists personal therapists etc. but when your just starting out you could take the thing you are passionate about and create a membership site out of it ,create an ebook or info product out of it etc. focusing on what you know while learning what you don't is a solid way
-WD

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Davioli

14 years ago

Originally Posted by WD Mino

Well a niche is an interest a market as it were I mean there is a huge market in crocheting now I would not enter that market because it does not interest me in the least but if we limit ourselves in what we deem to be valuable we leave a lot of open market space. helping others is now what all do though a lot of folks take advantage of others . When I tell someone what is your passion you will get a variety of answers like football=huge market-baseball-good size market-cooking-hands down enormous market.

I mean if you have a passion in life like seeing others go from depression to happiness there is a huge huge market right there look at psychiatrists personal therapists etc. but when your just starting out you could take the thing you are passionate about and create a membership site out of it ,create an ebook or info product out of it etc. focusing on what you know while learning what you don't is a solid way
-WD

You're finally understanding what I was saying in my posts at the start of this thread.

In short.. Passion in something thats unmonetizable will get you nowhere. Some of my most successful websites are in niches Im not passionate about BUT I took the time to learn and understand about them. Now i provide better info than most other websites in those niches.

Focussing on what you know(provided it can be monetized) and learning what you don't is the way forward .. well put WD!

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King Shiloh

Banned 14 years ago

You can't be an expert or authority if you are not ready to learn first.

Every leader in any field of human endeavor was once a student. if you ask Aristotle and Socrates, they will tell you better.

An expert or authority is a product of learning, practising, making mistakes, correcting the mistakes and re-learning.

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sbucciarel

Banned 14 years ago

Don't make the same mistake that many newbies make .. and that is thinking that you need to be a "Make Money Online" expert and tell everyone how to do it in an ebook (that you are selling, of course) or that by putting up a Make Money Online blog, that you will be the next Chow or ProBlogger or Shoemoney.

Selling this type of product for one, is highly competitive and difficult to do and unless you really are successful at Making Money Online, the info you provide will either be fake or copied from someone else.

When you are new, people don't seem to realize that there are a lot of ways to make money online and selling a skill or service that you are particularly good at is also one of those ways.

You can write, perform tasks for people that need to be done, build and flip websites, set up blogs for people who don't know how, build backlinks .... the list goes on and on. If you don't have some skills, start developing them.

Also start doing some real niche research and finding some niches and try to make some money from one or two. If you are successful, expand that.

Everyone wants what the big guys have and wants to start at the top. Start getting skills and experience and test out things. Stay away from Make Money Online niches, at least for awhile.

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JohnB23

14 years ago

You should hear Jay Abraham's life story.

-He has a set of 4 videos...my life in marketing. I think he was inspired by Claude Hopkins, My life in Advertising, thats where he got the idea. Each tape I think is 2 hours, 8 hours of him going over his career....from the late 60's, early 70's to the 80's. He has a lot of great stories. And you learn how he got to where he is. And the principles he knows. He didnt just pull them out of the air.

Also, you can hear his life story in, his protege mentor training tapes (from 1990). Similar to my life in marketing. These guys didnt start out as big seminar speakers. For example, Jay would send letters to business that he thought had weak advertising......"Your advertising didn't work. I know why. If you'd like to know the answer at no risk to you, give me a call". A bunch of stories like that. Pretty interesting.

Also, these guys really got out in the field and sold people. A lot of these gurus say...if you can't sell it in person 1 on 1, you cant sell it by letter.

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George Katsoudas

14 years ago

It depends on what we define as an expert...

We all have pretty much the same understanding of words like "yellow" or "red" - but a word like "expert" doesn't necessarily have a specific, agreed-on meaning.

Here are some definitions that people might give this word:

1: Someone who has a lot of theoretical knowledge on a subject (book-smart)
2: Someone who has a lot of hands-on experience on a subject (street-smart)
3: Someone who has both of the two attributes above
4: Someone who is extremely competent on something and delivers results (maybe because they are "wired" a certain way and can make sense of everything without necessarily too much experience or years of studying)
5: Someone who knows more about a subject than the average prospect in a market.

As long as you can offer real value and help people, it's all good... :-)

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archivefive

14 years ago

Warriors,

I'm grateful for your extremely helpful back-and-forth on this topic. My notification settings were screwed up, so i only thought that 2 or 3 people responded. Then, when I clicked over to the thread I saw all the responses!

Here's what I gather:

1. Don't be a faux-expert. This is precisely my concern, and it's why I posted the question.
@sbucciarel, I agree with your point on make money online. I'm not going there.

2. Many of you raised alternatives to being an expert, such as:

- Passionate hobbyist. I understand this. Of course it's not the same as being an expert.
- Reporter/reviewer. (Killer Joe) Understood. This makes sense.
- Experimentalist, "working the niche". (Davioli) I like this, but it is much more time intensive than just book learnin'. The secrets must be real, and the plan/system must be actually proven, no?

@JohnB23, thanks for the reference to the Jay Abraham bio. I've read his books, but didn't know about the bio. Dan Kennedy's autobiography, My Unfinished Business, is on my list too.

To me, expert status is a very high level. Comprehensive book knowledge of the field, plus the time-consuming tinkering to cook up your own methods and approach. It's the tinkering time that I see as a hurdle.

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JohnB23

14 years ago

Originally Posted by archivefive

Warriors,

@JohnB23, thanks for the reference to the Jay Abraham bio. I've read his books, but didn't know about the bio. Dan Kennedy's autobiography, My Unfinished Business, is on my list too.

To me, expert status is a very high level. Comprehensive book knowledge of the field, plus the time-consuming tinkering to cook up your own methods and approach. It's the tinkering time that I see as a hurdle.

Jay's got some really neat stories. You have to dig for them in some of his products.

-In his product, "For Your Marketing Eyes Only", he's got these anecdotes of sending letters out to prospective clients. And how he conveys knowledge and expertise even before you meet with him. He gives you free information/education in his sales letter. It's a way to position himself even before he meets you. The underlying message, is if he's willing to give you that information free in a letter, imagine what he can do in real life.

-A lot of authority is posturing and positioning. And you have to be able to quantify results and what you've done. He doesnt like abstract testimonials or stories...like, "Jay you changed my life". Or, "I was inspired my your last seminar". But instead, "I made $300,000 in 4 weeks using 6 techniques I learned from you". One part of his authority/expertise is, he's the "$6 billion man". Pretty good differentiator. Who else is a "$6 billion man". Nobody. Some of the things that he does, there's no comparison.

One of the messages I got from him, is don't make it hard for the buyer/prospective client to see the value you can give. Don't let them shoulder all the risk. Make it easy for them to see your expertise.

-With don't be a faux expert...don't try to be all things to all people, and spread yourself too thin. And try to be an expert in something where you're only a 1 out of 10. You have to know that what you have will benefit people.

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CDarklock

14 years ago

Originally Posted by archivefive

I'm not an expert or authority, so why would anyone listen to me?

Go read the five most highly-regarded books in your chosen niche.

Now you're an authority.

Remember, most people don't even bother to read ONE entire book about their niche.

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yst

14 years ago

Originally Posted by archivefive

I'm not an expert or authority, so why would anyone listen to me? I don't have the confidence that I will have anything valuable to say.

(Actually, I know a LOT about an academic-type area, but I checked, there's not much commercial demand for it. So that's why I'm looking to branch out.)

Can someone tell me how to handle this? I mean, Dan Kennedy and Jay Abraham had to start SOMEWHERE, right? I just don't know where.

Easy, start a blog or create some type of free report to send around to people. Start with basically playing journalist, interview people and create a free e-book out of the interviews. Include a link to a blog you have.
OR
You could even offer your advice/consulting of some kind free to people and then politely ask them for an endorsement (sell it to them as "as you get a link to your website too").
Hope that helps.

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Scott Million

14 years ago

Originally Posted by archivefive

I'm not an expert or authority, so why would anyone listen to me? I don't have the confidence that I will have anything valuable to say.

(Actually, I know a LOT about an academic-type area, but I checked, there's not much commercial demand for it. So that's why I'm looking to branch out.)

Can someone tell me how to handle this? I mean, Dan Kennedy and Jay Abraham had to start SOMEWHERE, right? I just don't know where.

Here's how you become an expert.

State, "Hi, my name is X. I'm an expert in X."

Boom, done. I become an expert in all kinds of niches just by reading a couple articles. If you still feel uncomfortable, write an article on the subject you want to be an expert about (or outsource it) and link to it in your about page.

If you want to go even FURTHER, buy a PLR ebook and touch it up. Now you're an author on the subject.

You can even throw it up on Amazon.com as a paper book (you don't pay unless it sells.) Now you're a REAL authority on the subject matter.

You can read an article and do a video/podcast as well.

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CDarklock

14 years ago

Originally Posted by Scott Million

Here's how you become an expert.

State, "Hi, my name is X. I'm an expert in X."

I'm going to quote George Carlin again. See, whenever you think you can't possibly be an expert, remember this little bit.

"Think about how stupid the average person is. Now realise that HALF of them are EVEN STUPIDER."

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Isaachun

14 years ago

I'm going to echo what others have said about how to position yourself when you don't see yourself as an expert. My opinion is you don't have to be an expert. Position yourself to be a solution provider.
In real life, we do this all the time. As long as we're providing genuine solutions to people, people will appreciate it and reciprocate with value. You can do that in any niche.

You can do this a few ways:

1) Be good at research. First step is learn some research skills. 90% of people do not go past the first 3 pages of search results. If you read from the top 10 pages of results (or beyond), you're already more knowledgeable than 90% of people doing searches (hope you realize this is a generalization, but it does give you a thinker).

That's how the whole internet marketing thing work. IM'ers make money by presenting relevent and useful information/product to the general population. We make it easier for them to solve their problems by finding relevant information/products.

2) The experimentalist approach - use products/services and provide reviews and guides. If you've used it, you're an expert on the product. Your opinion is valuable.

Have a mindset of providing value by giving solution instead of worrying whether people see you as an expert or not. That's how I operate.

Is there a shortcut or easier way to do the above? Yes. Find a niche which is your passion. I agree with Digigo on this.

So forget about being an 'expert' or 'guru'. It's not necessary. Maybe with time and accumulated knowledge, you'll eventually be regarded as one, and then you can scale that to your advantage. But in order to make money and give value, there is absolutely no need for that.

Cheers

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archivefive

14 years ago

Originally Posted by Isaachun

My opinion is you don't have to be an expert. Position yourself to be a solution provider.
In real life, we do this all the time. As long as we're providing genuine solutions to people, people will appreciate it and reciprocate with value. You can do that in any niche.

...
Have a mindset of providing value by giving solution instead of worrying whether people see you as an expert or not. That's how I operate.

...So forget about being an 'expert' or 'guru'. It's not necessary. Maybe with time and accumulated knowledge, you'll eventually be regarded as one, and then you can scale that to your advantage. But in order to make money and give value, there is absolutely no need for that.

Thanks, very helpful. I'll add solution provider to my list!

Thanks

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JonMills

14 years ago

Originally Posted by archivefive

I'm not an expert or authority, so why would anyone listen to me? I don't have the confidence that I will have anything valuable to say.

(Actually, I know a LOT about an academic-type area, but I checked, there's not much commercial demand for it. So that's why I'm looking to branch out.)

Can someone tell me how to handle this? I mean, Dan Kennedy and Jay Abraham had to start SOMEWHERE, right? I just don't know where.

There are no experts or authorities really, as there will always be people who know more than the so called experts and people who know less.

We all bring something to the table, some of us have been at areas of life for longer and may have got our hands, feet, and entire bodies dirty trying and learning stuff which we can pass on to others.

We are all students and all teachers.

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jbsmith 14 years ago

No problem, you have two choices...

1. Bring other expert and authority advice to the market via your collection and organization of data - lots of "experts" are terrible teachers, so helping them bring their message to the market is a key "man-in-the-middle" role for information product publishers - lots of successful ebooks have been based on this method. Think interviews, think collecting stories (like Chicken Soup Series), think a "Beginner's Guide", etc...

2. You have found a market that holds great potential and you DO want to work toward becoming an expert. That means you will be researching, learning, trying out things and reporting back your knowledge. Again, many successful information publishers have taken this approach where they learn and share as they build their business. The important factor here is that you APPLY the tips, techniques and strategies and help people see if they work or not - that immediately sets you aside from the hundreds of "experts" that have never tried or shared the results from their own techniques.

Remember - very few successful entrepreneurs or information publishers start as experts, but many end up that way.

Hope that helps,

Jeff
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kswr123

14 years ago

publish a book on amazon - there's a great WSO on how to do it!

Thanks

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Not an expert or authority

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