By Cambridge Who’s Who Member and Contributing Author Lisa Parker

The last thing an expert will ever call themselves is an “expert.” Rather, they will tell you that they learn something related to their line of work every day, particularly when providing a service or applying knowledge they have gained throughout their career. The key to gaining recognition as an expert is not just knowing the right answer, but also knowing how to utilize the resources available to obtain the right answer. An expert can always be relied upon to use sound judgment and persevere in the face of mounting challenges.

“The creative approach of being open minded in the pursuit of knowledge will always leave room for improvement.” – Lisa’s Wisdom

“Positioning oneself as an expert” is a goal that the majority of professionals strive to achieve. Only a few of us will ever become experts; at best, the most we can hope to become is a subject matter expert. This journey for excellence can be challenging, rewarding, even frustrating; and overcoming the competition may seem downright impossible at times.

The foundation of personal success and recognition as an expert can be found alongside the sincere desire to excel in whatever area of expertise you choose to pursue. By setting out to gain success and broaden your knowledge base, you are well on your way to building a reputation that will augment the many assets you already possess.

The value you portray while providing a product, service or other function will ultimately serve to heighten your level of recognition as an expert in your career field. Experts can be found in all walks of life and, contrary to popular belief, may not always be those individuals who possess a lengthy list of credentials and educational background on which they base their expertise.

Some of the most relied upon experts are those who garner their wisdom from the “school of hard knocks” – otherwise known as real life experience. A lot can be said for the resident expert who relies upon personal experiences, combined with trial and error in the development of a reliable product, business or service.

The word expert, as defined in Wikipedia®):

An expert is someone widely recognized as a reliable source of technique or skill whose faculty for judging or deciding rightly, justly, or wisely is accorded authority and status by their peers or the public in a specific well distinguished domain.

An expert, more generally, is a person with extensive knowledge or ability in a particular area of study. Experts are called in for advice on their respective subject, but they do not always agree on the particulars of a field of study.

An expert can be, by virtue of training, education, profession, publication or experience, believed to have special knowledge of a subject beyond that of the average person, sufficient that others may officially (and legally) rely upon the individual’s opinion. Historically, an expert was referred to as a sage. The individual was usually a profound philosopher distinguished for wisdom and sound judgment.

Experts have a prolonged or intense experience through practice and education in a particular field. In specific fields, the definition of expert is well established by consensus and therefore it is not necessary for an individual to have a professional or academic qualification for them to be accepted as an expert.

Expertise consists of those characteristics, skills and knowledge of a person (that is, expert) or of a system, which distinguish experts from novices and less experienced people.

By combining your life experiences and educational background with a strong willingness to learn, you will be well on your way to becoming an expert. Today’s world provides unlimited online research tools and networking opportunities for professionals around the globe who represent a wide array of career fields. In most cases, any challenge or situation that you find yourself facing has probably been addressed and resolved in some form by others individuals. So, one of the most valuable assets that cannot be ignored is networking. Here are some ways that your network can help you to achieve expert status:

Challenges – Discuss situations or tasks that are the most complicated for you with professionals in your field who have earned your respect. Many of your colleagues will embrace the opportunity to assist you in overcoming obstacles. In turn, as you conquer challenges in your pursuit of success, return the favor to another colleague in need of assistance.

Rewards– Whenever you gain recognition for excellence in the provision of services, share the news with your friends, colleagues and customers. Realizing a sense of accomplishment serves not only to make us feel proud and confident, but it also provides the encouragement we need to conquer new opportunities and challenges. Moreover, achievement piques the interest of prospective clients and provokes a desire within others to be on the receiving end of such high quality service.

Networking– Never underestimate the value of communication. Your level of expertise will be measured in many ways, starting with your approachability and availability to your customers or potential clients. The quality of the service (or lack thereof), and the overall value or reliability of product you provide will serve to generate the most common form of recognition – “word of mouth.“

Visibility– Shaping others’ perceptions of your professional service or level of expertise though effective advertising and marketing is priceless. If the local community is not aware that your service or product is available, then you have placed enough time and effort in publicizing it!

Essentially, you may not know exactly when you become an expert in your particular career field or area of interest. The best clue may be when others let you know. The praise and gratitude expressed by your peers, clients and colleagues based on your genuine concern, sincere approach to providing unprecedented service and/or reliable guidance on a particular subject matter is a good indicator that you are well on your way to positioning yourself as an expert in your field of interest.

As you embark on this path to establish your reputation as an expert in your field of interest, remember that there is always a bit more to be learned around the next bend. Times change, people change, strategies change and concepts continue to evolve. Strive to retain and build on the knowledge that substantiates and sustains your level of proficiency when noted as an “expert.”

By Cambridge Who’s Who Member and Contributing Author Lisa Parker

Each of us sports our own, unique personal brand. The many things that separate and identify us as individuals become known as our personal brand. All of the principle components of our personal brand, including our first impressions, demeanor, accomplishments and the value we place on interactions with others, determine the level of success we experience in both our personal and professional lives.

As we establish business and working relationships, we must incorporate those same principles in the strategy we use to develop our personal business brand. As an entrepreneur, I would like to share with you four basic steps I took to incorporate personal branding into my business.

Service and Reputation – The first step toward developing a personal brand within a business context is to decide what your mission is and determine the type of service or product you intend to provide to your clients or customers. Always deliver the service or product as promised and in the utmost professional manner. The expectation of, or perceived, service is the reason your customers will choose your services over other competitors’. Once you identify the needs of a potential client base, market your business based on the provision of those needs. By visualizing the result of your efforts, you will be able outline a plan of action to reach your goals.

In promoting my business, I researched other service providers in my industry and chose to provide my clients with a level of service that I found missing in a sampling of my competition: one-on-one customer service. The availability of this simple, consumer expectation is severely lacking in today’s market. A client can hardly expect satisfaction while seeking services when access to a concerned service provider is practically impossible. As my business continues to grow, I note that most of the comments from satisfied customers focus on their appreciation for being able to contact an individual service provider.

Marketing Strategy – The second step in promoting your personal business brand is obtaining visibility. With the unlimited resources and marketing avenues available today, you do not have to spend a great deal of money (if any) to establish yourself or your business. You may consider my techniques “shameless self-promotion”; however I consider the results monetarily rewarding. In addition to a variety of local advertising assets, such as newspapers, magazines and the Chamber of Commerce, there are plenty of online resources just waiting for you to tap into the benefits they provide. One little known option is using popular, free blog sites such as Word Press to help you get your information out onto the Web in minutes. I spent a short amount of time researching some of the opportunities available in regards to free advertising, and you can view the results of my efforts first hand by taking time to Google my business name in a variety of ways (e.g. Parker cprw, Parkercprw, Lisa Parker cprw).

Networking – The third step in laying a successful foundation for your personal business brand involves never underestimating the power of networking. In addition to the efforts you employ through advertising and marketing methods, remember that opportunities for networking happen on a daily basis. Large amounts of my clients have sought out my services after seeing my business’ name or speaking with other satisfied customers.

Aside from the many organizations that enlist members in the development of professional relationships with others in their career field, there are also plenty of opportunities to network in your local community. As a business owner, you can provide free workshops, schedule product demonstrations, distribute opportunities for entry into free drawings to local businesses and participate in a number of other activities to support the growth of your business. If your organization supports local events, be sure to wear a professional identification badge that mentions your business or service. The key to effective networking is to be diverse in your connections, and by this, I mean that you should not limit yourself to a particular industry, profession or region.

Association – The ultimate goal is to have your business name associated not only with the service or product you provide, but with your own personal name as well. Most of us already have a business name before we begin to research and understand the importance of branding. Do not wait any longer to begin marketing your name side-by-side with that of your business. Consider “Trump Plaza”, “Trump Towers”, “Trump University” and “Trump Financial”. Do you know whom I am referring to?

Personal business branding is the art of following the “Golden Rule” in the provision of services to and interaction with clients and customers. By learning how to manage others’ perceptions of you and your business, you will naturally establish a unique value that sets you apart from competitors in your career field.

Biography

Cambridge Who’s Who lifetime member, Lisa Parker, is a certified professional résumé writer (CPRW) with more than 23 years of experience in personal and professional development, and the owner of Parker-CPRW Professional Résumé Presentations. Her services help clients advance in their careers or pursue a career change. When Ms. Parker transitioned from military service to the civilian labor market, she was able to understand first-hand the difficulties that many professionals experience during a career change. Overcoming these challenges inspired her to provide guidance to others in the job market.

Ms. Parker assists her clients in preparing cover letters, thank you letters, follow-up letters, biographies, award narratives and entry-level, professional and executive résumé and curriculum vitaes. She also offers company and labor market research and helps individuals to identify their skills and personal traits.

She served in the military for 21 years in aviation, and retired as First Sergeant of an air traffic control unit. Upon her retirement from the military, Ms. Parker worked in the Department of Labor as a Disabled Veteran Outreach Program Specialist, providing assistance to veterans in the areas of job placement, military transition and résumé preparation.

In addition to being a CPRW, Ms. Parker is a Certified Transition Assistance Program Facilitator and a Notary Public. She is also a member of the Professional Association of Résumé Writers and Career Coaches, International Association of Workforce Professionals, National Notary Association, Association of Online Résumé & Career Professionals, National Veterans’ Training Institute, Disabled American Veterans, Non Commissioned Officer Association, American Legion Post 283, Women In Military Service For America, National Motorcycle Safety Fund, American Bikers Active Toward Education and the Victory Motorcycle Club.

To add to her accomplishments, Ms. Parker received the Customer Service Award from the Georgia Department of Labor in 2007; Certificate of Appreciation from the Disabled Veterans’ Outreach Program; and a Meritorious Service Medal and the Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal, both from the United States Army.

Articles by Lisa Parker

• The Strategy Behind BOLD New!
• The Art of Establishing Your Personal Business Brand
• When Will I Know I Am An Expert?