The Myth of EXPERTISE: Why being the expert might be a bad thing.
I read an article recently suggesting that the best way to sell a service is to become an EXPERT. If you’re the EXPERT in your field, you’re going to reap customers…right? Wrong.
Being an expert can be a good thing. It makes sense that people want to go to the person who knows the most for their services and information. The problem is they probably don’t want to pay for an expert. If I’ve got a clogged drain, I’m not looking for the best damn plumber in the world with the most advanced degrees and fanciest blog and 7 billion drains unclogged. Sure I’d like to have him, but he probably costs a fortune and isn’t available (off on a tropical island, blogging on his gold-plated blackberry no doubt.) What I want is a plumber who can unclog my drain. I don’t really want the rookie. I want a guy with enough experience to unclog the drain, even if a weird problem comes up. OR enough intelligence and resources to call someone who can unclog it.
When it comes to selling services like insurance or marketing or real estate, people want the same things…it’s just harder to see the direct result. You know if the drain is still clogged, harder to tell if you’ve got a good financial plan in place. But the same thing is true about hiring…we want to hire the right amount of expertise but don’t want to pay for more than we need or can afford. We want the expertise it takes to unclog the drain.
So while I wouldn’t tell you to be afraid of being the expert, the effort required won’t necessarily produce new clients for you in YOUR industry and in some cases will drive them away. Follow the drain rule: WE WANT TO HIRE THE EXPERTISE REQUIRED TO UNCLOG THE DRAIN. Have that much, advertise that much and get the clients.