Posts tagged as:

Networking

Becoming An Expert

Lifehack is one of my favorite blogs (of course this blog and LawMapping are my absolute favorites ♥). A post that I recently rediscovered about becoming an “expert” is a great example of why I find Lifehack both interesting and entertaining.

In How to Be an Expert (and Find One if You’re Not), Dustin Wax explores how he came to be considered the “to go” person on a particular topic and gives great information about how others can achieve “expert status” for themselves.

This is a particularly good (and important) article for service professionals because being known as an “expert” on your topic and “go to” person in your niche is a fantastic way to accelerate your career trajectory and increase your business profitability. In fact, being recognized as an expert often leads to increased business opportunities, speaking engagements and powerful networking opportunities.

Below are the highlights from Dustin’s post:

You must be a perpetual learner. It is important that you are committed to staying current and well-read on your topic of choice. This includes reading books, magazines, blogs; attending workshops, conferences; and interacting with other experts on your topic of choice.
Networking is key. It is also important to have a mentor in your area of interest when possible. When networking, make sure that you maximize opportunities to make real connections with people. To maximize your “networking” opportunities, always ask the person(s) with whom you are speaking about their business challenges, really listen to their response(s), add value to the conversation, then either (i) show the person(s) how you have helped others in similar circumstances or (2) make referrals if you cannot help whenever possible. After an event is over, stay in touch! Powerful business relationships develop from the follow-up! At UpwardAction, we use SendOutCards.com to keep in touch with clients, prospective clients and other professionals.
Make sure your work reflects your professionalism and expertise (e.g, if you are a WordPress expert, you need to have a spiffy WordPress site!)
Develop powerful presentation skills so you can deliver information in your area of expertise with confidence.
Share your knowledge freely and liberally, without conditions. Remember, in business and life, you must give in order to receive.

UpwardAction Coaching Exercise:

Use the following steps to jumpstart the UpwardAction that you need to become an expert on your topic and “go to” person in your niche.

1. Determine what three topics are most important to the success of your ideal client(s).

2. Determine which of the topics identified in Step 1 you are most interested in becoming completely immersed in information? If you are not really interested in any of the topics listed, go back to Step 1 and start over. It is critical that you are interested in your chosen topic, as you will be spending a lot of time developing a deep level of knowledge.

3. Once you have a topic, make a list of the current authorities on your topic and read everything they’ve written. You’ll also want to hear the “masters” on your topic present their information whenever you can.

4. Identify opporunities to share your knowlege on your topic (always giving credit to ideas borrowed from other “experts”) by writing or speaking.

5. Get into UpwardAction by exploring the opportunities listed in Step 4.

If you need help clarifying where you are versus where want to be, let me know! We can certainly develop a plan to get you into UpwardAction and expert status.

Remember …. You’ve Got to Give to Receive!

Coach T.C.

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The Power of Mastermind Groups

The power of one can be great, but the power of a select few accelerates your success exponentially! Joining or creating a Mastermind group of like-minded individuals can be the UpwardAction®that takes you to your next level of success.

I am a member of a really fantastic Mastermind group that continuously supports me in clearly defining tactics for executing various strategies, provides a sounding board for new idea, serves as a cheer squad for my accomplisments and motivates me to stay on track if I start to lose momentum.

Napolean Hill, author of Think and Grow Rich, defined the Mastermind Principle as, “[t]he coordination of knowledge and effort of two or more people, who work toward a definite purpose, in the spirit of harmony. No two minds ever come together without thereby creating a third, invisible intangible force, which may be likened to a third mind.”

I recommend that you start your own Mastermind group of carefully selected partners. When selecting mastermind partners, invite people who you like, respect, can depend on and share similar values and sense of purpose. You also want to select members who you know will add value to the group and be committed to the regular attendance of your mastermind meetings.

A Mastermind group is a particularly great way for entrepreneurs to stay connected, share ideas and resources, learn new information, create accountability and check-in with a “collective mind.”

For maximum effectiveness, it is imperative that your Mastermind group meets on a regular basis.

Jack Canfield offers these suggestions when creating a Mastermind Group, Dream Team or whatever else you want to call your “Business Support Team“:

Groups should be 4-8 people, with 6 being ideal
Meetings should be at least 1.5 hours
Start meetings with something inspirational: a quote, an invocation, etc.
Sharing openly is imperative to your success!
Start the meeting with each member sharing a small success that happened since the last one
Appoint a timekeeper to make sure everyone gets equal time to discuss a challenge they are facing
Close they meeting with a sharing of appreciation to the help you received

I offer the following additional suggestions that I’ve found invaluable when working with my Mastermind group:

Create a meeting structure for your group (e.g., 30 minutes to focus on each mastermind partner’s individual business needs and 30 minutes to discuss a specific topic. This equals 3 hours for a group of 5 members).
Schedule enough time between meetings to implement what you discuss (e.g. my group finds that bi-weekly meetings work best).
Create an online meeting place to archive powerful information that is useful for all members and upload files and templates that your group is sharing with each other. I recommend BaseCamp and CollectiveX.
Consider adding a video component for groups that meet by telephone. My Mastermind group uses OoVoo.

If you need help developing a Mastermind group or finding partners, let me know! This is such a powerful way to accelerate your business success - I’d love to help you!

I’d also love to hear your Mastermind stories in the comments section.

Until Next Time, Expect the BEST!

T.C. Coleman

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Brain Power for Free Press!

Help a Reporter (HARO) is a new media service (which outgrew its Facebook group) where journalists post queries and experts pitch their expertise. If you are on an entrepreneurial journey or want to promote an existing business, becoming a valued resource for a respective reporter is an excellent way to build your professional brand and raise your profile. You will also be providing a valuable service (your time and talent) to reporters and those members of the general public interested in the subject matter.

Peter Shankman started this service and has a great philosophy on why its free (he says if you feel you must donate for his services, to please do so to your local animal shelter or other similar group). He feels that connecting people in this way spreads good karma and I couldn’t agree more!

HARO is simple to use. Register as a source by entering your name and email address. Each day you’ll receive up to three emails with a list of 15-30 queries of reporters seeking sources. If you see a query that is in-line with your background and expertise, you contact the reporter directly.

Free media coverage is great for your professional brand and your business! It is truly the gift that keeps on giving. Once you are quoted, you can use your quote(s) on your Web site and other promotional materials or link to the quote on your blog (you are blogging, aren’t you?) to further brand yourself.

This is also a powerful way to organically spread the word about who you are and what you are doing. Be sure if you get quoted, to “tweet” about it with a link to your mention.

If you are not already “tweeting” on Twitter you should be! Be sure to sign up for a F*REE account and follow me at www.twitter.com/upwardaction.