"Expert Status" Equals Effective Marketing

Published on Amazon.com - October 22, 2008

By Carl Strathmeyer, Marketing Consultant

How would you market a new product? The usual approach is to talk about your product - and talk and talk and talk. Brag about it. Tell the world how amazing it is (or how cheap, or how desirable). Common wisdom says that the louder and longer you brag about it the more you will sell.

Ken Lizotte has a very different approach. He points out that people buy particular products or services because they know and trust the people behind them. Here's a vivid example (not from Ken's book):

Let's say you are choosing among three possible investments. One has an ad campaign with lots of statistics that demonstrate how rich other investors have gotten. The second investment's ad campaign features a famous sports figure doing a testimonial. The third investment is simply recommended by Warren Buffett in a New York Times interview. Which would you choose? I think I would trust Warren Buffett over the ad campaigns.

So did the big-spending campaigns win your mindshare? Or were you swayed by the credibility of one special individual?

According to Ken, your personal credibility and visibility are potentially the most powerful promotional tools you will ever have. You should be using them for personal gain and for the benefit of any endeavor you are associated with.

Ken's book is a concise, easy-to-understand guide for doing exactly that. There are two parts to the book. First, Ken explains what he means by becoming an expert (e.g. creating personal credibility and visibility). Then he gives the reader very clear step-by-step instructions for achieving expert status. And all of this is backed up by research and real-life anecdotes.

But don't expect instant results. Building credibility and visibility as an expert takes time - not because you need to amass more knowledge, but because you need to demonstrate your expertise in many, many venues. Ken makes a strong case, however, that the benefits are worth all the time and effort. After reading Ken's book, I would wholeheartedly agree.

“The Expert’s Edge” is available at local bookshops, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.com.