How to be an expert in your business Succeeding in any business venture is paramount in order to have an edge over competitors. IFE ADEDAPO writes on how to be an expert in your line of business Human resource agencies are dissatisfied with the lack of expertise among graduates hunting for jobs, which is one of the factors contributing to high rate of unemployment in the country. Majority of young people venturing into different enterprises also lack the resilience to remain in the business and succeed in it. As soon as they encounter challenges, they are reluctant to continue with it. Sometimes, beginners in business have no one to mentor them hence, they often make mistakes that cause a great drawback. However, with the right attitude, information and opportunities, you can become better than when you started out. The Director of Brightside Computer Services, Mr. Moshood Adewale, says he has been climbing the ladder of success over the years by incorporating the following principles that made him an expert. Experts say to become grounded in your line of business, you must consider the following: Improving on the management Adewale advises entrepreneurs to design a system that will portray a high level of expertise to their clients. He says, “For instance, the training services we offer was improved on by running it like a standard school system. This caused an influx of clients and students and we were making more profits than other competitors.” Re-investment He says, ‘Re-investing might not have immediate benefits but it definitely has long-term returns with perseverance. Re-investment will help the business to expand and more profits will be reaped in. When I first started out, I had a few clients, but every penny realised from the business was re-invested to build a strong asset-base.” Registering with a corporate body According to him, registration of your business name will give you a legal identity and create an emotional attachment between your clients and your brand. In addition, it protects your assets when faced with litigation and gives your business success in the market place. It also makes you outstanding in comparison with your competitors. Expanding into other business areas Experts say diversifying into other areas will make your business grow. It can be in form of offering your clients other variety of services to choose from or opening a new location in order to reach out to a larger audience. “Exploring new business opportunities will definitely improve sales and rake in more profit,” Adewale says. Attending seminars The Proprietor, Hope Kiddies International School, Mr. Ayodele Adepoju, while explaining some measures business owners should employ to improve their chosen profession, says, “Seminars enhance an individual’s knowledge and experience on the business. It also creates an avenue to communicate information on new findings or trending issues in that field. It is also a platform for networking with players and stakeholders in order to share ideas.” Joining associations in your area of business He says that associations will broaden your knowledge and keep you abreast of happenings in your chosen field. It also offers a wealth of practical opportunities to develop and learn new skills based on emerging trends in the industry. Association members can also present common challenges that affect them and brainstorm on appropriate solutions to them. Experts say it also provides an opportunity to meet with potential clients. Going for training Adepoju says training equips business owners with skills that enable them to undertake difficult tasks and improve on their performance. Qualities of services rendered to clients and productivity are also improved on. Put in your time A career counsellor and an award-winning freelance writer, Kristen Fischer in an article on ehow, says, “You will not be an expert at anything, or come close to it, if you do not have some real-world experience. So, if you are a new graduate, put a few years into your career and see if you like where you are headed.” Network with others Experts always have a story to share and get a feel for issues in their industry by connecting with others. So, by networking, I mean that you should reach out to others without any known motive. If you are researching a book you will meet others in your field that have something important to say, but it is likely that publishers will want a foundation first. So, take time and build up your experience first before you start pushing the expert thing. Continue your education Get ahead by staying on top of trends. Even if you are not signing up for courses, you can stay on top of your industry by combing industry websites and subscribing to trade publications. Write a book Nowadays, it is not so hard to publish a book due to the power of self-publishing. No matter how you publish, once you have enough to say, or have conducted enough research on a topic, you can easily compile a book. This isn’t easy at all, but it does establish a great foundation for you to build your career specialising in one area. Market and promote yourself Once you have a book, you can seek out the opportunity to speak and write about your topic. You can also use public relation sources to stay on top of leads in which people want to speak to others in your area of specialty. You may also want to create a website that can serve as a hub for speaking engagements, press clippings, articles you write and other updated material. Listening Listening is the first one; this means picking up information from all corners of your industry. Read blogs, magazines, books, go to seminars and workshops, watch and listen to the right programmes on TV and radio. When you listen and take onboard all that information, you will by default be improving your skills and getting closer to being the expert every day. Information is power as the old saying goes. Communicate Communicating is all about being out there and talking to the people that matter in your industry. Whether it is a client meeting, a networking event or you are commenting on a blog – it is all interaction with your target audience. When you are engaging with the community, you will notice exactly what problems they are looking to solve – allowing you to adjust your service offering accordingly. Creating Creating finally is where you produce content that secures you that expert status. Choose your channel wisely here according to what fits your audience. You could, for instance, write blog post, newspaper article and record podcast or produce a video content. If you are really serious about becoming an expert, try your hand at writing a book. Whatever you choose to do, the results of your creative output will lead to further promotion of your personal brand and increased interest from customers.
Posted on: Mon, 13 Jan 2014 18:20:31 +0000
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