How To Increase Sales By Becoming A Celebrated Specialist

Steve Clark on How To Increase Sales

When you are perceived as a generalist, you will make much less money than when you are perceived as an authority figure and celebrity specialist. And all you need to do is look in the medical field and you can see that the specialist and the authority figure specialist and most importantly the celebrity specialist is the one that makes the big bucks.Steve Clark on How To Increase Sales

The generalist, the general practitioner doesn’t make as much in medicine as does the recognized authority or the one who has written the books or the one who is on the talk show or the one who is on the tip of everybody’s tongue.

In the sports world, the name Dr. Jim Andrews is the recognized authority figure and specialist in all of orthopedic medicine. There are a thousand orthopedic surgeons in America that can do what he does, but all the great athletes, pro or college seek out Dr. Jim.

I read an article years ago in which Dr. Jim commented that when he started his practice he realized he was in the marketing business, as well as, the medical business.

He’s got credentials and experience like others, but there are plenty of other orthopedic surgeons who can do the same surgical procedures that he can do, they just don’t have the celebrity status that he has. So how are you perceived in your market place by the people you call? Are you just another notebook toting salesperson who quotes and hopes? What’s your differentiation in the market place or are you just another salesperson in your industry? Or are you the person who’s written a book about such and such? Are you the expert? Do you promote yourself and do things to promote yourself and become recognized as the authority figure and expert? If so your selling job will be much easier and people will seek you out more.

How to increase sales by writing and speaking

You might be wondering how to become a recognized and celebrated authority like Dr. Jim. One way you become an authority figure is to write in local publications, trade journals, speak to all kinds of business groups in your market place about what it is you do. When you do you will get a reputation as the go to person in your particular industry.

You don’t have to get on Oprah to become famous in your own market place. You can become famous in your little market place. wherever that is, by writing and speaking and doing the kinds of things that promote your self-interest. When you do these things and you show up to see somebody, and they’ve seen you speak at a Rotary or they’ve read one of your articles in the local paper or they saw you interviewed on TV or they heard you on the radio, your job will be much, much easier.

The key to increasing sales is to be positioned higher up the celebrated authority pyramid.