Become an Expert This Year

I have heard many people say they really aren’t an expert at anything. The best place to start is with something you have had experience in. Then, follow the steps in this article.

First, make a plan. Figure out what your market is going to be. Get very detailed here. This way you can concentrate on what you really need to know.

If you already have access to your target market, even better, survey them. Simply ask them what they have problems with and what their needs are. If you don’t have access to a group like this, then find a way to get to them. Find someone who does have access. This is what social media sites can be used for. Ask them what they see a need for. They will usually tell you, because their focus is often on some other aspect of this subject.

This step is crucial.  Because you are wasting your time if you become an expert in something that no one cares about or needs.You’ll waste alot of resources and won’t have an audience.

Next, make a plan and by a journal to write down ideas and contacts that can help you. If at all possible, do an outline of what you need to know. Feel free to change it and add to it as you go along. In this way, you will know what you need to learn, and what you have already learned.

Think about who you know that could help you and think about who you know who knows someone who could help you. This is networking at it’s finest. Keep drilling down your network of people until you get to some real experts. You’ve heard of the six degrees of separation right. It states that we are all six people removed from essentially reaching every person in the world.

Next do research on the web. Start by thinking up key words on and around your topic. Be creative. You’ll be surprised at what you find. There is tons of free information out there today and all of that information is a great place to start with the basic information.

As you do your research, keep a record in your journal. Setting a timer is a great idea that I heard from a very famous internet marketer. It is extremely easy to get lost in cyberspace and lose complete track of time. What seperates the successful from the mediocre is the level of productivity. Allow yourself an allotted amount of time daily. While the timer is on only focus on exactly what you are doing. While you are doing your research, you’ll start running across books and other resources that will be beneficial for you to read. Keep note of these resources on a separate page and write down the titles and authors as you come across them.

Set aside time to read every day. Make sure to read according in the same process as your outline so that you are learning in a systematic manner.  Keep notes in seperate notebook. By the time you are done, you will have an outline for a book on your area of expertise.

Next, get real life experience applying the things you’ve learned – even if your not getting paid. It will learn at a different level and understand which theories you’ve read actually work and which ones don’t. When you do this you can now talk about it your new area of expertise from a position of strength because you’ve physically done it. It is said that to read is to know, but to do is to understand. Plus, third party stories are very important to help people remember what you’re talking about. If you think about it you probably remember a story better than a theory? Also, practical experience helps you to remember what you learned while reading and also help you develop your own theories and solutions. Becoming an expert comes down to knowing your subject better than anyone else and also have new and different solutions for you customers problems.

Expect to spend around 6 months going through this process of learning and doing. But if you think about the life changing effects this will have both financially and personally it will be more than worth it.

What area of expertise are you thinking to start from? What is holding you back?