What’s the difference between ordinary experts and Visible Experts®?
We can think of three characteristics that make a Visible Expert–and help them stand apart from their peers:
- They are better known among their target audience and industry;
- They can charge higher fees because they have more perceived value; and
- They stand for something
The first two items are pretty straightforward, but the third one requires a little explanation. So this article will explain what we mean by standing for something, and why it’s an important trait of these high-profile individuals.
Before we dive in, here’s a quick refresher for readers who are unfamiliar with the concept of the Visible Expert.
What Is a Visible Expert?
The name says it all: Visible Experts are professionals who are well known and admired in their field. They are the keynote speakers. They’re the folks reporters reach out to when a story breaks. They are frequent podcast guests. And they influence other experts in their industry. Every one of them, however, started at the bottom of the mountain, just like you and me.*
Visible Experts cover a broad spectrum of prominence, from local luminary to international superstar. While most never reach the loftiest levels, all benefit from their elevated status. For instance, buyers are more likely to prefer Visible Experts over less well known experts. They are also more likely to take their advice seriously. And they are willing to pay more—often significantly more—for their services. Savvy firms understand the competitive advantage of having multiple Visible Experts on their team, and they encourage key professionals to bring their expertise to a wider audience.
Why Visible Experts Need to Take a Stand
So why do experts need to take a stand? And what do we mean by that, exactly? When you have expertise, you have attained a certain level of mastery in your field. You understand the challenges your clients face, and you know how to solve the majority of them.
Visible Experts are different. To build a reputation that will appeal to a wide audience, they need more than knowledge and proficiency. They need something that will command attention. They need a hook.
Hooks are not gimmicks. They are an integral part of an expert’s persona. And they can take various forms. In a previous article, we described the five types of Visible Experts (you can also read about them here):
- The Bridge Builder
- The Laser
- The Curator
- The First Mover
- The Contrarian
Each of these approaches to Visible Expertise provides a way for experts to differentiate themselves and catch like a barb in the minds of their target audience. For instance, Contrarians take an unexpected point of view, advocating a novel, often controversial approach to solving an old problem. That’s a great way to attract attention and build a following. A Laser, on the other hand, specializes in a very narrow problem or audience profile, offering deeper insights and more thoughtful solutions.
Another way high-profile experts take a stand is by “owning” one or more issues. When you become an authority on an issue related to your area of expertise, people begin to associate you with that issue.
What are issues? They are the central themes an expert writes and speaks about. An issue can have any number of topics underneath it. Think of a topic as the title of a blog post, webinar or speech.
For example, Carl Elefante is an architect who focuses on the issue of sustainability and historic preservation. This is a fairly broad issue that has no simple solutions, and will be something people will be focused on for years to come. It’s not something that will be solved tomorrow. In these ways, this issue offers many opportunities for Carl to apply his specialized expertise.
When Carl gives a presentation about the need to educate architects to meet the challenges of the future, that is an example of a specific topic. If he were to write an article about how historic
preservation is an act of sustainability, that would be another topic that addresses the same issue.
Here’s another real-world example. Kimberly Ellison-Taylor is an expert in using technology to solve accounting-related challenges. Her defining issue covers the intersection of accounting and technology. This issue lends itself to countless topics, such as the role AI will play in the accounting industry.
Speaking of AI…
The Robots. Are They Coming for Your Job?
One thing Visible Experts don’t have to worry about—at least in the foreseeable future—is AI putting them out of business. Ordinary experts, however, could be a different story.
Today, AI is great at assimilating and summarizing information. If a person wants to learn how to solve a problem that has been solved before—especially one that is straightforward and doesn’t involve too many variables—AI can often produce useful answers. Likewise, if someone is searching for a specific fact or definition, AI can be a good option. Impressive as it is, this is fairly basic stuff.
Over time, however, AI will take over many of the routine tasks that consume much of an ordinary expert’s day. And before too long, AI may even be able to address more complex problems. Using data and other input from an organization, AI may be able to build custom roadmaps to address business challenges, including what actions the organization needs to take at each step.
But through all of this change and disruption, Visible Experts will remain as relevant as ever. Why?
Because of all the things AI can’t do—including taking a provocative position. People look up to Visible Experts for their opinions as much as their knowledge. And it will be a long time before AI imagines a different future for an industry or holds a contrarian point of view. The very characteristics that make Visible Experts so appealing are AI’s weaknesses. So if you want to future-proof your career, Visible Expertise has a great deal to offer.
To sum everything up, I’d like to leave you with a quote from Carl Elefante:
“If you care about something, become a Visible Expert. If you don’t care about something, go work on a project.”
We hope we have inspired you to think differently about your expertise. True expertise, the kind that people value most, is less about what you know than about what you think. And that’s a difference with a distinction!
*If you are interested in becoming a Visible Expert, we recently published a book that explains how.
