Squash Negative Self-Talk and Embrace Your Expertise

What do you think about when you hear the word “expert”? Do you picture a professor with a Ph.D. or include yourself under the Expert heading?

Think about your own experiences and your education. Think about your training and your clients. Think about your blog posts, your research, and your continuing education. Do you think the average person signs up for specialized training?

Regular people may read about certain subjects they find interesting but don’t necessarily hang up a shingle and call themselves an expert. They don’t have the same passion you have for helping others or for learning every last detail of your specialty. An interest, yes, but not necessarily a passion.

Let me tell you that if you have paying clients, you’re an expert.

 

Combat Your Negative Self-Talk

I’m betting that at some point, you have attempted to coach your employees or family members about combatting their negative self-talk that often sneaks into their psyches and threatens to sabotage their success. But, do you follow your own advice? Do you have self-doubts about your path to success? Do you compare yourself to other professionals in your industry and wonder why you’re not further ahead in your business when they seem to reach success so quickly?

Everyone has self-doubt and insecurities at some point in their lives, but that doesn’t mean you have to sink under the weight of those insecurities. Instead of suffering in silence, take an action step to dig yourself out of that hole. Engage with your followers on social media. Write a blog post. Each of these tasks will help your business move forward while focusing your attention on your expertise instead of wallowing in self-loathing.

Also, hold yourself back from comparing yourself to others. “Comparison is the thief of joy,” and you don’t know how many hurdles other experts had to jump to reach their success.

 

Embrace Your Expertise

According to Dictionary.com, the definition of “expert” is “a person who has a comprehensive and authoritative knowledge of or skill in a particular area.” Notice how there’s no mention of degrees. There is nothing that says you have to have a Master’s or Ph.D. or any other letters after your name to be an expert (excluding the medical profession, of course).

In some lines of work, you’ll find that years of work experience often trump formal education simply because not every life experience can be taught from a textbook. YOU are an expert.

Stop Analysis Paralysis and Take Action

How often have you thought of ideas for building your business to get caught in the “analysis paralysis” that seems to plague solopreneurs? You know the vicious cycle: You get a great idea, get excited about it, but weeks later, you still haven’t started it, and you’re losing steam. Or, worse yet, you see a competitor who just launched a similar product, and you talk yourself out of following through on your idea.

First, if there are competitive products based on similar topics, that’s a good thing. That means there’s a market willing to pay money for your information. However, you are also a unique individual with unique talents and a unique way of speaking to her tribe, so why not put your spin on a similar product?

Smart business owners will research before starting the production process, primarily to cover their bases and include all the information their audience is craving. First, review your audience’s pain points and struggles. How can you address those in your product? Can you present your product differently than the competitors’ products? What’s missing from their products that you can provide in your product? If you’re unsure how to answer these questions, ask your audience via email, survey, or social media. People love voicing their opinions so ask them!

Enlist Your Virtual Assistant (VA) for Maximum Productivity

Acting on your intuition when a product presents itself is vital to keeping up your momentum and avoiding analysis paralysis. Assign a simple task to your VA, such as creating a production timeline (save it as a template for future products) or conducting market research. Ask your VA to stir up some buzz on social media (without giving away too much) and let your followers chime in about what they want to see from you.

In the meantime, start creating a product outline and brainstorm where you’ll get the content (ghostwriter, expert interviews, past content that you wrote, etc.) Taking at least one action step each day will prevent you from stopping dead in your tracks and thinking there is no way you can compete with others. That’s negative self-talk that you need to battle and overcome. Reciting some positive affirmations or meditating can help dispel that negative self-talk.

Need Some Validation? Ask Your Coach or Someone in Your Mastermind Groups

Sometimes we need that extra kick of positive energy to get started or keep going. If you need that boost, ask your coach or mentor. You may even want to approach a few members in a mastermind group or other business friends you trust to get their opinions. Before you ask, however, be prepared to accept some constructive criticism. Not everyone will love your idea, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth pursuing. Maybe they will suggest some added topics or offer a different format. Weigh their opinions and feedback, but don’t let those opinions alone curtail your production activity. You best understand what your audience needs and which course format they prefer.

 

Avoid Silence; Schedule Daily Interactions

The only way to prevent your followers from forgetting your name is to consistently put it in front of them. Don’t spam them with offers but post on social media daily; send daily or weekly emails, and write a blog post once or twice a week. The emails and blog posts can easily alternate during the week, but the social media needs to be daily, most likely multiple times a day. Enlist the help of your Virtual Assistant or a social media manager if these tasks take too much time away from your paying clients.

Outsourcing is a wonderful thing but your interactions with your tribe still need your personal touch. One way to do this is by answering questions and leaving comments on social media. This engagement with your tribe is always welcome, especially if a good discussion is happening. Cross-promote your social media links to your email list and vice versa. Always have your social links on your blog so readers can find you on other platforms. Promote your blog posts via email and on social media but mix those posts with fun, educational, and engaging posts that get people commenting. Share snippets of your real life to show your tribe that you have the same issues they do or link a human face with your company name.

Mix Things Up and Use Different Media to Communicate

I’m a big believer in sticking to what works, but that doesn’t mean you can’t experiment in the hopes of attracting new people. Examine your media outlets regularly and try mixing it up a little. Search for podcasts where you can be a guest (or even a guest host, if you’re bold!); hold a webinar, do Facebook Lives, or start recording videos for those who prefer the live video connection. You might just be surprised at how well-received these are from your audience. If one or all of these rocket your number of followers, consider adding them to your regular marketing plan.

One More Way to Connect with Your Tribe

A very profitable way to connect with your tribe if you are in the training or speaking business is to create an online course. If not, you may want to offer them a discount on your products or services to give them a sneak peek. Once they experience and like your products or services, they will be motivated to make purchases. What better way to showcase your expertise and increase your credibility among this very savvy group of followers.

Remember, you are valuable, your clients are valuable and your goal is to add value to your followers.