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Uncovering the Truth Behind YOU Inc Branding and the Expert Conspiracy
Hey what's up everybody.
Richard Bravo here and today I'd like to talk with you about
"Uncovering the Truth Behind the YOU Inc Brand and the Expert Conspiracy."
Expert ...
it's a funny word really.
What makes you an expert?
Well here's what they have to say about it on Wikipedia (expert) ...
An expert is someone widely recognized as a reliable source of technique or skill whose faculty for judging or deciding rightly, justly, or wisely is accorded authority and status by their peers or the public in a specific well-distinguished domain. An expert, more generally, is a person with extensive knowledge or ability based on research, experience, or occupation and in a particular area of study. Experts are called in for advice on their respective subject, but they do not always agree on the particulars of a field of study. An expert can be, by virtue of credential, training, education, profession, publication or experience, believed to have special knowledge of a subject beyond that of the average person, sufficient that others may officially (and legally) rely upon the individual's opinion. Historically, an expert was referred to as a sage (Sophos). The individual was usually a profound thinker distinguished for wisdom and sound judgment.
So the idea commonly tauted today in the "attraction marketing" space is to focus on building YouInc. and be branded as an expert.
An expert of what exactly? An expert of YOU Inc. presumably.
But how do you do that?
As that definition on Wikipedia is relayed to us, how do you fit into it all?
Especially if you're brand new to all of this.
Well first of all, here's something I've noticed about true experts (for the most part)...
They aren't the ones calling themselves experts. Their followers do.
Now I know some people might jump in here and tear me a new one talking about "followers of gurus" and how you should never follow gurus, rather do your own thing and create your own experience and test your own stuff. But reality is there are leaders and there are followers. Always have been, always will be.
Something I also heard recently was the fact that it takes the first follower to create a following, hence converting a "lone nut" into a leader. So never underestimate the power of a follower.
So truly the question is - Which One Are You?
Interestingly enough however, being a good leader requires being a good follower.
::: the Character Of an Expert
No... not that kind of character. I'm talking about the stuff that's inside.
Not some cooked up "image" of an expert.
If you look closely at the concept of an expert there are a few critical elements to take note of:
1. Experience
2. Knowledge
3. Wisdom
Just as note worthy is the fact that officialese, credentials, branding, a sharp image, a fancy title ...
all of these things are actually quite trivial at the end of the day.
It is within the realm of the 3 main characteristics of a leader that one is bestowed the title "expert,"
BY THEIR PEERS, not their brand.
Where do you get all that wisdom, knowledge and experience?
Well a good place to start is modeling others that are successful in the area of "expertise" you want to become an expert in. As well as studying any other sources that will build that knowledge base that is characteristic of a wise expert.
So an expert really is someone (a leader in their field) who gathers mass amounts of knowledge through studying and experience, more than the average person would.
::: to Brand or Not to Brand?
So let me ask you this, what good will that do you if no one agrees and no one os listening or buying your stuff?
- If I create a fancy new graphic for my website with the word "Expert" in it,
will that make me more money? - If I add "Expert" to my forum signature will that make me more money?
- If I "brand" myself as an expert in my videos will that make me more money?
The simple answer is no.
You can brand all day from stage to an empty audience.
You can claim to be an expert as much as you want.
But what good will it do you if no one is listening?
With that I would argue that as Dean McNamara pointed out in a conversation on the Better Networker forums, you begin by being YOU.
A likable you.
A trustworthy YOU.
A caring YOU.
A you that your peers want to be around and listen to.
A you that people will begin to flock to as you create a more valuable version of you.
A you that people like.
But more so ... a you that you like.
That will create a very attractive YOU Inc. brand.
I argue that you do not need to "promote" you, rather ... Be You.
But "be you" everywhere. Market the hell out of "being you."
A key thing to realize is that "great marketing" isn't viewed as marketing by the passionate followers that respond to it - to them it's a culture, a movement, part of their life. Something they want to be a part of and something they want to be around.
Be that. Brand that.
I love the US military's slogan - "Be All You Can Be."
Be all you can be and work your ass off to become more valuable to the marketplace. Gain your expertise. Hone your craft. Serve your followers. And do a lot of it.
::: Climb the Ladder
As I said, "being" an expert isn't as simple as slapping up a blog and saying it's so. Like Diane Hochman discussed in her recent video - don't be a pig in lipstick. Just be you. The you, you are right now. Own that. Understand it.
Now that you have that pesky branding issue figured out, now it's time to get to work on creating the most valuable version of you, you can muster up.
Jim Rohn said it best ...
"Work harder on yourself than you do at your job."
That is how you get paid more. When you become more valuable to the marketplace, the dollars will follow.
The ladder of success is a real thing and we all begin on the first rung.
However...
While it may measure the pay grade, it does not dictate how high you can climb.
::: Your Journey
OK, so how do you start?
Here's a simple 2 part formula anyone, and I literally mean anyone can follow like clock and will work every time, 100% of the time - guaranteed!
Yeah baby ...
when was the last time you saw a guarantee like that!?
Ready?
Here it is ...
- Put your right foot foot in front of you, followed by your left.
- Repeat step 1 in perpetuity.
I know! ... crazy simple right?
See, I used to have this little saying I quoted from time to time that went like this:
"Life is a trip ... I'm still packing."
I look at that now, right now as a matter of fact because I just used it again the other day and I realize how self defeating it is to "program" myself with that statement.
Always packing, never traveling.
So here's the takeaway ...
Take what you have packed "right now" and get moving. Take that walk. Take the lead in your journey. Go.
As you progress through your journey you will learn new things, have new experiences, meet interesting people you can learn from and discover things about yourself.
But don't let being "new" hold you back. Everyone starts at start. The real secret is simply starting and then to keep moving forward. That's it.
::: the Quest
There's a great sequence in many iconic adventure stories where the "hero" is on their quest and as they go from place to place they meet other adventurers, warriors and other resourceful characters in the story.
As the story progresses these characters form a brotherhood, a league, a team ... and they go onto fight evil and conquer the quest - together.
There will be people along the way planing to take the same journey; packing for the same trip. People getting ready to "start."
Guess what?
You have more experience than they do on the journey ... assuming you started.
Help them do the same.
Get their attention and walk with them.
Show them what you've learned. Help them get started. Teach them to walk.
Then teach them to lead.
Repeat.
Embrace that journey. Take the trip.
Do that and do it well and I guarantee the day will come when they call you an expert.
Live Long and Prosper.
~ Richard
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Richard Bravo is an artist, writer, outdoorsman and entrepreneur living
in the rugged mountainous splendor of Western Wyoming.
Catch up with him on his blog at www.RichardBravo.com
You can connect with Richard on Facebook and Twitter @RichardBravo
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About the Author: Richard Bravo
Member Since: 02/26/2009
I'm a Distributor For:: Life Force International
Industry: Other
Primary Web Site: http://www.TeamIncPro.com
Richard
There are no words for you - you are ____________ (amazing, awesome, extraordinary, .....)
Pick one. You're it !
Joyce
Bravo, Richard!
OK, kinda corny, but I couldn't help myself. Seriously, dude. You've nailed it. That elusive branding thing that we're all looking for...you've defined it, and very eloquently. Thank you for this.
Shecky
Right On
What a great way to start my Friday. The Jedi Master walks his talk! Thanks for setting such a great example for us, Richard. And for making it so easy to follow. We're right behind you.
Most People Will Miss This Part Of What You Said....
You said....."Interestingly enough however, being a good leader requires being a good follower."
This is the part that SO MANY people miss.
The modeling...the studying and YES...somebody is gonna get mad at me...last time I wrote about this I got HATE letters...
The SERVICE to a mentor leader.
You SERVE so you can get CLOSE and acquire their THOUGHT PROCESS.
Success does not lie in a certain type of blog or cool graphics...
It lies in the the THINKING.
And it is the person that has walked before you who has been over the mountain that knows the way...
And SERVING them on a climb allows you to see EXACTLY how they handle the altitude.
If you read Mike's books he ALWAYS points out the people he walked with in order to become who he became...
People forget that part...
They just WANT IT NOW...
Like Varuka Salt in Willy Wonka...
No PATIENCE.
But it is in patience and learning that the brand of YOU can emerge.
Richard...
I ALWAYS love your pieces.
Thank you for this one.
Being the Heck out of You...
What a Great Article.
I love it.
It seems like the Internet has become one big 'Dog and Pony' Show with all the so-called experts.
Unfortunately, many are being taught to position themselves as experts and they take it quite literally.
I love how you said that Experts are Labeled as such by their Followers.
I'm not trying to be an expert, but if a few people will agree that I helped make their life a little better, I've served my purpose, and that is what I want to be known for.
Thanks For such a Great Article!
~Barbie
Crazy Simple
Beautifully simple. I think we're all trying to complicate it too much. To sum up - Be the best You, you can be. Put one foot in front of the other, to perpetuity, and soon you will have garnered the knowledge and experience necessary to be viewed as an expert. I can do that.
One Step At A Time!
Richard,
Saying you're an expert can really complicate things. People always want to complicate things, why???? Thank you for clearing the fog and keeping it simple and very basic. Everyone should have no problem understanding what you were saying.
You have to walk before you run, right? So why do people always want to start off running. I totally agree that you need to become a good follower before you become a good leader. Kudos!
Bev Bojarski
How to confuse expertise with personal branding
It's a fact people are declared experts by their peers. In some areas you have to publish something, in others you do something do one else has done. Thats expertise covered.
Personal branding is about positioning yourself in the market and explaining what you bring to the party which may include expertise but could include other attributes.
I think it is incumbent upon an article writer to correctly define terms prior to comparing them as if they were interchangeable because expertie and branding are completely different areas of study. One it a judgement of a person's competence the other is a measure of how well s service, person or product is remembered when mentioned.
Expert and brand have wnd will never mean the same thing unless we re-write the Dictionary.
Expertise does take time, some people achieve expertise and never achieve a personal brand. Equally there are many people who are attempting to establish a personal brand, oh let's say by writing articles and Blogging, while still becoming an expert.
I believe it's essential for any business person to establish a brand. However there are many examples of successful people who were good at getting experts together to run a business they own and esdtablish a brand without ever becoming experts themselves.
Catchy headline however the article appears to put forward and analysis of comparing Expertise with a limited view of what a Brand is. Establishing a brean is far more than the things quoted.
Unless you are running a MacDonalds or a Franchise being unique is essential and to be unique you have to be memorable. Being memorable = having a brand even if that brand is your name.
So yes I admit to being on the polar opposite of your views.
Uncovering the Truth Behind YOU Inc Branding and the Expert Cons
Thanks Richard for the great insight,i like what Diane said,you must be a good follower first!
Hollis
Yes, You Get It!
Believe me, I already been reamed a new one by using the word "Expert".
However, it is also a mind-set. If you don't view yourself as an Expert (knowledgeable in a certain area), then how do you expect to have others view you as an expert.
Do not get hung up on the word "Expert". You don't have to be a Guru to be considered an Expert!
Tamra
Being the real you
The more we invent or re-invent the farther we get away from who we really are. The fact is you must be willing to be a follower first, because how are you going to learn what you must learn.
Even when you become a leader you will still have a mentor someone you follow forever. Everyone in every field who is a leader didn't do it alone.
To Your Abundant Success,
Lynda Cromar
Most of us are here to build a business, I have found that it takes a team and it takes a system. A system that can be duplicated and is simple. I found being able to use the system called Mentoring For Free helped me go from failure to success in my MLM. I can help you do that too. The tide turned when I found this link: http://www.LYNDA-SUCCESSIN10STEPS.COM/
There's been self preaching experts for a long time, to what end
Brilliant as usual, this is why I'm following YOU.
Me an expert- No thanks!
Labeling yourself an 'expert' seems pretentious & I think it is far too over used a phrase. I'd much rather put my energies into giving the best value & having a true intention of helping people to learn how to be the best they can be.
Thanks for sharing the difference.
Nancy
Me an expert- No thanks!
Labeling yourself an 'expert' seems pretentious & I think it is far too over used a phrase. I'd much rather put my energies into giving the best value & having a true intention of helping people to learn how to be the best they can be.
Thanks for sharing the difference.
Nancy
tough to come by...
killer article Richard as usual. I once heard there are 3 ways to becoming an "expert"
1. earning it from a degree, years of education
2. being appointed an expert from the masses
3. just claiming it "I'm an expert"
I am sure we have all seen 3 circulating in the industry and without any real value found on the back-end these "experts" are quickly deflated and tend to fade away.
For most of us becoming and expert is more of a mixture of 1 & 2 we spend years in the industry honing our skills and building our list of helpful tools to share but to be "branded" an expert from the masses is going to take a sure passion for others and a driving force to ALWAYS over deliver.
When following these simple steps you will find one morning when you wake up that BAM! your an expert :D
Vincent
Be yourself
Hey Richard, you have hit the nail right on the head,be yourself is what I have been all my life and nothing and nobody is ever going to change that. Whether this makes me an expert or not I will leave up to others to judge. An old saying, an expert is a drip under pressure; and sometimes it fits. Have fun, Barry McCraw
Incredible post!
You laid it out there, and it needed to be said. My favorite statement...
"...Be all you can be and work your ass off to become more valuable to the marketplace. Gain your expertise. Hone your craft. Serve your followers. And do a lot of it..."
If everyone would just follow that, there would be a lot less confusion out there.
Great job!
Jon
Where are the experts?
Thus far I have not found anyone that fits that description!!
show me one...and I will shut my mouth up!...promise.
Few days ago...a very "successful" marketer started a webminar Drunk!--I still would like to give him the benefit of the doubt.
Yes!...and Sooo? What is my point?
Making lots of money is not wisdom...is knowledge...he has great skills to make money on line...and so what? He is not even at his peak...and he started to decline!I still like this young man.
If being very skillful at computers is expertise and wisdom! the hackers would be "the mother Teresa" and the genius of the world!
Ask all the so call "gurus"...please choose one...Mike Dillard Frank Kern and whoever you want and ask them...if they are happy...and force them to answer the truth.
John Reese sold all his belongings and he and his family started living free...and started enjoying life...he knew that the so call success in this world is a fantasy...it is unreal...Ask yourself...Why...yes Why Mike Dillard gave away his Audy...they all know that making lots of money and having lots of material things DO NOT MAKE THEM HAPPY AT ALL! They have found out that they still feel empty.
Seek riches, fame, approval, or public acclaim, and you find out that is like pour water into a bottomless hole. The more you pour in, the wider the hole becomes.
If we seek praise(like you my friend Richard) and rewards to make ourselves feel valued, then all our value is tied up in those things and not strongly alive within us...you seems to have your follower base...little but you need just one to feel great...don't you?Just remove the praise of the crowd and we are empty. Deny the reward...in your case the public acclaim and we are poor.It is the same for others. Praise someone's work and you encourage their dependency on praise and feed the need for more.
In my case...I KNOW NOTHING...I AM NOBODY BUT I CAN SHOW THE MONEY...AND IN SIX MONTHS FROM NOW I CAN SHOW DOUBLE the MONEY.
Pride arises when our desire to feel "special", to believe that we are important. From that fundamental insecurity arises despair...the belief that we are, at least, better than other people. Pride's mirror, despair, is the fear that we are not.
The very true leader ...the very true sage...is one that live up to their values and principles...they keep their word...they work diligently not for the applause of the sidelines..but to fulfill the needs and wants of lots people around the world that are eager for true and real leadership.
Where is the integrity...where are the experts...show me one and I will shut my mouth.
the servant leader the expert is one that is Knowledgeable... that can show lots of experience...and WISDOM...which is the wise application of the knowledge...and very truthful and purposeful and one that keeps his/her word in everything...please show me one and I will follow.
Boom!
Yes..yes..YES! It is about time someone said this! Kudos! Unfortunatly the wealth on the internet and the YOUinc movement was mistaken for lying about yourself, your accomplishments, etc. I have to say I (We) have seen many million dollar promises from 3 cent personality pitches. Once again, if it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it is probably a duck. A duck does not need to tell you it is a duck for you to know it is a duck. If the duck has to tell you that it is a duck, it probably is not a duck.
I have only one thing to say
Richard you aint never told a lie. Sometimes i feel like i learn more from you in a couple posts than i do from a 300 or 500 training course.
Be Blessed and Have Success
Deep dep deep Richard
But actually really simple.
Be yourself.
Seems easy to me...
Being an expert here in IM and networking
definitely takes huge personal growth.
As Diane says above...all of life
is personal growth and persuing wisdom.
I found leading in sports was easy..
..but I do find leading online
along with learning marketing
for 2+ years and branding You INC.
very challenging.
Whic is fine of course.
You are a great example it appears Richard
.... I don't know you but read your story...
of a guy who over came "things" to lead here.
Leading by example for me with my passion
of sports was easy.
Since I was the guy in College BB diving
face first into the scorers table to get the
ball or with my favorite sport of hockey
blocking shots as a defenceman
(very painfull sometimes) was something
I did not think about.
That came naturally whereas this does not
to me.
So sharing here and reading and learning
and moving forward is made much
easier because of folks like you
and others I see above.
So thanks for leading as an expert Richard.
Really great article.
Great article
This is an excellent article, Richard. As I said in one of my articles, we have been branding ourselves all our lives whether we know it or not (http://www.betternetworker.com/articles/view/personal-development/brandi...). We leave an impression on everyone we meet, online or off, good or bad, by plan or by default. Once we get hold of the concept of branding ourselves, we can start doing some positive things toward building a great image. Thanks for sharing your expertise.
Well said!
Hi Richard,
Your words ring true. When we embrace the journey, we can help others along the way!
Thanks for the insight!
Stacia
Go Go Richard!!
You are freaking amazing dude! Keep putting out the good stuff and sharing with all of us. Love the info, great article (as usual) and truly an inspiration to all.
When People Share Your Valuable Content
What matters is when people share your valuable content. Nothing else. Because then it saves you money for advertising and people will come to you based on word of mouth.
The people who are friends of friends have more credibility with each other than the actor that nobody likes.
Lawrence Bergfeld