Become a Celebrity in Your Target Market

You may never see your name in lights or dazzle the crowd at Carnegie Hall. Yet there’s no doubt that you can achieve celebrity status among the people who matter most to your target market.

This kind of "stardom" means prospects recognize your name as soon as they hear or read it, you are looked upon as an expert in a particular area, and your business is 100% referral-based. The benefits of this kind of business are obvious: extraordinary credibility that leads to countless introductions and natural, easy prospecting conversations plus the bonus of knowing you are truly outstanding in your field.

Seven Tips to Get Started on Becoming a Celebrity

1. Write a Book on Your Area of Expertise, Specifically for Your Target Market. This is not as difficult as you may think. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Your book should simply combine the fundamentals and your philosophy all in your own words. The research must be factual, but your opinions are what will make the book unique. After all, how many people actually have anything new that hasn’t already been said before?

Write about an area in which you have expertise, and address the issues that are currently relevant to your market. Then target the book narrowly and specifically so that the people you want to reach will immediately see that it is of interest to them. Another consideration might be to write the forward or get added as a co-author to an already existing book and use that as your ‘credibility’ book. It obviously needs to be a book that relates to your specific specialty area.

Publishing a book gets your clients’ egos cooking. They are definitely impressed and will tell their friends that they know someone who has written a book. It’s a great way to get referrals sending an autographed book to potential clients is much better than sending promotional literature, and it’s a great enhancement to your value-added mailing for referrals.

2. Subscribe to the Publications Your Target Market Reads. The professional association for your target market probably has at least one publication and possibly more, ranging from sophisticated magazines to desktop-published newsletters. Build a relationship with the editors of these publications so they will invite you to participate as an author or as a member of the editorial board.

By reading these publications, you will become familiar with the leading figures and current issues in your target market you might even be able to have an ‘expert’ column in one or more of the publications. This demonstrates your value to clients: you not only know your business, you also know their business.

3. Write Articles for Publications That Give Specific ‘How To’ Advice for Your Target Market. To find out which publications are best for your articles, read each journal’s mission statement and author’s guidelines. Often the editors are happy to receive articles giving ‘how to’ advice written specifically for their readers. (They might even pay for them.) Check the masthead in the front of the publication to see if it lists an editor in the field in which you are an expert. If it doesn’t, volunteer to be one!

4. Get Involved. If you become involved in professional associations relevant to your target market, you may be asked to speak at meetings or contribute articles. All these activities give you the name recognition that is the beginning of celebrity status.

By all means, get involved in the association, but don’t try to sell anything to other members right away. First get to know the decision makers. Prove that you are a contributing member with a genuine interest in the organization. By resisting the temptation to sell anything, you are showing the members you are different. You are a contributor. Then you’re on the way to making great contacts who will help you understand the market.

5. Become a Good Public Speaker. If you enjoy speaking and have worked on developing this skill, you can give seminars for professional organizations that represent your target markets. Volunteer for the planning committee and suggest a seminar on what you know and think would benefit the group. If they like the idea (and they usually will), volunteer to present the programs.

How can you become an impressive speaker? Give a lot of speeches and get comfortable in front of an audience. There are a lot of associations and organizations who are always looking for good speakers. This may include joining your local chapter of Toastmasters International. Get feedback so that you can constantly hone your skills. Hire a coach. Make a commitment to becoming a good speaker by establishing goals and milestones, and follow through on your commitment.

6. Research and Interview the Most Respected People in Your Target Market. Don’t you hate it when someone approaches you and tries to sell you something without knowing anything about you? Understanding your market and the people in it is crucial in building high-trust, long-term relationships. Making the extra effort to be informed about the hot issues and unique perspectives of those in your target market will not only help you build better relationships, but it will also help you to meet other potential clients.

Get to know those people who will provide you with introductions to other key people. The smaller and tighter your market, the easier it is to become well known. And once your credibility is established, your contacts will continue to provide you with referrals.

            7. Get Testimonials. Believe it or not, the first step in getting testimonials is to  ask for them. Many               people don’t ask because they are afraid of a negative response. What does that say about your               confidence in the relationship? It is better to know and enhance a potential problem then lose clients and               never know why.

Next, you can ask three specific questions, the answers to which become the basis for the testimonial letter:

• What did you expect to get when you first met with me?

• What did you actually get?

• What have been the results of our relationship?

The outcome of these pointed questions is often a glowing testimonial letter that you can use in your brochures or the foreword of your book.

Start on the road to being a celebrity by choosing at least one or two of these areas which you feel the most comfortable. As you probably noticed, some of the routes lead naturally to others. If you commit yourself, target your market, and stay focused you will attain celebrity status. Be a trusted resource, have fun and make money!