Lots of marketing gurus talk about the benefits of being the perceived "experts" in your industry. Not just good at selling stuff, but really knowledgeable and trustworthy as an information source (that then would lead to sales, potentially).
It's hot where I live right now (104 degrees is the high, 107 tomorrow!) and our bermuda grass lawn seems to be suffering. There are little patches of slightly darker circles that are covering parts of the lawn. I had heard once that it might be due to a fungus, so I needed to find out what to put on it to fix the problem. That's what Saturdays are for, right? Especially when its 104 outside...
I drove past Home Depot. I drove past Lowes. I knew that it would be hard to find my answer there, mainly because it would be hard to find someone that I felt like they would know what they were talking about.
My destination was a smaller, more expensive store called Gardener's Supply. When you walk in, someone walks right up to you and asks you how they can help you. Once I described my problem, it was obvious that the young salesperson didn't know the answer, so he lead me over to someone else who promptly told me two or three scenarios as to what it could be. He also offered to do a free soil sample test if I'd like, and then recommended a bag of specialized fertilizer to try in the meantime. And, he suggested we increase the amount of water we put on the lawn. I left happy, even though I had spent twice as much as I would have at either Home Depot or Lowes.
That's the thing about experts. When you need them and seek them out and want answers from them, price becomes secondary. Not that its not important, but it becomes less important than knowing that you are getting the result that you want.
If you're an expert in your industry, you know what I'm talking about. You know how much easier it is to sell as "the expert". If you're not an expert, you have a harder time making the sale. Price becomes more important to your customer, and you'll get more "tire kickers" than longtime customers.
Do I shop at Home Depot and Lowes? Yes. But if I want the expert advice on a subject related to gardening, I bypass the big boys and opt for the experts. And I am happy to pay what they charge.
I encourage you to be the expert at whatever you do. Watch what it does for your sales!
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