Do people who know you know that you’re an expert at what you do?

Most if not all of us suffer from a couple of problems. One, we don’t consider ourselves to be an expert. And the thought of saying it out loud is like fingernails on a chalkboard. It hurts our ears and nerves. The thought of making the claim, “I am an expert” just sounds like bragging.

Two, but if you don’t consider yourself an expert, how in the world is someone else going to consider you an expert?

The whole idea runs contrary to being humble and letting your actions speak for themselves. And because of this a whole lot of us go through life without ever laying claim to what we’ve earned: the status, credibility, and authority that have come from years of hard work, education, and, no doubt, some trial and error.

This all comes from a really sneaky and irritating thing called “Imposter Syndrome.” By definition, imposter syndrome is a behavioral health phenomenon described as self-doubt of intellect, skills, or accomplishments among high-achieving individuals.

In layman’s terms, it just means that you don’t think you have anything of value to offer that others don’t already know. You minimize your own worth.

But it’s not true.

Thousands of people are desperately trying to learn the stuff you already know and take for granted.

There’s a big business in there.

— Justin Welsh (@thejustinwelsh) September 13, 2023

You’ve invested years of work into becoming really good at what you do. People recognize the quality of it when they see it. If they’ve worked with you, they understand the strength of your qualifications.

This issue isn’t that you’re not an expert; it’s that you haven’t claimed your expert status and put it on display for others to find.

Becoming a published author solves your problem virtually overnight.

See the trick here isn’t to get you comfortable running around town telling everyone you’re an expert. The trick is showcasing your expertise in a place where others can find it and learn that you’re the expert they need before they ever meet you.

Then you never have to say it. You get to go about your work and be humble. All you have to do now is learn how to graciously accept the compliment when it’s given to you.

I am sure you’ve heard the phrase, he or she “wrote the book on it.” Once you’ve written the book on it, you are then considered among the elite, the .01% of the population who took the time to create a living testament to your expertise. It’s rarified air for sure and will grant you status to help you and your business grow.

Think about it. Being a published author is typically the first thing you’ll see or hear when a speaker is introduced. It’ll appear at the beginning of a person’s bio. It’ll show up frequently in references to you, because there is no more simple way to say you’re an expert and others should pay attention than to point to a book you’ve written.

To clarify one thing here. . . I’m not trying to say that being an author will make you the all-knowing, all-seeing, expert that rules above all. I’m just saying it makes you one of the experts in your field.

And that gets you a ticket to the dance.

You’ll go from not being known to being recognizable. Why? Because today you don’t have a book that people can find for sale on Amazon. Tomorrow (so to speak) you will.

You’ll have something that will live on for years and years. A book that will be on Amazon, along with your profile, that people can find. A book that will be on other people’s bookshelf or desk. A book that will be found in resales shops and half-price bookstores for new readers to discover years from now. It’s you, your expertise, living on.

Three ways to tell if you’re an expert.

Let’s keep this simple and real world.

1. Listen to what others have to say. If they tell you that you’re smart, you’re a genius, that you’re great at what you do, you solved their problem, pay attention. Listen to what they say about your experience and the results that you’ve delivered. Listen to the feedback, because it’s not you saying it. It’s someone else who thinks highly enough of you to give you a compliment. Take that feedback, accept it, and use it. Use it anywhere you can. It’ll save you a ton of time not having to tell every prospect you work with how good you are. Let someone else do that for you. Let others tell you and everyone else what they see as your superpower.
2. When people come to you to help solve their problems or ask for advice and you’re able to apply your years of experience and offer up a solution for them, then you’re an expert.
3. This is really the biggest one. If as soon as someone approaches you with their problem, you not only know the answer, you know the question that they’re about to ask. As soon as they offer you a sneak peek of the problem, and you know what the rest of the questions will be, then you’re an expert.

If it’s clear that you are an expert, then showcasing all that hard-earned authority by becoming a published author is the perfect solution for you.

It’s not as hard as you think it is to become a published author.

There are some statistics out on the internet that report 81% of the population think they have a book in them. That might be true, but only a very small fraction of them will ever write that book, so their story, knowledge, solutions, or inspiration will be lost.

This is where things get very uncomfortable for many folks. I’ve heard it hundreds of times.

• I’m not a good writer, so I can’t write a book.
• I wouldn’t know what to say in a book.
• I don’t have time to write a book.
• I don’t have anything to share that hasn’t been shared by others.

Forget all those thoughts. Do not let them be a barrier to creating your book.

When using the WriteWay Signature Message process, writing a book is as easy as answering questions about what you do. We take you through an interview process where we walk you right down the path you need to follow to create your book. In many cases, we can go from idea to being published in a month or two. Here’s how this works:

1. Strategy Call: A 30 – 60 minute call to nail down what your superpower is and turn that into a title for your book.
2. Planning Call: A 30 – 60 minute call to outline your book so that you’ll know exactly what you’re going to be talking about.
3. Interview: A 60 – 90 minute call where we’ll interview you and get your expertise out of your head. We record this call and transcribe it. This becomes your first draft.

Then we send it over to our professional editing team who’s going to arrange this into a high-quality professionally published book.

Once that’s complete, we get your book up on Amazon for the world to find. We’ll even send you 10 complimentary copies of your book to gift, share, or sell.

And just like that, you’re a published author.

Now you can put your expertise to work to help you grow your career or business.

Once you have your book, you’re armed with one of the most powerful tools you can imagine to grow your business or your career.

Here are a few ways you can put that book to work for you:

• Get copies of your book and have those on hand to share. Send them to prospects before you meet them, put them on display in your office for people to read, or use them as your business card. That’ll make you stand out for sure.
• Use your new status in your profiles online and include a link to your Amazon listing where others can find your book.
• Use your book to help build an audience. It makes a compelling offer to trade to get a prospect’s contact information, so you can discuss your product or service. Plus that prospect will get to know about you and your message before they ever meet you.

We’re all searching for how to use what we know to help us get ahead. And while there are a lot of ways to do that, none can happen as fast or be as effective as becoming a published author. It serves as the basis for so many options and opportunities to create conversations with people that you don’t know.

And publishing a book is not as hard as you think.

PS: We’re starting a new Book Title Workshop

If you’re even thinking about becoming a published author, this workshop is perfect for you.

We’re going to go through the exact steps you need to figure out your superpower. Then we’re going to show you how to turn that into a title for your book. We limit attendance so that we can work with you one-on-one to craft the title of your book.

Just click here to get registered.

PLUS: Whenever you’re ready . . . here are 3 ways we can help you:

1. Determine your superpower and turn it into the title of your book.
2. Claim your expert status by taking your book title and turning it into a professionally published, high-quality book.
3. Begin creating leads and conversations with your book before it’s even published.