My husband recently noticed a pain in his stomach which didn’t seem to get any better over time.
Not sure what it might be, I convinced him to go to our GP for a checkup.
Now we don't often go to the doctor and have no set GP at the local medical centre, but he managed to get an appointment the very next day.
One of the many GP's saw him straight away and sent him for a blood test. Neither of which cost him anything as it is covered by Medicare (government funded medical cover here in Australia).
A week or so later the medical centre called and asked him to go in to get his results, which culminated on another blood test which was completed immediately, again on the Medicare rebate.
He was then referred to a specialist and his appointment is 6 weeks away and it will cost $250 for the consultation.
There is a vital lesson here for professional service providers, especially those in the wellness industry..have you got it yet?
It’s simple really.
You see the biggest issue most professional service providers have, is that they want to be the GP. They want to help “every Mary in the dairy”. And because of this, they have developed FOMO - the Fear Of Missing Out.
The entrepreneurial brain is constantly coming up with ideas to make money in all sorts of ways, from all directions.
The trouble is, that if you want to be well known, well paid and wanted, you can’t be a generalist.
It makes you look desperate and undervalues your trust currency.
Just like the specialist my husband is going to see, professional service providers who focus on a niche get a constant stream of referrals, unlike the General Practitioner who has to advertise his services.
The specialist can charge whatever fee they like and set a date that suits them, where the GP has to deal with of all manner of patients, all day long who pay very little.
I do understand that, when you run your own business, you need to make money, but there are only so many hours in the day.
If you want to earn the most for your time be really specific about your area of expertise.
You will build a far stronger reputation and be more quickly respected as the best in the business when you are a specialist than by being a generalist.
And the best part is, that unlike the GP versus the Specialist, as a service provider you don't have to get better qualifications, study harder or pay more for a higher degree or training.
Yes, you will probably need some sort of qualification or experience, and you need to keep upskilling yourself to stay at the top of your field.
But as a specialist, you can simply choose to focus on your area of expertise and leverage without having to invest in years of training before you get started.
Plus there are other ways you can build your credibility as the go-to specialist.
Writing books, giving presentations or workshops, creating programs, winning awards, building case studies, using testimonies, getting in the media...
I know it’s not an easy thing to do, your entrepreneurial brain wants to be free to create opportunities.
And I don't think that you should stop the ideas from flowing or cramp your style.
The best thing you can do to be successful as a specialist is to define your single minded purpose and train your brain to be creative about how to develop that niche.
Set a three-year goal to become well known, well paid and focus on creating opportunities that take you closer to that goal.
Once you are clear on your personal brand, you can have those amazing ideas and instinctively check them against your strategic direction.
If your brilliant idea takes you closer to your goal, then go for it.
If your next great idea diverts you or takes you away from your goal, consider if you should act, let the idea simmer for a bit or discard it completely.
So decide today, what do you want to become the go-to specialist for?
Then set your course, get clear on your direction and rocket launch your brand!
This blog was originally published on The Ultimate Business Propellor.
- Personal Branding Tips For The Invisible - September 3, 2020
- If You Want To Be Successful, You Can’t Help Everyone - December 19, 2019
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