I believe the best way for an expert advisor to demonstrate their value is via content.
By producing written, visual, or audible assets that demonstrate how you think and why you work the way you do.
But the common pushback I hear is, “I don’t want to give away my thinking for free.”
There’s something I learned from my friends in the food and beverage industry, though:
People get used to discounts, but they don’t expect to always get something for free.
What that means is, if you give someone a free sample of what you’re offering, they’ll usually take it gladly and gratefully. But they won’t come to expect you to work for them for free, or to offer the full service or product at no cost.
But if you give someone a discount, they’ll never expect to pay full price.
That’s the power of content: It’s a free sample, a taste of what it would be like to work with you, as David Maister once put it.
What I see experts do instead is offer discounted replacements for themselves, in the form of templates, cheap courses, or constant cost-free availability (“Book a free 1-hour consultation!”). Which teaches their prospects not to pay full price or to expect much from the full service offering.
So “giving away” your thinking via content that demonstrates how you do it is actually a cheaper, more sustainable model than discounting your services.
And it has the added benefit of being easier.
All you have to do is document how you do what you do, and share it.
Kelford Inc. are content marketers for expert advisors. If you’re struggling with what to say and where to say it to attract your ideal clients, we’ll show you the way.