Joe and I were talking with one of our favorite people - who will go nameless. This person is a recognized expert.
There are other "experts" out there -some who even have books.
But this expert delivers on promises made.
"If you plan to sing your own praise, be prepared to get kicked off the stage". Susan Gale.
All experts face the same strategic problem.
How do they effectively tout or promote their skills without appearing boastful?
It's more of a pressing problem, if I hope to sell or persuade you that I am the expert you need to pay money to.
You might only see an annoying showboat who deserves to get "kicked off" the stage.
"Neither blame of praise yourself" Plutarch
You could simply remain quiet and hope that referrals send you all the clients you deserve.
Quiet is nice.
Especially if you hate to hear the cash register ring.
But, the accepted tactic or response to Plutarch is to use a third party endorsement.
This works even when your client knows that you have paid for the endorsement.
How can you do this?
If you are a professional in a firm fortunate enough to have a skilled receptionist, you have an advantage over the rest of us.
Your firm has people calling the firm looking for help.
Now, with a little bit of work, you can take advantage of these inbound calls.
Give your firm's receptionist some training in reciting your bio, when he or she directs a telephone call to you.
Compare:
Oh, you want to speak with a franchise law lawyer? Well, you need to speak with Larry.
To:
"Oh, you want to speak with a franchise law lawyer. You need to speak with Larry. Larry has been practicing franchise law exclusively for over 15 years.
Or compare:
"I am going to put you through to Shelley, who is a trial lawyer.
To:
"I am going to put you through to Shelley. Shelley just won the 2014 Legal Eagle award.
You have all those impressive credentials hanging on your office wall
-- Hanging up where the potential client cannot see them because you are on the phone with them.
You worked hard for them, get them to work for you.
Oh, and thank Jane Austen for the tip.
"What praise is more valuable than the praise of an intelligent servant?" Jane Austen
(Source idea: Yes! 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to be Persuasive. Goldstein, Martin & Cialdini. Chapter 22 - How We Can Show Off what We Know without being labelled a Show Off.)
When you need an intelligent servant to praise you, have a look.
As i said, Yes! 50 Scientifically Proven ways to be Persuasive provided the creative spark for my retelling of their idea on third party validation, or referrals.
I think that their technique has great promise and application.