Build Credibility

How can you prove to clients that you are the expert so they will choose to do business with you? Ask yourself what is important to the clients you have, and to the clients you wish to attract. What results do they want from you? Now, how can you demonstrate to them that you can provide those results?

First, look at your formal training and credentials. Do you have a degree, professional designation or other training? Next, what about your experience? Do you have career or life experience that serves as a credential?

Have you won awards or earned professional designations? I was in the insurance industry for many years. It may not mean anything to you that I am a CLU and a CEBS, but to people in the insurance and benefits field, those designations earn me almost instant respect. They know that it takes a lot of work and study to earn a CLU or a CEBS.

Even if you don’t have a degree or other formal credentials, you can show your expertise. Use your creativity to create a credential from your experience. Have you volunteered? What are your accomplishments, professionally or personally? What have you learned through self-study? Do you have endorsements or testimonials from customers, or from well-known people?

Have you published articles, booklets or books? Have you been the subject of articles in magazines and newspapers, or interviewed on radio or television? The media recognizing you confers instant expert status and creates credibility.

Membership in professional associations can also provide credibility, as it shows that you are committed to your profession. Because many associations include ethical standards and codes of conduct, customers may feel more comfortable doing business with you.

Remember that experience and credentials are transferable, and can be combined to create synergy. One of my clients was starting an elder care consulting business. She had faced the issue of how to find quality care for her aging parents (life experience). Her professional experience was as a school counselor, helping families make decisions about their children’s futures. This combination of personal and professional experience showed that she could provide the information her clients needed with compassion and care to help them through a difficult time.

Think about what will make clients and potential clients comfortable and show them that side of you.


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