SelfBrand Strategy VI. The Expert

Warren Buffett

The Expert
Warren Buffett

Being a jack-of-all-trades is not a smart personal brand strategy. It is smart to be an expert in one area. Focus is powerful. The narrower the focus, the more powerful the brand. This is an era in which specialists thrive and generalists do not.

In executing the expert strategy, it helps to be able to interpret something in a new way or have your own philosophy and standards like Warren Buffet, the Oracle of Omaha has with investing. One solution is to choose an area that is not already crowded with experts so that you can be dominant. Or you could choose an area where the current experts are not doing a good job of communicating. Look for arenas where there is a need for better information and interpretation or a fresh point of view. Seek out opportunities where you can leverage your knowledge, experience and passion.

The Expert Personality

H&R Block

Expert Brand

Experts are people who are focused and conscientious. You're a hedgehog who knows one thing really well. You have expertize in one specific area where you excel. You are goal-oriented and well organized. If you decide to explore something, you will go all the way to the end to accomplish your goals. You make deliberate decisions based on careful research. You think carefully before you speak. The key ingredient of the expert strategy are knowledge and expertise in a specific area.

Most of the time you:

  • Focus on a topic in-depth
  • Do more than what is expected

But sometimes you:

  • Drive the team too hard
  • Lose patience with people who are disorganized and sloppy

Generally people see you as:

  • Knowledgeable
  • Deliberate and careful
  • Hard-working and organized properly

But you can:

  • Rely too much on tradition
  • Be overly analytical
  • Go out of your way to complete something

How to Execute the Expert Strategy

See You Are a Brand, p. 62 - 63 for ideas, examples and exercises on how to execute the expert strategy. You must be able to fill in the blank in the statement:

Expert Positioning: I am an expert in __________.