Today’s Question and Answer with Rich
Question:
The one thing that in my mind is an obstacle to my success is that I’m not a guru. And there are so many of them out there in my niche. There are some pretty big names and they publish books…
How can I overcome that lack of success or aiming at that niche and the fact that I’m not a guru?
Rich’s Answer:
Well, you have to use what you have. You have to take what you have and make that work for you. So I’ll give you an example, but this won’t give you the thorough answer. This requires some thinking on your part.
There are two large gurus who service real estate agents. One of them is a broker – a very successful broker and that’s his whole angle. He’s like, I’m a broker and I’m still out in the fields day-in day-out. I know how it works and I’m bringing it straight to you and he’s very large. Another one is not a broker, never been a broker and says, “I know what’s working all over the country, all over the world, whatever. And I’m able to bring you not just one technique that works in one location but I’m able to bring you the top techniques that you can take buffet style and apply it to your specific region.”
Now, what they both have in common is that they’re using what they have. And so, what you need to do is use what you have.
First, to the best of your ability, take a step out of yourself for a second. Looking at yourself, who are you, what are you about, what does your past history say about you. And then why is that better than being with a big name guru?
Are you the guy the insiders go to and because of that, there’s the chance to know things that other people aren’t going to get a chance to know. There’s always an angle and you’ve just got to figure out what that angle is. And while you never want to lie, you can certainly embellish. Make it seem bigger, different, etc. and so that’s what you want to focus on.
But it stems from you. Because if it doesn’t, then it’s inauthentic and it won’t really work. It’s always got a lot more power if you look at yourself from a disassociated standpoint and try to think of why would this benefit me.
For example, if I was going to compete with myself and I was brand new to Internet marketing then I might be like, “Look. Sure. Rich Schefren coaches the gurus. But if you’re just starting out, then you need somebody who just was starting out a couple of months ago and knows what’s working.”
I don’t believe that to be the case. But nonetheless, that’s a logical argument. There’s always another side to the coin. What I strongly recommend to you is that it stems from who you are, what you’re about. Because it’ll always be much more powerful that way.
Because of who you are, what you’re about, what your experiences have taught you, what you currently do, how you currently operate. There is some benefit to me, the prospect because of that.
So you’ve got to let that noodle for a little bit. The way you noodle on something in general is to think about who you are, what you’re about. If you do mind maps, map it out, like what could be potentially be useful for the prospect.
If you don’t get anywhere, here’s what I do. When I’m working on an idea that’s really important to me, I try and work on it each day. I might spend 10 minutes certain days and 2 hours another day. But I try and spend some time on it each day. And each day I’ll try a different way of noodling on it. One day, I might do a mind map on it.
The next day, I might pretend to have a conversation. I might type it out – like it’s between me and prospect and I’m trying to convince them to go with me as opposed to a big guru.
Like if I was in your case. The next day, I might choose the opposite. I might pretend I’m a big guru and consider what the person wants, and see what surfaces that way. Just all different types or ways of engaging my imagination – to see what kind of pops up.
My promise is that if you stick with it and keep trying different ways, you’ll find the positioning that will be powerful because there always is a way. It’s just the question of the right spin and the right angle. And that comes from knowing your market and knowing yourself. Those two parts are essential.
For more business tips from Rich Schefren, read more here.
