Do you want to be a Visible Expert?  Read on and get a jump start…

Lee Fredericksen, Elizabeth Harr, and Sylvia Montgomery at Hinge Marketing have written a new book, The Visible Expert: How to Crete Industry Stars.  And why Every Professional Services Firm Should Care.  The book is research-based.  Interviews were conducted with some 130 “visible experts” and also with 1,028 buyers of professional services.  The results of this research are reported in the book.

They introduce the concept of the Visible Expert, a term they have service-marked, as follows:

In every industry, a few stars shine a little brighter than the rest.  We all know who they are.  They’re the folks everyone loves to quote and namedrop.  The men and women who keynote the biggest conferences.  The ones with the TV interviews and books.  We call these industry stars Visible Experts – professionals who have attained high visibility in the marketplace and a reputation for their expertise.

The book references what the authors refer to as a halo effect for Visible Experts.  Just what is this halo effect?

For Visible Experts, the halo effect means that a buyer who sees an expert in a positive light is likely to believe that the expert’s firm is wonderful, too.  In this way, Visible Experts elevate their firms in every category that counts, including growth, new business, reputation, partnerships, billing rates, and the ability to close sales…The research is clear – when Visible Experts rise to the top, they bring their firms along for the ride.

Five types or levels of Visible Experts are described in the book, including Resident Expert, Local Hero, Rising Star, Industry Rock Star, and Global Superstar.  Each level is discussed in some detail in the book.

So, do you want to learn more about The Visible Expert?  The book is available to you for download, absolutely free at The Visible Expert Book.  If you are in any aspect of the broad field called professional services, I think you will find the book to provide invaluable insights.

In the for-what- it-it-is-worth category, I was one of the 130 Visible Experts interviewed for and one of seventeen Visible Experts featured in the book (at page 41).  Does that make me an Industry Rockstar?  How did that happen?  I don’t know.  All I know is that I’ve found a series of niches within the broad business valuation field and have worked those niches with consistency and persistency for a long time.  Anyhow, it is flattering to be considered among other Visible Experts such as Alan Weiss, Seth Godin, Charles Green, Andrew Sherman, Lori Randall Stradtman, Jim Collins, and Sarah Susanka.

Speaking of new books, take a look at my new book at the upper right hand (or bottom, depending on your reader) of the blog.  Unlocking Private Company Wealth is at the printer now and will be available very shortly!

As always, give me a call (901-685-2120) or email (mercerc@mercercapital.com) to discuss any valuation-related matter in confidence or to talk about business ownership and management transition issues.

Until next time,

Chris