Every street smart solution provider should see themselves as an expert—and position themselves that way in the eyes of their clients. Not following this strategy is one of the biggest mistakes you can make.

Instead of trying to become the expert, too many SPs rely on their vendor’s marketing and brand. This focuses the attention and the customer awareness on the product and the vendor, not on your expertise. Think about it—if your customers keep thinking of NetApp, IBM, HP, etc., they’re less likely to think of you as an important and indispensable resource.

A solution provider should describe themselves as a partner and trusted advisor. You need to communicate to your customers that “you understand their business and challenges and that you can help them.” Unfortunately, very few SPs position themselves in this way. Actually let me restate that. Many SPs say they are experts but they show little proof of this expertise. Which bring us to the next section.

TANGIBLE WAYS TO BE SEEN AS AN EXPERT
As I am fond of saying, a confused mind chooses what it knows— and for your clients that usually ends up being price. However, if you position yourself as an expert—by having a content such as a blog, newsletter, articles, ebook or book—you will gain a leg up on the competition. Creating this “expertise” is not as hard as you think.

For example, let’s say you wanted to create an audio series. Your tech department should be able to provide a few 3-4 minute responses to some pressing IT problem that may be common among you’re your customer and prospect base. This audio then becomes content and could be used and leveraged in tons of different ways.

When I first started a blog, I wasn’t sure whether it was worth the time involved. Was I wrong! I ended up getting a $40,000 project because of it. Someone read my blog and asked me to ghost write a blog for an Fortune 100 tech executive.

Other ways to position yourself as an expert include:

1. Speaking
2. Writing a report that you can provide to current and prospective customers
3. Webinars – I suggest you regularly hold webinars. The cost is reasonable (about $900 annually) for a service that will handle the logistical details. Sketch out a list of current and potential customers and invite them to a webinar. You should also have the webinar captured and recorded so you can make it available to people in the future. You can invite prospects to download it, and capture their contact info and send it via email or in snail mail with a note like “Here’s my recent webinar on X topic that I thought you’d find useful.”
   Because you’re writing and speaking, your customers will quickly change their perception of you. You’re no longer just a product reseller but you’re a valued expert with important knowledge that can help them with their problems.

THE BOTTOM LINE
Adopt the model used by consultants. Position yourself as an expert whom people will want to hire. You don’t want people choosing to hire you because of price. You want them to choose you because you have handled similar projects for other clients and you are knowledgeable in the field. An indispensable expert and trusted advisor.

Let me know what you think?