Page 18 - Female Photo Fashion Magazine Cover-10.pdf

The power of being an expert
Regardless of what profession you are in, it is critical that people believe that you know what you are talking about! You won't find very many successful lawyers whose clients never win in court, or popular doctors whose patients are continually misdiagnosed. This concept obviously applies to personal trainers as well, and making sure you are viewed as an expert in your field is as important as having the knowledge to begin with.
It is helpful to be aware of the simple fact that a person's perception is their reality, even if that perception is incorrect. Let's use the example of the doctor in the above paragraph. If you heard through personal references that Dr. John Smith wasn't a very good doctor, the chances that you would ever go see Dr. Smith are pretty slim. However, do you actually know for a fact that Dr. Smith is a bad doctor? No - you just have the perception that he is a bad doctor because that is what you heard. Do you see how your perception is your reality, and how Dr. Smith is unlikely to be getting any of your business?
Your mission is to make sure that you are always viewed as an expert in your field! Otherwise you will end up like poor Dr. Smith, and your list of clients will be short indeed, as will the life of your business. However, if you have done your job and created the impression that you are an expert in your field, then the opposite will hold true. People will have "heard" that you know what you are talking about, and your reputation and your business will grow as a result. In order to get to this desired end result, three effective ways for you to build your reputation include media exposure, writing books, articles, or success tips for your field, and approaching any given situation from a "position of power".
Media Exposure
The most common ways to get viewed as an expert using media exposure include news programming on television, magazine and newspaper stories, and radio time. Each of these methods has one thing in common: mass exposure via a publicly accepted system of obtaining information.
Consider this point from your own perspective. If you see an interview on the news, read an article about a company in the newspaper, or hear about a professional organization on the radio, your natural instinct is to believe that the company or organization has a firm grip on the ins and outs of their product or service.
Why do you think that? Is it because the radio program included a long list of professional references for the company? Is it because the magazine article listed a passing grade by a professional review board or other certifying agency qualified to judge the advertised organization?
The answer to those questions is most likely "no". Why then do you believe in the company's ability to provide the product or service that is discussed? The answer is simple: because you were exposed to the company via a publicly accepted system of obtaining information. Whether that system was the six o'clock news, your local daily paper, or your favorite magazine, chances are that you believed what you read or heard simply because of WHERE you read or heard it!
Ideally, all consumers - including professionals such as yourself - would use other additional methods to determine the qualifications of a company before purchasing their product or service, but in reality, does that happen very often? No, not really. Most people believe what they read and what they hear, and as a Fitness Professional, you can take advantage of that fact. Granted, you should not profess to be an expert if you aren't, but assuming that you really do know what you are talking about, use the media to let others know, too!
By: Kevin West