How to Quickly Become A Resident Expert

Analysis of the resident expert proposal letter

The letter starts with a simple proposition.  Then, Instead of directly listing a benefit, you refer to the information product we’ve included.

Why is the letter structured this way?  For a number of reasons.  First, It does convey a strong benefit – but it does so through the title of the report.

Second, you want to establish that you have the expertise the organization wants for its members.  As I mentioned earlier, the published word is afforded a great amount of credibility and you take advantage of this credibility to establish yourself as a published expert.

Thirdly, and most importantly, it’s critical that the union director sees you as someone who is giving something to their members, not taking.  And this is instantly conveyed by referencing the free report that’s enclosed and will be given to all of the union’s members.

Fourth, you want to give the union director a tangible example of what they can expect for their members.  Without this, the union director is shooting in the dark and probably won't take you up on your proposition.

You’ve accomplished an amazing amount with just the first three paragraphs of the letter.  This is another example of a “preemptive” technique.  It’s used to establish credibility as early as possible, so everything else you say will be accepted as true and beneficial for the union members.

The next portion of the letter spells out precisely how you plan to deliver your expertise to the union members.  And repeats that it will be delivered for free.

This is followed by an explanation of how you’re being their resident expert will benefit all concerned.

You assure the union director that you will never pressure or sell their members.  If the members approach you, you’ll be happy to provide them with more information, but other than that, you will not be hawking your services.

This last component is crucial to your success.  The last thing director wants to do is align themselves with some huckster who will pester their members to buy services they don’t really need.  This would lead to a substantial loss of members.

On the other hand, directors are always looking for ways to bring more value to their members.  Because the more value they provide, the longer people will renew their memberships.

You close with a summary of the benefits you can provide the union’s members, and request that the union director contact you by phone.

Will you wait to hear from the union director?  Not a chance.  If you do hear from them, It’s gravy, but you must always prepared to follow up with your letter one week after with a telephone call to the union director.

Here again, if you leave your fate up to others, not much is likely to happen.   You must take full responsibility for establishing and directing the dialogue.  That’s the only way you can be certain of achieving your goal.

Why offering to be a resident expert works so well

Offering to be a resident expert is almost foolproof.  It takes hardly any effort, a minimal investment, and when presented properly, It works extremely well.  I know of a service professional who built a multi-million dollar practice by becoming the resident insurance expert for a group of financial professionals.  He became such an expert on their needs and problems, he ended up dominating the market.

On the surface, you can see the simple, ingenious wisdom of this technique.  It can bring a substantial captive audience that samples your services every week.