Dear Direct Response Letter Subscriber: Subscriber JL writes: "Hi Bob. Quick question. "How do you know when you are qualified enough to be a consultant or sell info products on a particular topic? "I have formal training in persuasive writing/copywriting as well as speech communications. And I have happy clients in both areas. "But, I don't have much actual data to prove to myself and potential clients or customers that I am an expert. "How do you know when you are qualified enough to consult, coach, or teach?" Here are 2 encouraging secrets about so-called "experts." First, to sell consulting or information products, contrary to what you may think, you do NOT have to be the top guru in your field. According to online marketer Fred Gleeck, all you have to do is to know about 90% more than your target market. As an info marketer or consultant, you can easily demonstrate your superior knowledge to this 90% of your audience, because you in fact do know more than they do. And as for the 10% of the market that knows more than you? Don't worry about them. They're not your potential customers. So forget about them. Second, to be an expert, you in fact do NOT have to know everything about your product or be the leading authority in your niche. There's an old saying: "experts don't necessarily know more than other people; it's just that their information is better organized." Creating an online class, giving a workshop, or writing a book forces you to present your knowledge as course modules, lessons, or chapters. Result: your information is better organized. It also firms up your knowledge and understanding of your material. So that you can clearly and authoritatively talk about your specialty with others. Which in turn convinces them that you are indeed the expert. I am especially a fan of writing a paperbound book on your topic and getting it published by a mainstream publishing house. Few things establish credibility as quickly and effective as handing a potential consulting client your book. All else being equal, clients prefer to hire the consultant "who wrote the book on it." Marketer Dr. Jeffrey Lant says, "A book is a brochure that will never be thrown away." Also, one more observation.... If others call you a guru, that's a sign that you possibly may in fact be one. And their endorsements add credibility. If YOU call yourself a guru, you probably aren't. And YOUR saying it detracts from credibility and invites skepticism, even disdain. Sincerely, Bob Bly Copywriter / Consultant 31 Cheyenne Dr. Montville, NJ 07045 Phone 973-263-0562 Fax 973-263-0613 www.bly.com Follow Bob:        I welcome your feedback! Did you like today's message? What other topics would you like to see covered in my e-mails? Please let me know at: rwbly@bly.com As always, please feel free to forward this e-mail to a friend! If you liked this essay, and want to read 75 more just like it, get my book "Don't Wear a Cowboy Hat Unless You are a Cowboy -- and Other Grumblings from a Cranky Curmudgeon," which you can order here: www.bly.com/KindleCowboy Disclaimer: The Direct Response Letter only recommends products that we've either personally checked out ourselves, or that come from people we know and trust. For doing so, we sometimes receive a sales commission.