Article #1

I'm an expert... so why won't anyone listen to me?!

Audience Connection + Influential Education

I can remember the day it hit me. I was sitting with my business group, anxious to share with everyone, and my turn to speak couldn't come quickly enough. But then, as I started to teach, I saw one head turn, multiple eyes lose focus, and others pulling out their phones to check messages.

What was going on?! I knew what I was talking about as I had:

- Sold over $100 million in products

- Been trained by top leaders for 10+ years

- Was ranked in the top 5% across the nation's district managers

...and I had even won the Rainmaker Sales Award. What could I be doing wrong? I was giving out my best knowledge, yet no one was interested in what I was saying.

If you're a business owner who wants to help customers and share the best of what they have, you're not alone. My name is Andrew, and I'm in the business of sharing expert knowledge through books that help others take ACTION and get results.

My first failed attempt to get customers to listen.

It was very interesting, in the beginning, I had ignored what all those years of successful sales had taught me:

You have to know your audience and build a connection before training.

It's like my eyes were closed. Many other business owners had the same issue, and I was ready to give them the proven sales process to succeed. But I, myself, had forgotten this first rule of sales.

Teaching is not about yourself and how much YOU KNOW. Teaching is about understanding YOUR AUDIENCE and connecting with them before getting into the "nuts and bolts" of your knowledge.

Specifically, in the 21st century, we face two huge problems.

#1: There is a plethora of information available in all forms, from online articles (like this one) to published books.

So how do you find the correct information you need?

#2: There is a ton of valuable knowledge not being heard or taken seriously.

So how can you stand out from the crowd so your truth is heard rather than tossed aside like propaganda?

Having the powerful combination of connecting with your audience and teaching (in a way they understand) is the key to bridging this gap.

For myself, I help experts, consultants, and professionals write non-fiction books that help sell their products or services. Every book we write focuses on the reader in the beginning.

The beginning is not about:

- Details of your unique method

- How many awards you've won

- Your 10-step process to success

- etc. etc. etc.

The beginning is where every author, teacher, or expert needs to connect with their audience. Here are three specific items you will want to identify before pushing on any further.

After you've connected with your audience on a fundamental level, you can start to think about how you will teach them.

You've now captured the attention and connected with your audience (or customer), and now you will be preparing to teach them. It almost feels like you've done all this work just to get someone to pay attention. Yes! This is true, but it's worth it when someone listens and takes action.

I don't know about you, but I can't count the number of lessons in school, training at work, or endless presentations I have "zoned out" on because the presenter failed to get my attention and make the content relevant.

So, we can move on to the "meat and potatoes" of sharing your expert knowledge. Contrary to popular belief, the best way to teach is not through a list of mundane instructions:

"Do this 1st..."

"Do this 2nd..."

"Do this 3rd..."

"Do this 4th..."

"Then you will get this."

Although this is very "logical teaching," you need to SELL YOUR KNOWLEDGE. I know the word "sales" has a negative connotation, but let's realize that selling helps others improve their situation. Weren't you glad Apple or Samsung sold you a smartphone? Or your real estate agent who sold you a lovely house? Even a college that sold you education, or a supermarket that sold you ingredients for dinner?

You must SELL your product so that you can HELP your customer. You might be thinking, Well, of course I know that! So let's move on to the formula for presenting your knowledge to others. This is what we call Educational Lessons:

The way to present your lessons is using this six-step process:

#1: Tell your audience what they can do after learning your skill.

For example, you're reading this article so you can successfully teach your prospects your skill "____" so they can get "____" result.

#2: Give a "kind of like" reference.

Relate your skill to something fundamental which your audience will understand. Say you're teaching someone how to invest in the stock market. You could say, Think about your investment portfolio, kind of like a profitable business and its moving parts.

#3: Tell them why they need to perform this step.

Maybe you're a fitness trainer, trying to convince a swimming trainee to warm up slowly. You would tell them that warming up slowly builds your body's flexibility and temperature to help them swim at their top-level during the race.

#4: Give a supporting story to bring a sense of reality to your lesson.

Like in the swimming example above, you could tell the trainee how once you saw an All-Star swimmer skip warming up because he was overconfident. His muscles cramped up when hit the water and didn't even make it 10 feet forward.

#5: Tell your audience a brief overview of what they will learn, Beginning ➔ End.

Think of this like showing someone the path before they walk down it. It's extremely beneficial to understand the path before ever starting on it. Your chance of reaching the finish line goes up tenfold when you do.

#6: Finally, give them the chronological steps to success!

It's funny, right? You've done so much work before ever getting to step #6, but trust me, it's worth it. If you don't, you'll find audience members who tune out, fall asleep, or buy from someone else. In the end, you've done them a disservice by wasting their time and your time as well.

Don't put effort into things that will not produce positive results for you and your customer.

I hope you've enjoyed this article and take Audience Connection + Influential Education to heart. We use it in our book writing & publishing business every day to help readers and authors get the results they need.

- Andrew

If you want to learn more about our company, Conversion Publishing, or connect with us and read the chapter in our book:

Why Write a Book?

Click this link.

Conversion Publishing is a done-for-you service company that helps existing experts transfer their knowledge from content into books. We make no claims or representation that you will earn money or make your money back by contracting Conversion Publishing. Your business book will vary based on the value of your content and the commitment you put to your project.

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