Expertise is an important part of relationship based selling because it encourages prospects to put their trust in your ability to deliver based on your knowledge not only of your own organization’s products and services, but of your industry and the prospect’s own needs. The best salespeople demonstrate expertise by developing a process that works efficiently for them while also working efficiently for the leads, prospects, and customers they are trying to reach. Learn from the three ways that the best salespeople demonstrate expertise.

Share Expertise Publicly and Strategically

The best salespeople reach out to the media and the internet to demonstrate expertise through exposure in the marketplace. This allows the best salespeople to reach potential leads and prospects who are not yet in the sales process but easily could be – especially when the best salespeople demonstrate expertise successfully and encourage inbound business. Ways that the best sales people use strategic placement to demonstrate expertise publicly include:

• The best salespeople will list themselves as quote sources with well known media outlets, which allows them to share expertise and get their name in print.
• Successful salespeople are also able to demonstrate expertise by publishing articles at respected journals and on well known industry blogs and newsletters.
• Many of the best salespeople also maintain a personal blog with a professional focus on business, sales, and consultative approaches to selling.

Provide Social Proof to Demonstrate Expertise

Social proof is when a claim or assertion is backed up by others. References and referrals are the strongest form of social proof that the best salespeople can show. This is because references and referrals demonstrate expertise and build trust in the sales person by showing that the salesperson knows his or her business and is willing to go the extra mile to ensure that a customer is ultimately satisfied. All prospects want to have a salesperson like that on their side. To imitate the success of the best salespeople be sure to develop your own references and referrals and demonstrate expertise by:

• Partnering with others within the organization to write professional case studies about past successes with customers that can demonstrate expertise to future customers.
• Collecting testimonials from prospects and customers specifically about their experience. Having a variety of short and longer testimonials can be a useful aid to converting new business.
• Thinking outside the usual channels for references and referrals. Though a first-hand reference from a customer is often the most valuable, others who have benefited from a sales person’s expertise in a peer or mentoring relationship can also be valuable references.

Leverage Certifications and Credentials to Demonstrate Expertise

Few things demonstrate expertise at first glance like an official certification or credential from a recognized association or training program. The best salespeople know this and pursue the certifications and credentials that are most meaningful to their careers for the enjoyment of continued learning as well as for the professional benefits. These certifications and credentials can be used to further demonstrate expertise by:

• Providing backgrounds on the certifications. For any certification or credential that they have, the best sales people will provide a background on their official company bio as well as on their social media profiles, particularly on LinkedIn.
• Showing how certifications benefit customers. In addition to explaining how a given certification or credential is beneficial to customers on website profiles, the best salespeople will give a nod to their experience when speaking with prospects.
• Pairing complimentary certifications. The best salespeople do not acquire certifications and credentials at random; they plan their continuing education so that the recognition they acquire compliments their core area(s) of expertise.

To succeed in sales, it is necessary to demonstrate expertise. The best salespeople have mastered the methods of demonstrating expertise to prospects and clients. Follow their example and begin demonstrating your expertise to reach your sales goals.