Are You a Service Provider or an Expert?

Excel and Position Yourself as the Expert

There is an important difference between a service provider and an expert. In this article, Rod Burkert discusses why the differentiation is important and how to position yourself to be an expert.

When it comes to the work you do, are you a service provider or an expert? Have you thought about the differences? Do you realize there are differences?

Our BVFLS industry/profession/world is changing:

• The number of appraisers (choices) is increasing
• The valuation mechanics are more intricate
• The businesses we value are more complex
• The audience of leads, prospects, clients, and referral sources we hope to serve are more educated
• The triers of fact (judge and jurors) we encounter are more sophisticated
• Oh yeah, and then there is AI

As a result, the people who hire us want fewer service providers and more experts.

Differences Between Service Providers and Experts

Here are some thoughts, not meant to be all-inclusive, but enough to give you an idea of where you might fall in the continuum between the two archetypes.

Providers hang out shingles that welcome all or most clients.

Experts magnetically attract their ideal clients and actively repel those who are not.

Providers offer a generic service.

Experts solve a specific problem.

Providers tell clients what they can do.

Experts ask clients what they want/need to accomplish.

Providers ask clients, “What do you think? Will this work?”

Experts tell clients why a decision is the right one and offer reasoning to back it up.

Providers learn what they need to know to perform the next engagement.

Experts accumulate authority/reputation in their niche over a lifetime.

Providers strive to make their clients happy at all costs.

Experts are less likely to sacrifice the truth of a matter to make their clients feel good.

Providers say this is the way it is done because it is the only way they know.

Experts offer alternatives because they have seen the problem so many times.

Providers charge based on hours or fixed fees they believe their market will bear.

Experts charge a premium fee based on their value contribution and still win the business.

When asked, my webinar and live audiences report that they would all want to hire an expert to solve their problem, whatever the problem. Yet, I know (via poll questions) that many appraisers are service providers.

You cannot be all things to all people. A blurred message that speaks to many will get you an average practice. A clear message that appeals only to a handful will get you a thriving practice. Which do you want? Because when you elevate yourself to expert status, you do the work you want, attract the clients you enjoy serving, and get paid what you are worth.

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I help BVFLS professionals turn the practices they have into the practices they want—by focusing on strategies and tactics to help them better market, sell, and deliver their services—with an assist from AI. If you want some help with that, e-mail me at rod@rodburkert.com.