Becoming an expert takes on a certain amount of responsibility – the responsibility for you to offer a successful program or service, and the responsibility to support others with real, lasting results. To thrive in this business for the long haul you must be willing to take on this responsibility for yourself and for others.

Being ethical in business is also critical to long-term success as an expert. It’s a small world in the expert business, and if you don’t treat people right, the word gets out fast. Growing up I was taught to always be honest and fair in business. This has served me well, and it has always been a top priority for me. Being honest and ethical in business should be a given, but unfortunately it’s not. That’s why I must mention it here. You’ve probably already discovered this for yourself by being burned by some of these “so-called” experts.

During the big internet boom, hundreds of “so-called” experts came out of the woodwork like cockroaches. When social media marketing launched, every other person was calling themselves a social media expert, yet few of them were real experts who were creating real value for their clients. Some offered a “magic pill” to getting rich online. They promised that you could make so much money using their system you could be sitting on a beach and just watching the money pile up in your bank account. Not only is this unethical, it’s illegal; when you make a claim you had better be able to back it up with solid results!

Being an expert comes with a certain level of responsibility to be ethical and to give your clients real value. Anyone who chooses to do business with any expert should do some extensive research to check out their reputation and background online before investing, and that means they are going to check you out as well. The last thing you want is a tarnished reputation as an expert.

Set yourself apart as an expert who ALWAYS delivers real value and someone who follows up with clients and business associates. It drives me absolutely crazy when people don’t follow up or do what they say they are going to do. This is also an unprofessional business practice that will kill an expert’s opportunities fast. It is your responsibility to not only become a respected expert, but to align yourself with other highly respected and ethical experts.

Experts with a quality reputation are valued for their services, and that will always keep them in high demand.