I work primarily with “Experts” as a marketing consultant and copywriter, and often, I’m asked to describe what an Expert is and how the heck I help them achieve results.

For me, an Expert has the following characteristics:

• Offers a high value service (at least on the back-end)
• Has more Authority Factors™ than Commodity Factors™ — such as having a specialization/niche, using proof, and having a named offer
• Is on the Expert Brand Journey (as opposed to being an employee)

And as an Expert, you are in one of these four levels on the Sophistication Spectrum™ for Experts, from Commodity Service Provider all the way to Expert Enterprise. I know based on my 20+ years of experience in marketing for experts that the mindset, messaging, & marketing fixes you'll need at each stage differs, which is why knowing where you are helps craft more compelling and converting marketing. 

In this blog post, I’m going to break down each of the four stages and provide a brief look at the mindset, messaging, and marketing steps you should be taking at each stage from a high level. 

So what is an Expert Brand?

An Expert Brand is a business centered around an Expert (usually) whose core function is offering services (usually, especially on the back-end) and centered around Expert positioning, as opposed to being centered around a faceless brand name or around commodity positioning. Common examples of Expert Brands include:

• Professional services providers (lawyers, realtors, public adjusters, etc)
• Consultants
• Coaches
• Creators
• Agency owners
• Authors
• Professional Speakers
• DTC/Ecommerce brands heavily centered around one person’s personality and expertise
• Celebrities

And if you find yourself on this list, then you should know that you are already on the Expert Brand Journey. The question then becomes — do you like where you’re at and know where you’re going? To answer that question, let’s explore each of the Expert Brand Stages.

The Stages of the Expert Brand Journey

There are four Expert Brand Stages you could be in at any one time; you are only in one primarily, and as discussed in the Sophistication Spectrum™  concept, you will mature unevenly across the factors present in your business.

Stage 1: The Commodity Service Provider

The first stage is the Commodity Service Provider. This stage is where most of us start out the gate. At this stage, the future Expert has more Commodity Factors than they do Authority Factors, which results in lower fees, a reactive business model, and inconstent client results.

Characteristics:

• Positioning: Commodity (“I’ll do anything”)
• Services: Generalist, whatever the client needs 
• Pricing: low, variable
• Systemization: none to some
• CRM: usually none
• 12 Messaging Factors™: mostly unidentified
• Team: none or maybe a VA

The caveat here is that there are plenty of Expert Brands with commodity positioning who have a team, growing revenue, and other features of a different stage… but are stuck in commodity positioning and generalist service offerings. This is especially true for the brands who are comprised of a solo owner plus a team of VAs.

The upside of staying here: You are very flexible and adaptable to whatever market demand comes your way. You are also on the lower end of the pricing scale, so picking up work shouldn’t be too difficult as long as you don’t hit the Negative Goldilocks Zone of Pricing. This is also a great place for trying out different niches and feeling out what fits best.

The downside of staying here: You aren’t going to have the respect, fulfillment, or financial prosperity that you would have if you moved even one step to the right to Stage 2. You’ll also find that

What to focus on: At this stage, you really need to decide if you want to stay here or move up a rung. There are certainly brands who do well with commodity and generalist positioning — think cheap outsourced agencies, do-it-all marketing generalists, VAs, etc. But even then, you’ll hit a plateau at some point. So really knowing where you want to go and getting your Mindset right will make all the difference. In terms of mindset, I want you to really focus on how you perceive your value and your understanding of your role as a business owner. Once you can really feel good about these things, then you’ll be able to move forward more easily.

Stage 2: The Expert Consultantcy

The second stage is the Expert Consultantcy. This stage is where many people start to take their business seriously and begin shifting the balance of the Price-Commoditization Scale toward having more Authority Factors than Commodity Factors. 

Characteristics:

• Positioning: Experienced consultant
• Services: Somewhat specialized
• Pricing: mid to high
• Systemization: some - usually in invoicing, and client service
• CRM: often a barebones one
• 12 Messaging Factors™: mostly identified
• Marketing: often on multiple channels, advertising on one
• Team: none to a VA/EA

The Expert Consultantcy is often a solopreneur, or single-person business. For example, an attorney with just a paralegal/assistant, who also specializes in one practice area, would be an example of this. A Fractional CMO who doesn't also have an agency, but merely consults with clients as a solo provider. 

The upside of staying here: You are very flexible and adaptable with your time if you structure your business correctly. This is also a simple business because you don't have to manage a team. 

The downside of staying here: You will hit a revenue wall at some point, usually about $500K max if you are charging $10K per client and/or have a fair bit of information marketing / passive income in place. You'll eventually hit a wall where your skillset or time availability falls flat: advertising, technology, client support, scheduling, marketing, sales. A business which relies only on you also likely can't be sold down the road... nor will it keep running in the event you want to take a vacation or get sick. 

What to focus on: At this stage, you really need to decide if you want to stay here or move up a rung to the team-dependent Expert Business. There are certainly Experts who do very well as a Solo Consultant, and there's no reason you have to move from the solopreneur life. 

Stage 3: The Expert Business

The third stage is the Expert Business. This stage is where business really gets interesting for many people. At this stage, you will begin to expand your advertising and marketing efforts, grow your team, and really grow your revenue.

Characteristics:

• Positioning: Expert
• Services: specialized and focused on the ideal avatar
• Pricing: high enough to sustain growth
• Systemization: lots, especially in client delivery and 
• CRM: often shifting to integrate sales + marketing
• 12 Messaging Factors™: mostly unidentified
• Team: growing, especially in the areas of service delivery, internal operations, and sales. 

The upside of staying here: This is a very stable place to be, especially if you have under 100 employees. 

The downside of staying here: You may not yet have the operational support necessary (in the form of COO, CMO, CFO, etc) to truly step away and be the "Visionary" you want to be -- showing up on stage, guesting on podcasts, making bigger deals, etc. If you don't want those things and like to be hands on, then stay here. If you want to be able to step away and have a national (or multi-national!) business, then you'll need to think even bigger. 

What to focus on: At this stage, 

Stage 4: The Expert Enterprise

The fourth stage is the Expert Enterprise. This stage is where a very few Expert Brands end up. This is the place where you have a large team, great operational/integrator support, sometimes multiple sub-brands, many offers, multi-platform advertising, and a robust sales team. Your revenue is rocking, too -- 8 to 9 figures isn't uncommon. 

Characteristics:

• Positioning: Expert, and expanding scope
• Services: Cross-domain
• Pricing: variable -- an offer for each avatar and price point
• Systemization: lots! Sometimes too much, which requires optimization
• CRM: one to several
• 12 Messaging Factors™: completely identified, at least for the core offers
• Team: many across all departments -- 100+

The caveat here is that there are plenty of Expert Brands with commodity positioning who have a team, growing revenue, and other features of a different stage… but are stuck in commodity positioning and generalist service offerings. This is especially true for the brands who are comprised of a solo owner plus a team of VAs.

The upside of this stage of business: The revenue machine is on autopilot at this point, and there should be a fair bit of cash flow and credit you can invest back into new ventures. "Pay to play" becomes a viable option for you, as well, as you'll have the cash to get a seat at the table. 

The downside of this stage: You aren’t going to be as flexible and responsive to market changes as the Solo Consultantcy or the Expert Business would be, so you might lose out on opportunities because of this. Operational dynamics can be complex, and at this stage you're dealing with company culture, HR laws, and the works. Having a great executive team you can trust to make the best decisions for your organization is really, really crucial here. 

What to focus on: At this stage, continuing to expand your influence and market share is where it's at, especially once you can pass off the day-to-day to an executive team. Get on stages, write more books, be a guest on shows/podcasts, and really push the PR and media. You're THE Expert, and it's time the world really knows it! 

So What'll It Be For You?

What stage of Expert Brand sophistication do you want to end up at? And are you doing what it takes now to build the size of Expert Brand you ultimately want to achieve?