Have I mentioned that I am now a huge fan of Timothy Ferris, author of the 4-Hour Work Week? You may have guessed as much, considering that 2 of my last 3 posts were focused on my new favorite book that I believe every entrepreneur, freelancer, dreamer, risk-taker, and free-thinker should own.
When I picked up this book in the bookstore, I opened it up to someplace in the middle, which happened to be chapter 9, (Income Autopilot I) and began the usual skim. I thought I might pick up a piece or two of useful information and then perhaps put it down and move on to skim another book.
I stood frozen in the isle of Barnes and Noble engulfed in what I was reading. At some point I realized that needed to find a comfortable chair and wandered through the shelves toward one end of the store relying only on peripheral vision to get to the destination. It was this chapter that drove me straight to the cash register to purchase it.
One part in particular really stood out to me, and that was a small section called How to Become a Top Expert in 4 Weeks. Being in the business of promoting people and businesses through press releases and internet marketing, the information in this chapter was incredible. And it can be for you too if you’re goal is to gain exposure and make money.
You Can be an Expert
Ferriss says there’s a big difference between being an expert and being perceived as one. I couldn’t agree more. It doesn’t matter if you’re an expert and no one knows it and it doesn’t matter if you are the top expert in your industry or not if the media is coming to you for expert advice. If you know more than most people about a particular niche, you can be an expert.
Ferriss’s Advice on How to Become an Expert in 4 Weeks
I don’t want to deter anyone from buying this book because I don’t want Ferriss to lose out on any of his much deserved royalties. Though I’m recapping his bullet points here, there is much more to gain from the book itself including resources, more tips, and tricks to accomplish these tasks to becoming an expert in 4 weeks.
- Join 2 or 3 related trade organizations
- Read 3 top selling books on your topic
- Give one free 3 hour seminar at the closest well-known university
- Give 2 free seminars at branches of two well-known big companies such as AT&T or IBM
- Offer to write 1 or 2 articles for trade organizations
- Join a service that journalists use to find experts to quote for articles
Share Your Opinion!
What do you think of Ferriss’s strategy? Can you see yourself doing this? If not, why? What was your favorite part of the 4-Hour Workweek? If you own this book, what convinced you to buy it?