“Being visible is beneath my position”

A consultant with 20 years of experience said it to me. Meanwhile, someone with far less experience is the one people know.

The story

I hear this objection from senior specialists in particular. A consultant, a partner in a firm, a chief executive. They feel that showing up on social media is for beginners, and that it takes away from their standing.

I respect that feeling. But on the same day he tells me this, a patient or a client types his specialty into search and another name comes up. A name with less experience, but one that's there.

The idea

The decision is now made before the meeting. People spend more than 6 hours a day on their phones. So before they meet anyone, a lawyer, a doctor or a consultant, they look them up first.

If you're visible, the decision gets easier: “Can this person solve my problem or not?” If you're not, there's nothing to decide on. So they go to whoever they found.

A real example

Today a patient looks up the doctor before going to the clinic: where he is, which hospital, and what his exact specialty is.

And in the clinic? They barely get a quarter of an hour with you, 20 minutes if you stretch it. There's no way they can ask every question and you answer all of them.

Your presence is what answers them before they come to you. They walk in understanding their case, knowing what you do, with their basic questions already answered.

How to apply it

1. Show up in your exact specialty, not in everything. Your position is protected when you speak about what you're a reference in.
2. Collect the questions you keep getting in the clinic or the office, and answer each one in a short video.
3. Keep the style like you: calm, clear, and without showing off. Standing comes from clarity.
4. Put in your accounts where people can find you: the hospital, the days, and how to book.

What you gain

The client comes to you already convinced, with their questions answered. Your time with them goes to the decision, not to introducing yourself.

And 20 years of experience reach the people who need them, instead of staying inside the clinic walls.

The takeaway

Being visible is no longer about what is or isn't “beneath you”. It's part of professional life. What's really beneath your position is people making their decision about you without ever hearing from you.

Your client decided before they walked in. The question is: what did they see?

Further reading: They Ask, You Answer — Marcus Sheridan