A CLEAR CUT GUIDE ON HOW TO BECOME AN SME (SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT)

A Subject Matter expert can be from your internal team, an external consultant or a third party contractor to whom companies turn back for their expertise. Most of the industries checking out on SME are IT, HR, Law, education, public relations, software development and marketing. Depending on the industry the responsibilities and day-to-day activities do differ, although a few of them can be found in most of the fields. For example, they may suggest on the infrastructure and software while identifying the best corporate practices to increase productivity and save resources. To become a SME, professionals must translate complex data into easily comprehensible information that employees from all departments can understand during their training sessions.

TIPS ON HOW TO BECOME AN SME

FIND YOUR NICHE AND KEEP GROWING

Regardless of the business sector you work in, ask yourself, “what do I enjoy about my job, and what type of advice do people ask from me?”. When you ask such questions, it may help you realize what’s your true passion and the knowledge you can leverage to grow and become an undeniable expert. When you are aware of the market, then it makes bit easier to find your niche. Maybe your company lacks expertise in a specific area. You can take advantage of this gap and fill it with unique knowledge. Once you have located your area you’ll focus on educating yourself in that specific niche. You may apply for master’s degree, take online courses and attend seminars. However, no matter how much informal or formal education you receive, attaining knowledge and expertise is an ongoing process. You should keep yourself up with the trending technologies.

SHOWCASE YOUR EXPERTISE

For becoming a SME, you must always innovate and put your problem –solving skills into action. But you should not make any suggestions you’ve never tried out or tested just because you think they might work. Going from theory to practice isn’t always successful.? So, before making a recommendation test your idea and see if it works. Depending on the company and its requirement, the same solution may not work effectively in all cases. Ensuring usefulness and compatibility makes you a trustworthy professional who delivers on their promise.

BE AUTHENTIC

It’s quite easy to get distracted by code and commission, but it’s important to show authenticity to the clients. When you are proposing technologies and solutions, you must only recommend tools that can help them elevate their performance. You should not get carried away and propose new technologies that seem exciting but haven't proved their usability yet. Your customers need to come first and you should always make decisions based on them. Moreover, you need to be realistic when setting goals and not exaggerate the potential of project to pave the way for success and protect a client from added risk or even failure.

?

?

?

WAYS TO ESTABLISH CREDIBILITY

FOCUS ON DATA

There are many organizations who make decisions based on data, on many occasions, but do lack effective data analysis and interpretations. To become an SME, you must be able to read data, regardless of its complexities, understand it and analyse it efficiently.? Problem solving, critical thinking and data awareness are indispensable attribute you must possess. The first step is to be aware of the data you need to collect and find the appropriate method to attain it. Then, you must evaluate its trustworthiness, interpret it with simple words, and use it to solve existing problems. Percentage and graphs can’t tell a story clearly. They are just the contexts that help you build your content around. People won’t be convinced by the data, but by the story you tell them while showing the spreadsheet.

UNDERSTAND MEANING OF LEVERAGE

Just knowing the subject matter would not be enough to showcase yourself as an SME. Anyone can gain the same knowledge as you by taking the same courses, studying the same books, and attending the same conferences. For distinguishing yourself, you must show how you can leverage your theoretical knowledge and translate into practical solutions. Sometimes professionals and businesses don’t realize their needs or the best course of action. As an SME, you should notice areas for improvement based on the data you have collected and show them how they can grow. Provide them with viable options and showcase how these methods can elevate their brand.

BE A RESOURCE, NOT AN EXPERT

SME’s hold deep knowledge of their industry that the vast majority of professionals don’t. As a result, their responsibility is to unveil the unknown and share their experience with those who need it. They lead people to innovate and create unique product and services based on precious information that quite few in the field have. They also help organizations navigate difficult and unknown circumstances. So, to become an SME, it’s not enough to be an expert, you should know how to use your knowledge to help businesses grow.

SPEAK ON WHAT PEOPLE AGREE ON

A successful SME should be equipped with listening skills. When you engage in conversations and meetings, you must talk less and mostly listen to what other have to say. In such a manner, you will get good understanding of their beliefs and where they are coming from. By reading the room, you don’t have to ask the question and wait for answers. Consequently, you can make them feel like they are on the same page. Don’t just use your personal beliefs; they can easily cause disagreement and tension to the team.