This weekend, I took a walk with my friend Justin through Discovery Park here in Seattle.

It’s a massive enough park that you always take different routes and see new things, but more often than not you end up at the West Point Lighthouse before heading back to wherever you parked.

It’s a pretty cool sight. I’d been there several times before.

330-degree water views over Puget Sound.

Some preserved-yet-abandoned historical buildings.

Once we arrived, I was ready to just keep walking and begin the back half of our hike, when Justin started pointing out features of the lighthouse:

• That every Lighthouse has a different beam color and frequency
• That this Lighthouse has acrylic protective covers instead of glass
• That the attached shed was historically the housing for oil to keep it operating
• etc. etc.

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Kinda taken aback by his level of knowledge, I naturally asked, “How do you know so much about lighthouses?”

“Well, my partner and I used to buy lighthouses on the East coast and convert them into bed & breakfasts.”

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Ok, not something you hear every day. But super interesting.

I, of course, had a ton more questions as we walked back to the car, but it really struck me…

What if we hadn’t taken the path to the lighthouse?

Or had gone to a different park altogether?

All of that experience and acquired knowledge was sitting just right under the surface, and I never would’ve known.

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More often than not, that’s precisely what happens to our domain expertise.

We’re happy to call it up when asked, or volunteer it when it seems contextually relevant.

But how are others supposed to know what’s living in your head if we don’t talk about it?

If we don’t show it?

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People shouldn’t have to guess what you know.

In fact, they won’t.

It’s up to you to put it on display.

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💡

-Wes

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P.S. Could turning your expertise visual help smooth out your sales conversations? Build your authority in the market?

A few summer slots of The 1:1 IP Builder Sprint are still available.

Two weeks. Three sessions. Five 'intellectual headshots' to telegraph what you know to the people who need to know.

​Details & dates here or book a free no-sales consultation.