Diane Helbig says we are living in an "expertise economy."  With all the tools consumers have to do their own research, Helbig says what business owners know is as important as what they make.  Writing at Small Business Trends, Helbig shares some best practices for businesses in this new economy.  One of the parctices she encourages is to "build a community":

Find experts in other fields that are complementary to yours. Invite those experts to share their information with your audience. Build a foundation of experts so your audience sees you as a go-to company whenever they need information – even outside of your area of expertise.

Szarka Financial in North Olmsted, Ohio, is a great example of this practice. Not only have they developed programs that they offer around their industry, but they have gathered a stable of experts in various areas that touch theirs. They have established their firm as a go-to source for people who are looking for information in and around the area of personal and business finances. They understand that they aren’t going to do business with everyone.

However, sharing information with everyone helps consumers decide if Szarka is right for them and provides Szarka with a great referral pool. Actually, two referral pools: (1) the partner organizations they promote, and (2) the people who take advantage of the information Szarka and their partners share.

Read 3 Steps to Succeeding in the Expertise Economy here.