Demonstrating your expertise to potential customers

In the Corporate and Business Blogging session at the recent Australian Blogging Conference, 2 of the reasons given for a business to blog were to demonstrate your expertise and to show thought leadership.

During the discussion we talked about blogging policies and I said that I self-edit: I do not discuss confidential client matters and I do not talk about proprietary business methods I have developed.

The discussion moved on but I want to go back and discuss the importance of sharing information with (even educating ) potential customers.

It's long been my view that businesses (including doctors and lawyers) benefit by talking about what they do and by giving free information, whether it's building a cupboard, making cakes, medical information or administering an estate.

With information, potential customers are able to make some basic decisions: do they need your service/product or not?  How do your services/product compare with others? Can they do it themselves? Do they need an expert?

I also believe in the value of collaboration with other like-minded people (see my wiki).

I believe that the best businesses are those who are willing to share information. Because by doing so they demonstrate that what they do is work with you from a common base and add more value to your relationship than if you did not have that shared knowledge.

Who would you rather work with? Someone who is willing to provide you with information and evidence of their expertise or someone who isn't prepared to communicate at all?