Talented people are everywhere. Many companies, corporations, and businesses are lucky to have many talented people working for them everyday. When it comes to training and informing their staffs, these companies, corporations and businesses turn to experts to lend a helping and knowing hand. These experts can be consultants, professional speakers and trainers, or outside experts in their field. There is always an expert that will help answer and address problems and issues.

So tell me, why do these experts have to live more than 40 miles away from their home? While this an old saying, it is also a current way of thinking in many cities. If you ask a local business person where they go for help, they will usually name a person, or group, from outside their city market.

The incorrect perception is that the local market does not have a talent pool of experts to choose from to help these businesses. That's why people go outside the market to get the experts they need.

The truth is the local market expert talent pool is tremendous. In reality, the local experts can do exactly the same, if not better work, and they are usually cheaper than any outside experts as there are no travel related expenses. If these experts don't work in their market, how do they stay in business? It shouldn't be a surprise that they do their work in towns twenty-five miles, or more, away. Why? Because they become the "out of town expert".

It's kind of silly when you think of it. There's a large pool of talent, knowledge and experience people that are not taken advantage of. It's similar to the people who complain that people drive to the larger city to buy furniture and don't support the local furniture stores.

For example, a seminar presenter can do a half-day seminar in Colorado Springs for $125.00. Out of 100 Colorado Springs residents, perhaps 25-30 people will attend. Now it gets interesting when the seminar is presented in Denver and the fee is raised to $325.00. Fifty people from the original 100 will drive to Denver and pay the higher fee. Why? Because it's in Denver, and there's an out of town expert speaker.

When you think of the Colorado Speakers Association, a chapter of the National Speakers Association, you might think that the current President, Michael D. Morgan, would live in Denver. His company, the Morgan Success Group, Inc, specializes in helping companies in maximizing their businesses. His client list is impressive and he travels across the country from city to city presenting his expertise. What's more surprising is that he lives in Colorado Springs. Consequently, 95% of his business is national and the balance is somewhere in Colorado, but not in Colorado Springs. Even more surprising is the number of companies who hire Michael to speak at their company functions they are hosting in (you guessed it) Colorado Springs.

There are hundreds of talented experts available to local businesses. While there are some experts whose main expertise is more appropriate to larger companies not found locally, there are many more who can do excellent work, and they're part of the community.

So while the grass looks greener on the other side of the fence, we might give another thought about experts and take a closer look at what we have at home before we start going over the fence. We have nothing to lose and much to gain. After all, we live in our town and we want people to do business with us here, too!

While it's perplexing that people think this way, it's also a fact of life. Until people take a harder look at the local talent pool, they will lose out on the "in town experts" right under their noses.

Supporting your local businesses should apply to everyone in any kind of business. If it's not available locally, then it's understandable to go outside. But you've got to thoroughly research what's available in your market and put aside preconceived ideas that if they're local, they can't be any good. They're in business, too. Wouldn't you want them to do business with you? After all, aren't you local?