Let me start this discussion with a quote from Dr. David Oyedepo, one of the most successful men in the world today, “Knowledge is not marketable, it is skill that you market, skill is not a function of the papers you carry, it is a function of the tactics, and the strategies you engage in handling your assignment.” 

It is important, at this point, to make a distinction between knowledge and skill to enhance your comprehension of the topic.

Guy Boulet explains that “Knowledge is information acquired through sensory input: reading, watching, listening, touching” and that skill is “the ability to apply knowledge to specific situations.” In short, knowledge is theoretical and skills are practical. So, knowledge has to do with learning principles and concepts or acquiring information on particular subjects, while skills refer to the actual application or practice of the theory or principles, to produce the expected results.

The world is full of very knowledgeable persons in various areas but has limited skilled persons in virtually all areas of human endeavour. For instance, there are so many that know so much about soccer, can give detailed descriptions of the game, the rules, and the players, but it is only the professional players who have been out there in the field, practically playing the football, that have gained the skill. Do you know what? These practical footballers, professional players, are seriously marketing their skill. The same applies to various other areas of life.

Many persons, in fact the great majority, are not able to maximize their potential; they live below expectations, in business, career, financially and otherwise because they possess just knowledge, not skills. The world has changed dramatically and the skills needed in today’s world are also changing fast. In fact, the 21st century is the Age of Skills. To fit in, we must upgrade our knowledge into skills. Remember, we can sell skills, not knowledge.

How can you turn your knowledge into a skill you can market?

Ø  Do personal skills audit: Appraise your skills situation, noting which ones you have and which ones you badly need. This should include both hard (technical) skills and soft (communication, time management, etc) skills.

Ø  Undertake relevant training: It is practical training that turns knowledge into skill. When a person attends a driving school, for instance, no matter the driving theories and principles he or she is taught in class, it is the practical training of driving a car, opening the ignition, selecting and engaging the gear, using the trafficator, turning the steering wheel, throttling, braking, etc, that will enable the trainee gain skill. That makes skill habitual, something that has become a part and parcel of us.

Even raw talents (natural abilities) are not marketable per se. Practical training sharpens and improves them into skill. A person with talent of singing becomes an outstanding musician after some practical training. Ecclesiastes 10:10, in the World English Bible records that, “If the axe is blunt, and one doesn't sharpen the edge, then he must use more strength; but skill brings success.”

Ø  Constant practice develops and strengthens skills: The world is very wide and the areas or fields of knowledge are too vast. Therefore, you must narrow down to certain fields or selected core areas of your special abilities and endowments, where you will have ample room, to practice. Athletes, writers, entrepreneurs, and people in various professions, become experienced and great because they practice constantly.

Even when you undertake a training, whether formal or informal, ensure that you are exposed mostly to regular practical, how-you-do activities, instead of sit-tight what-it-is lectures, if you must develop and market your skills.

Ø  Create new opportunities to engage your fresh skills: If a trainee undergoes a two-week training in a driving school, acquires driving skill, and then stays away from driving for say five years, he or she will lose that skill. You can always create new opportunities that make your skills relevant and marketable. Your opportunities are limited only by your imagination. Reginald B. Mansell says that, “A pessimist is one who makes difficulties of his opportunities; an optimist is one who makes opportunities of his difficulties.”