“Expert?” Um, I Don’t Think So…
Warning: this post is a bit of a rant (but does have a story and some practical advice). Does it seem like every day there’s a new pile of “experts” cropping up on every subject imaginable? Social media expert. Blogging expert. Communications expert. Strategy expert. Wingdings font expert. It’s enough to make me gag. Sorry but having a bunch of twitter followers or being at the top of the twitter elite for a podunk little town doesn’t make you a “social media expert.”
Even worse than the seemingly-viral proliferation of these “experts” are the egregious rates they expect for their services. Just because you call yourself an “expert” it doesn’t mean you’re entitled to the fee levels “real experts” charge (then again, if you’re the individual hiring an “expert” and paying them ridiculous fees, I can’t save you from your own insipidness).
Lastly, the worst aspect of these “experts” is the damage they can do to your organization. In some cases I’d love to sue some of these folks for malpractice of the trade they proclaim they’re an expert in.
So how can you as a leader of your organization protect yourself from the damage false experts can cause and how can you find the real experts among that mess? How can you ensure the expert isn’t like the false tailor and you end up like an emperor with no clothes?
It all boils down to asking the right questions.
First, let’s define expert: a person who has special skill or knowledge in some particular field. SPECIAL. Special meaning very few have this ability and said ability has and can generate value. SPECIAL. Meaning a level of expertise well beyond the capabilities of others. A quote that infuriates me exemplifies this point: “You only have to know 10% more than those you’re teaching before you can call yourself an expert.” 10%? Really? Are our performance expectations really that low? Hogwash I say! All of you reading know what your expectations of an “expert” are but too many times we let that standard slip as we’re interviewing potential expert service providers.
I recently heard a story about an “expert” that was pitching his services to a senior executive. After the “expert’s” pitch, the senior exec said “I’m sorry but your resume indicates nothing that makes you even remotely qualified to advise us on these topics. Beyond that, the fee structure you’re requesting is nowhere near commensurate with the value I believe you can provide, which, incidentally, given your lack of real experience in this field, is very little. I suggest you get some real-world practical experience in this field and demonstrate some tangible results before you hock your services as an ‘expert’ in this field.”
Oh. My. God. I love this guy. As my son would say, his response was an uber pwn in the world of business rejections. While the story is hilarious and you’re probably cheering for this guy, he’s also provided a valuable lesson you shouldn’t lose during your applause and cheering.
Ask for examples of relevant experience
Any “expert” should be able to readily and easily provide a laundry list of real-world experiences where they’ve utilized the skills they profess to have. Make your expert cough up the stories about how they’ve used what they’re teaching during previous job assignments or consulting assignments. If they can’t, your warning siren should be warming up.
Ask for evidence of impact they’ve had
I’ve said this a million times – I don’t care about activities. I care about impact. An expert must be able to link the provision of their expertise to real tangible results. Your organization must improve as a result of your investment in this person’s services. The likelihood of that happening if the “expert” has never before demonstrated bottom line impact is pretty low. If the expert is unable to provide direct evidence of the results they generate (either in the form of numbers for “hard” impact services or testimonials and survey results for “softer” skill services) the warning siren should begin emitting its wail.
Ask how they’ll transfer or apply their expertise
Experts can be like a street drug. Once you get hooked on their services, you might need to keep having them back to provide those skills. That gets expensive over time. The best kinds of experts are those who put clients first and try to render their services obsolete. Yes, I know you once again think I’ve lost it but that approach benefits both the expert and the client.
An expert who can build the skills of the people in your organization gives you leverage for your investment in their services. You now have a more capable team because the expert built their skills and those skills can now be applied more broadly in your organization. It’s beneficial to the expert because such an approach builds their reputation as someone who puts client first which should result in more work coming their way.
Ask your “expert” how they’re going to build your team’s skills and how they feel about rendering themselves obsolete by doing so. If they hem and haw, the warning siren should be at full wail.
Compare their rate to their value
Payments you make to an expert are an investment in your organization. You should expect a healthy return on that investment. “Good” experts will be able to articulate how their fees compare to the market as well as how their expertise will drive value to your bottom line. “Great” experts will actually shoot for a target of value to fees. A reasonable expectation is 5:1. A high expectation is 10:1 (said differently, if an expert charges $1 for services, they should drive between $5-10 in real, tangible value).
If your “expert” can’t articulate the investment return on their fees, the warning siren’s full wail should by now lead to an evacuation of the building. And to clarify – the only person who should be “evacuated” is the so-called expert who really isn’t.
Do you have any “experts” running around your organization? Are you considering hiring any? Ask them these questions and see what happens. It should make for an interesting conversation. You might just learn the “expert” is the tailor who believes you’re simply a foolish emperor and he’s willing to sell you invisible clothes. And if you’re touting yourself as an “expert” and you’re not, stop, go get some experience and figure out how to deliver value because eventually the market will decide whether you’re an expert or not. And when the market does make that judgment, it won’t be too kind if you’re not able to deliver on your so-called “expertise.”
How do you evaluate “experts?” What has your experience been? I’d love to hear your thoughts and stories.
– Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC
I don’t consider this a rant when it makes such valid and important points. Of course there are tons of other ways people are inflating their importance to appear competitive in the market place. We always need to actually verify that people can do what they claim for themselves.
Thanks for the well written post.
Wyatt at Pan Historia
Mike, Good rant today. However, doesn’t the market usually take care of this problem? I mean, if someone’s not adding the value to the organization that their supposed experience and rates would justify, then don’t they whither and die? From what I’ve seen, experts, specialists, consultants…whatever you want to call them, only get so far if they are not generating value to their clients. Especially in this economy I think a lot of organizations are asking (I hope)the questions your blog post mentions. As an “expert,” overpromising becomes a very slippery slope.
As an expert at leaving comments on other people’s blogs, I have to say that you’ve hit the nail on the head.
The company I work for has fallen into this trap so many times, I’m starting to think they’re in cahoots with some of them.
@Pan – glad you enjoyed it. Verification of capabilities of “experts” is key.
@Mike – sure the market will eventually make the judgment. Problem is, people waste money on so-called “experts” before the market actually speaks. Long term, the market rules. Short term, you can make some wasteful investment decisions.
@Phil – glad it resonated but sad it resonated because that means it’s going on… a lot. Hope you’re able to fix that for your organization.
As to Mike Sheehan’s comment – the market unfortunately does not always get rid of charlatans automatically. There are a lot of companies out there that ARE willing to buy the emperor’s new clothes.
Thanks Mike for pointing out the problem.
I couldn’t agree more. One of the interesting things going on now is that every other company is looking to do social media. This has instigated a rise in the number of SoMe “experts”. What is interesting is that so few have them have any expertise in marketing, PR or anything else relevant. This makes it a very crowded field. While competition is good, too few companies know what to look for in a SoMe expert. Seriously, how many even have a case study with actual numbers? However, I’m sure this will work itself just the way it did with web design. The hacks will end up in the same place that the companies who judge their consultants based on price do: trolling Craigslist!
Mike – enjoyed the rant…I’ve been wanting to write a blog about this very thing as I watched people (some with a clue, some without) decide to be social media consultants. In reality I think many assume having a twitter account and a Facebook page makes them an expert. Incredible. I think Mike Sheehan’s comment is correct, but it will take time for the market to whittle out the wannabees. In the interim, as the economy worsens and people look for any way to make a dollar, I think we will see a great many “experts” enter all kinds of fields.
Great post…and a subject we’ve been over and over both on Twitter and in blogs…
I personally don’t even claim to be an expert on writing, with 17 novels and 200 or so short stories out there. It almost seems that for Twitter you have a box that says “Expert in” that has to be filled in – everyone claims to be an expert or guru in something. Coaching is another one I have come to loathe…
Good stuff here…
DNW
I think a lot of people want to be experts, to learn a lot about a particular subject, either because they love it, or because they want to advise others in their particular area. Sometimes people step into this role ahead of the time when others in the field would be willing to award them the title of expert. That’s not always wrong.It depends on the expertise of the client, to some extent, and what’s needed from the “expert.”
I would only add one other characteristic of an expert… passion. One way to help differentiate an expert from an also-ran is by their passion for what they do and sharing it with others. When someone is passionate they are more willing to teach and spread their skills around, especially if they find people in your organization that share their passion.
BTW – one of my favorite old jokes: Think about the word EXPERT – and EX is a has been and a sPERT(spurt) is just a drip under pressure.
As someone who has been running business operations for over 12 years, I constantly come across those business charlatans(sorry… “experts”) claiming all kinds of wonders they can create. I have my way of weeding out real gems from garbage, but unfortunately not enough people are questioning abilities of those “experts”. So everywhere we go now we see “gurus” and “experts” with outrageous profiles and claims but zero proof of value added. From lawyers to social media experts, technology people to PR “gurus”, if we don’t do our due diligence on those “experts”, we will continue hurting our companies.
Don’t take me wrong, there are plenty of very valuable real experts, they just choose to let their work do the talking.
Great post. When someone claims to be an expert-the transparency, for me, is to see that they are egoically identified with a label. Those label identifications will not hold up in these times. We are individuals with all sorts of unique talents. Taking (knowing!) those talents and applying them to problems, in creative and meaningful ways, is what will make your business and your offerings relevant. The folks holding on to their labels are in for tough times. It’s all about quality relationships, meaningful contribution and extraordinary creativity. Be your best, most passionate, talented selves this year folks.
Thanks for the opportunity to share thoughts.
Wow, Mike! Quite a rant! In your passion, though, there are some fine nuggets of wisdom and (in reading) a touch of cooking whine (needed for the rant/wisdom recipe).
There are, and always will be, charlatans among us, and 10% experts. To some degree, the marketplace remains a “buyer beware” place. There are, as you correctly point out, those of us (both of us included, I think) in the marketplace who seek to help prospective clients make better decisions.
Some facts remain: the person most likely to get a job/engagement is the person best able to sell him/herself, not necessarily the person best able to do the work; some customers will always opt for price over value; traditional market pricing does not always compensate for outstanding performance (at least on the transactional level); some people are biased by history and/or experience impairing their ability to make cost effective decisions; suppliers (when hungry) tend to oversell; and, the list goes on.
You are dead on making the point that performance history should be a determinant of at least price, if not opportunity (though we should leave room for the newbie’s – they have to start somewhere).
Thanks for the rant. Your passion for the customer and for integrity in the field is evident – and a good “read” as well. Best regards, John
thank god someone named the elephant in the room, I am soooooooo over everyone marketing themselves as experts! and I quite like a good rant myself.
First, eliminate anyone who claims for himself the title “guru”.
Wow. I’m thrilled to have so many of you share such great insights and perspectives. I love how the word “charlatans” popped up several times. So true.
Again – it’s about impact and results in my mind. The market decides if you’re an expert or not. I hope the questions I laid out in the post help folks accurately assess “experts” and weed out the charlatans before they waste some of their organization’s hard earned cash. Thanks to everyone for reading.
This was probably one of the most informative blogs I have ever read! I really enjoyed the content and am using it already!
Thanks!
Red
http://www.mybitterblog.com
Hi Mike,
Great post. I seem to remember earlier in my career as a consultant we could not use the word “expert” because that term was reserved for people qualified to testify in court on a subject.
I have often wondered how some of the consultants I would not consider associating with managed to get a great deal of business. It seems in some cases either large ego or lack of self awareness in realizing how much he/she actually knows may drive this along with clients who either do not know what to ask or chose not.
This mis-use of experts damages organizations is mal-practice.
I hope some of your readers take this information to hear and give careful consideration to the “experts” they hire.
Is and “expert” an “expert” regardless or can a person differentiate themselves into being an expert?
@Mike Bowers – I think what you’re asking is if you can develop a distinctive capability in a specific niche whereby you know more about the subject than the vast majority of others. If that’s so, I believe that is the true definition of being an expert. Not entirely sure what you mean by “‘expert’ regardless.”
Thanks for this post. I feel like I run across this issue often when SEO people follow me on Twitter. They often talk a good game but when I visit their site, they don't talk about what they've done for their clients, how they have improved traffic for those sites, what sort of areas they specialize in for link building, etc. I've been told once or twice that it isn't particularly relevant and that they shouldn't put that info on their pages. Well, if you want me to consider your services, I should see some way to measure their return. I don't claim to be an expert but my resume certainly has measurables that people can easily understand in terms of figuring out my value.