We are living in the information age, the age where ideas are more popular than products, where programs replace product, where teleseminars and webinars trump books. Everyone it seems has hung out a shingle touting their expert status whether it is in how to make money, social media, teleseminar techniques, millionaire mindsets, living longer, losing weight or any other specialty of the day. The challenge is in making sure that you are genuinely getting your information from proven talents and real experts. So before you dive after someone’s latest nugget or invest in that hot program, here are some guidelines to measure their true value:
Do they “walk their talk?” Do they do what they recommend you do? Are they practicing completely what they teach? (Check them out online!) This is particularly prevalent with online business. The best teacher of teleseminars is one who is doing them frequently, has created a process, and is successful at it. You want to avoid someone who has never put on a teleseminar but proclaims themselves an expert and shows you someone else’s process but has never done it themselves. A recent favorite example is a social media speaker who doesn’t have a profile or presence on Twitter, none on Linked IN, and a fan page with less than 50 fans on Facebook, and no other profile on that network. They may know some things, and can contribute to a discussion, but they aren’t active online, in the trenches day to day practicing what they are planning to preach.
What is the depth of their experience? A Lifetime? Years? Months? Days?
There are many self proclaimed experts who hang out a shingle because a topic is popular, their experience is limited, but their confidence isn’t! The challenge is that you won’t get the real depth of knowledge you seek and deserve and you are likely to get erroneous information due to their lack of expertise.
What is the source of their expertise? Formal Training? Private Mentoring? Certification (if applicable and relevant)? Winging It? Now, I’m not suggesting that the school of hard knocks isn’t a valuable teacher; it is one of the most valuable! But in the information age it is simple to enroll in programs, mentoring, and more to take your expertise farther. Check to see if your expert has. They need to know their expertise inside and out, both actual practice and the education view.
Are they recommended by colleagues and clients? Now I appreciate this may be a bit unusual, yet in this information age, it is important to know who an expert is surrounded by. It is simple enough to get a handful of rave reviews from friends, that’s why it is important to look for comments and kudos from colleagues, peers, and real clients/customers. The exception is if this person’s expertise is translating from another field or specialty and their reputation in that field carries them into this one.
So when you invest in yourself, your knowledge, and your expertise, be sure that you are getting it from truly qualified, experienced experts in their field. You deserve the finest in your information investment and also a source that will support you in your learning. Most (though not all) reputable programs offered by genuine experts come with a full money back guarantee. Your financial investment in your greatest asset is then well protected. Check before you dive in, experts stand on every corner, true experts guarantee the quality of their content and delivery. Results are always up to you!
Your comments are welcome and appreciated!
