Would you hire yourself?

Let me ask you a simple question. . .

“Take a look at the services and programs on your website and tell me, would you hire yourself?”

Seriously. Would you hire yourself for each and every thing listed under your services/programs? No one will know your answer. . .this is between your site and you.

If the answer is anything but a resounding “OH YEAH!”, it’s time for some reflection and possibly additional training.

Wondering where this came from?

I’m seeing oh-so-many “experts” who can’t do what they purport to offer:

“Marketing experts” who have no clients yet feel they can teach and charge others how to get clients
“Online experts” without the basics like an opt-in box who feel they can do website reviews and evaluate our businesses
“Marketing strategists” who see what others are doing and recommend you do the same – whether or not it works for your business, personality or industry
“Launch specialists” who consider sending a few emails and posting on social media a sufficient launch “strategy” and shrug their shoulders blaming the economy when things don’t go according to “plan”

It’s beyond frustrating. In fact, it’s unethical and fraudulent and subconsciously these individuals know this and so often repel the very thing they desire.

We all have gifts. We all have training and experience. We all have things we love to do and are great at.

If this article made you bristle or you felt targeted (you weren’t), you have a choice:

Focus on your gifts, training and experience and do well in your business and life;
Learn new skills, actually learn them, downloading an ebook or taking a class does not make you an expert, and do well in your business or
Claim to be something you’re not, take inconsistent action in becoming that person and wonder why you struggle.

This may sound harsh and I don’t mean it to (really). It’s a wake-up call for those who need it (and you know if you do).

If you’re focusing on your gifts, offering what you know and are still struggling however, the issue is likely one of consistency and/or marketing strategy and that’s a different, and also solvable, problem.

And “yes”. . .I’m saying “problem” and not “issue” as, while it’s a different problem, it’s just as serious and just as deadly to your business if not resolved.

If inspired, I’d love to hear your thoughts below.

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You're welcome to use this article on your website, blog or in your ezine if you include this entire blurb, without modification: If you liked this article, you'll want to hop on over to www.SandraMartini.com for more comprehensive business building and marketing strategies, articles and resources. Sandra Martini, a Small Business Mentor, founder of Escalator Marketing™ and creator of the Escalator Profits Program™, teaches small business owners and entrepreneurs how to build sustainable businesses without losing their integrity or their minds.

http://www.shawndriscoll.com/blog/ Shawn Driscoll

Sandy, great and honest post as usual. The thing is, I don’t think it’s malice (nor do you, I’m sure!) but misguided-ness that gets us here. It’s thinking ‘my gifts’ aren’t what people will pay for and so in an effort to be relevant and solvent, people chase ideas they think will sell. Like marketing. Launching. Social Media. When you try to fit yourself into the ‘what will sell’ box, what gets lost in translation is YOUR UNIQUE gifts. And that is very sad indeed. One other question I’d ask beyond your fabulous one is “does each and every offer you make on your site make you come alive with excitement?”. Because if it doesn’t you have a real problem!

http://www.SandraMartini.com Sandra Martini

Hey Shawn,

You’re exactly right…I don’t believe it’s malice and think it’s a self confidence issue in wondering if people will invest in their gifts.

And, absolutely, we need to love everything that we offer — otherwise it’s not going to be a great experience for our clients. . .or us. And that’s not why we went into business for ourselves.

With love and abundance,

Sandy

Connie

Have you all read Seth Grodin’s book “We are all weird”? It is all about how you can develop the “tribe” that really needs your unique (he would say weird) skills.

http://www.shannoncherry.com Shannon Cherry

Right on target Sandy. I just experienced the same in a JV partnership. This person who had another profession just months ago decided that wasn’t working and hopped onto virtual event marketing because she had been involved in a telesummit or two.

But the fact is her lack of professionalism for her own virtual event was so horrible, I have vowed never to work with her again.

This may seem selfish, but I AM a marketer. I’ve studied the craft for more than (gulp) 20 years and still am learning. For someone who just learned something through a class or watching it happen, does not have the credibility to teach. It’s insulting to even put them in the same league as someone who has been honing their craft for years.

Until you understand the why something works, you have no business teaching the how.

http://www.SandraMartini.com Sandra Martini

Hey Shannon,

AMEN on all points! I’ve often been asked “how do you know so much” and it comes from training, testing, tweaking, reading, experience, etc. I didn’t wake up one day and decide to put “expert” on my page thinking it would happen by osmosis.

Thanks for commenting!

With abundance,

Sandy

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_RDEZHKIWXY3EJTMS6LC7QOAKNU Jeanne G

Excellent article and a good reminder to take another look at my website. Thanks as always, Sandy.

http://www.SandraMartini.com Sandra Martini

Thanks Jeanne! This is always a great time of year to look at our sites and tweak.

http://www.VivaVisibilityBlog.com NancyMarmolejo

Great article Sandy, very honest and compassionate. Just cuz you can swing a hammer doesn’t make you a carpenter.

http://www.SandraMartini.com Sandra Martini

Thanks Nancy and you’re absolutely right. Goodness knows when I’ve swung without fulling understanding, I’ve demolished more than fixed.

Michellen

Wow!!! I read this article and I wandered what could have ticked you off and rock the boat so! Your articles are usually more “conservative” in tone but this one would sure hit some folks like a spear in the gut.

I clearly understand what you are saying and this is why I am very cautious about what I put on my website and what I communicate in my conversations. Even with all the expensive education (degrees, certification to the hill top) I have, my life long career and all of the jobs I have had is built around business administration and office management and these are the service area I focus on. I know my niche is administrative business systems, my 20+ years job experience, education and skill set is in general business administration and office management including HR, Sales & Marketing administrative support so all my communications have been how can “I help you grow your business by becoming efficient using administrative business support systems” and I continue to work on my website to ensure that it communicates this message not only in tone and words but also in layout, look and feel.

But not a lot of people are that honest and I hear you but in answer to your question I know I would definitely hire me if I had to.

However, having said this believe it or not I was just having a conversation on the telephone with someone about this. The person I was talking to on the telephone was curious about a business coach I had interacted with and wanted to know why I choose that person.

My response I was looking for someone who was honest, would tell me the truth, not tell me what I want to hear to get my money into their pocket, would give me substance instead of fluff, was certified and qualified to speak on the subject matter they were discussing with me and after following them online for a while realized that they practiced what they were preaching both in their demeanor online, in a group session and one to one with me.

If only more business coaches would be this honest like that, Clients may not be that difficult to find. But when others dirty the water from which you have to also drink with their unethical behavior it makes it quite difficult for those that follow.

Great article!!!!
Sheila O’Mara

Great article! This is a topic near and dear to my heart. I love your thought process here and as I do more and more research into the online world of coaching and mentoring, I am truly amazed at how many “experts” there are out there. It is disheartening to see all of the claims sometimes. Being genuine is just as important as knowing all of the answers.

I wonder if there is a universal definition of expert and what you need to do to ultimately achieve that title. Experience, knowledge, where you received your knowledge and many other factors I am sure play into it. I definitely see a need for many people to do a self examination before diving into the world of being an expert anything. If someone hasn’t walked the walk, maybe they shouldn’t talk the talk.

http://www.SandraMartini.com/blog Sandra Martini, Biz Mentor

Hi Sheila,

I LOVE your comment…”if someone hasn’t walked the walk, maybe they shouldn’t talk the talk”. Seriously, I love it!

The definition of “expert” is an interesting point as we continue (at least I hope we all do) learn and refine and become more and more proficient.

I know a ton about business/marketing strategy and implementation. Do I know “it all”? Absolutely not. Will I know more tomorrow? Absolutely, given that I make it a point to read, test and learn more daily.

So at what point are we an “expert”? The dictionary defines it as “someone who has special skill or knowledge in some particular field”.

I think whether we’ve attained that ranking should be determined first by our conscience (are you comfortable calling yourself one) and then, supported by our clients.

Thanks so much for your thought-provoking comments!

With abundance,

Sandy

Lisa Montanaro

Sandy-

Very good post! I wrote an article very similar to this last year asking if people were falling into the trap of the shoemaker’s shoes. It is so easy, as business owners, to get so caught up in serving clients and running the business, that many people’s own businesses (and sometimes even skills) start suffering. So I asked the same question you did: would you hire you? But I like that you took it a step further and asked readers to seriously look at their qualifications, skills and experience and how they are marketing themselves to the world, and then decide if they are projecting an accurate picture. Really great point!

I ran into the same problem as Shannon when I attempted to joint venture with someone this year and couldn’t believe how unprofessional, unprepared and unethical their JV material/content was. I dropped out before the JV launched thankfully. Now I am oh-so-careful about who I partner with.

Great stuff, as always!
Lisa Montanaro

Sandy-

Very good post! I wrote an article very similar to this last year asking if people were falling into the trap of the shoemaker’s shoes. It is so easy, as business owners, to get so caught up in serving clients and running the business, that many people’s own businesses (and sometimes even skills) start suffering. So I asked the same question you did: would you hire you? But I like that you took it a step further and asked readers to seriously look at their qualifications, skills and experience and how they are marketing themselves to the world, and then decide if they are projecting an accurate picture. Really great point!

I ran into the same problem as Shannon when I attempted to joint venture with someone this year and couldn’t believe how unprofessional, unprepared and unethical their JV material/content was. I dropped out before the JV launched thankfully. Now I am oh-so-careful about who I partner with.

Great stuff, as always!
http://twitter.com/RakeConsulting Corinna Rake

Hi Sandy,
While I agree with you completely that it is fraudulent to claim being an expert, etc. – as someone just starting out, or just starting out in a new direction, how are they supposed to gain the necessary experience to feel confident enough to eventually make that claim if they struggle to get clients/experience BECAUSE they don’t have experience? It’s a bit of a catch-22…

People want to hire people with experience, no doubt. So to be completely honest and say “I haven’t actually created a marketing plan, but I have some great ideas and a real drive to make this work for you” – honesty will get the interest, but not necessarily the clients. Especially in a ‘marketing’ situation – how can you prove you’re a good ‘marketer’ without experience, when marketing yourself (which would count as proof) depends on you getting the clients to show your marketing efforts worked?!

What do you suggest for entrepreneurs in that situation?

I started as a website developer, having never looked at HTML before. But, my training was as a software developer, so I knew it wouldn’t be hard to pick up. Although I never claimed to be an expert, I was fortunate enough to have a great coach/support and gradually gained the experience.

Now I’m looking to add another direction to my services and facing the similar scenario, with no direct experience or training apart from what I’ve ‘learned’ (i.e. read or watched) over the years as a solo-preneur. Again, I wouldn’t begin to claim being an expert, but after reading the beginning of this article, I feel a little bit like tucking my ideas under my pillow… why bother when I’m not an ‘expert’? But I won’t! Especially because you continue with “focus on your gifts, training and experience”. So that’s what I will do!

Thanks for the thought-provoking article!
Corinna

http://www.SandraMartini.com/blog Sandra Martini, Biz Mentor

Hey Corinna,

It’s okay to offer a service without being an “expert”. When I first started, I did things such as:

* Offered beta programs at reduced rates and shared that this was the first time I was offering the program and so offering at a special price with part of the “deal” being that members gave me their honest feedback so I could grow/learn from the experience (it also gave me lots of testimonials).

* Told clients up front that I was still learning “this” and my rates reflected that and that I wasn’t charging them for “learning” time (clients who were new in business themselves appreciated the price break).

* Hired a mentor before my business was even fully open, to get a feel for what would come up.

What I didn’t do:

* Claim I was an expert at lots of things — some things I was absolutely expert at having done 14 years in marketing and business start-ups before going out on my own. I focused on what I knew while learning other things.

* Charge high fees because that’s what “they” said to do.

I definitely support branching out and learning new things and don’t want to discourage you or anyone from doing that. It’s how we grow and it’s how we create multiple streams of income.

The goal is to be open and honest when doing it.

Thanks so much for writing!

With abundance,

Sandy

Sonja

I find it intersting that all of the replies seem ti be about “business related ” marketing etc. With over thirty years experience in the complimentary medicine field I am so frustrated by the ” health and diet ” experts that there are out there. Many are claimiimg to be an expert based on having lost weight on some random diet that they made up, or by “mindset coaches” who clearly do not understand how the subconsciousmind actaully works.

These so proclaimed experts have the capacity to damage the health of so many.

Sonja
http://www.integratedwellness.com.au

http://www.SandraMartini.com/blog Sandra Martini, Biz Mentor

Hi Sonja,

You’re so right — not only can these type of “experts” hurt our businesses, they can destroy our health, even with the best intentions.

It’s a chilling thought and reminds us to do our due diligence,

With abundance,

Sandy

Hazel Palache

Great article Sandy and as usual and right on the mark! I think I can
call myself a mindset expert and a coach because I am trained and
certified in both of these areas. However, although I ‘help’ clients
with copy and marketing I would never dream of calling myself an expert
in either field but I can point them in the right direction to get the
help if they need more than I can give them. The only reason I even call
myself a business coach is that I’ve co-owned a large company, worked
for other companies in various capacities and had nearly 30 years
experience in business and personal development. I have no judgement on
this and I do understand why people give themselves titles, however, If
everyone decides to give themselves any handle they feel like using,
what’s the point of having schools that train and certify you! I could
have saved myself a lot of money 20 years ago! Thanks Sandy, every
article you write creates new awareness and understanding and I always
learn something new.
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