We live in the information age, the age in which ideas are more popular than products, where programs replace the product, where teleseminars and webinars triumph over books. Everyone seems to have posted a banner promoting their expert status, whether it’s making money, social media, teleseminar techniques, millionaire mindsets, living longer, losing weight, or any other specialty of the day. The challenge is making sure you are genuinely getting your information from proven talents and real experts. So before you dive into someone’s latest nugget or invest in that sizzling show, here are some guidelines for measuring its true worth:
Do they “do what they say”? Do they do what they recommend you do? Are they fully practicing what they teach? (Check them out online!) This is particularly prevalent in online businesses. The best teleseminar teacher is the one who does them frequently, has created a process, and is successful in it. You want to avoid someone who has never hosted a teleseminar, but who claims to be an expert and shows you someone else’s process, but who has never done it themselves. A recent favorite example is a social media speaker who has no profile or presence on Twitter, none on Linked IN and a fan page with fewer than 50 fans on Facebook, and no other profile on that network. They may know a few things and may contribute to a discussion, but they are not active online, in the trenches day by day practicing what they plan to preach.
What is the depth of your experience? On Lifetime? Years? Months? Days?
There are many self-proclaimed experts who hang tiles because a topic is popular, their experience is limited, but their confidence is not! The challenge is that you will not get the real depth of knowledge that you seek and deserve and you are likely to get misinformation due to your lack of experience.
What is the source of your experience? Formal training? Private mentoring? Certification (if applicable and relevant)? Improvising? Now, I am not suggesting that the school of hard knocks is not a valuable teacher; It is one of the most valuable! But in the information age, it’s easy to sign up for programs, tutoring, and more to expand your experience. Check if your expert has. They need to know their experience inside and out, both the actual practice and the educational point of view.
Are they recommended by colleagues and clients? Now I understand that this may be a bit unusual, however in this information age it is important to know who an expert is surrounded by. It’s simple enough to get a handful of rave reviews from friends, which is why it’s important to seek feedback and compliments from colleagues, peers, and real clients / customers. The exception is if this person’s experience is being translated from another field or specialty and their reputation in that field leads them to this one.
So when you invest in yourself, your knowledge, and your experience, be sure to source it from truly qualified and experienced experts in your field. You deserve the best in your investment in information and also a source to support you in your learning. Most (though not all) reputable programs offered by genuine experts come with a full money-back guarantee. So your financial investment in your greatest asset is well protected. Check before you dive in, experts are around every corner, true experts guarantee the quality of your content and delivery. The results are always up to you!
