from Jim's Marketing Blog:
Can we really trust business gurus? 5 Things you should know
Posted: 21 Feb 2011 03:23 AM PST
All business advice is not created equally.
The challenge for small business owners today, especially those looking online for free business advice, is that it has never been easier for someone to create fake proof that they are an expert. As business owners tend to look for advice in areas of business where, by default, they typically don’t know a great deal, it’s extremely simple for the fake experts to fool them.
Some fake experts are easy to spot
The fake marketing expert, who gets very few comments on his or her blog, is perhaps not the best person for you to invest in, if you want to learn how to build a passionate community of readers who will connect with you and buy from you. The success guru, who can’t afford a high quality, professional website is equally transparent. However, some fake experts are less easy to spot! You have to dig a little deeper.
Here are 5 things to consider, when you check someone out:
- ANYONE can claim to be a published author, thanks to services like lulu.
- ANYONE can claim to be a social media expert, thanks to software that allows them to gain tens of thousands of followers.
- ANYONE can claim to be the host of their own radio show, thanks to services like blogtalkradio.
- ANYONE can call themselves a guru, but very few genuine business experts ever do.
- ANYONE can have a professional looking website or blog, thanks to software like Headway (affiliate link.)
The bottom line: Free advice can be extremely costly, if you are making business decisions based on bad information. Never act on advice until you are satisfied that the person advising you is an expert.
Over to you
So, what are your tips on how to avoid taking bad advice? Please share them with a comment.
Photo: House of sims
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