Define Experts

I was going to say that but Tim beat me to it!

What a GREAT thread - and very interesting perspectives on how to define "Experts."

If you look it up in the dictionary, it refers to someone who has "special skill or knowledge in a particular field."

But that begs the question how do you define "special" as it relates to that particular field (whatever it may be) - and that's going to vary depending on who you ask and what company you're in.

Let's use web designers for a simple example of what I mean.

So when the local designer who's been at it for a few months goes to the business owner who doesn't have a website and can't spell "www." and offers to create a simple 3 page template site on a hosted platform with a drag and drop design tool - she is the expert.

But when the next designer comes along and can build a self-hosted site with 5 pages, customized header and an opt-in form that the customer can easily update - all of a sudden he's the expert.

That is until the next designer comes along, because he's been doing it for years and has a degree in coding those funny "languages" with odd names that are just made up of letters - and he can not only do what they could - but can completely re-arrange things on the page and use different colors in different place, put videos on the site and use these things called APIs to connect the site to something else when certain things happen and who knows what else...

But then along comes this newbie that can take all of what any of them did and make it look and display nicely on the desktop, laptop, iPad, smartphone and "hundreds of other devices" she says...then she's the expert.


That may not be the best analogy, but hopefully it demonstrates the point.

I'm not so sure any one of us can define "expert" except for ourselves - although we certainly can influence who is and who is not perceived as an expert (and perception is reality until and unless proven otherwise).

So "expert" really is a "moving target" - an opinion if you will.

Just because I think someone is an expert doesn't mean you will - and the same holds true when reversed.

Just because a particular person "in the room" is viewed as an expert right now doesn't mean they will be 5 minutes from now - the present company may learn of somebody with even greater special skills and/or knowledge or the subject matter may change and all of a sudden the expert on "X" is now just like the rest of us when it comes to "Y" - until the subject matter comes back around to expert "X's" area of skill and knowledge.


So really, we all have our "expertise" and define "experts" based on our own experiences, skills and knowledge...and the creation of preconceived opinions as influenced by our peers.


One of the best things I've heard on the subject is that in order to be perceived and received as an expert - all you have to do is know a little bit more than the people or person around you at the time.

And of course this would mean the only way one could be a self proclaimed expert is if in their own opinion, they had more specialized skill and knowledge than everybody else. More often than not though that's just arrogance - which is usually self serving for the most part - and precludes them from being an "expert."

Now back to the analogy...

So when the last designer storms through the door, looks around at everybody and says "I'm the expert here" - everybody knows he isn't - even if he may be the most skilled and knowledgeable.

So to be or become an expert...

Embrace opportunity; continuously educate and practice within your field so you can become knowledgeable and skilled; trust in your ability; let your actions and service positively influence others in such a manner as to earn the recognition from your peers...and confidently but with humility acknowledge acceptance when justified.

Beat me to it!

Will

Yup. I totally agree. Monetary value is not the main concern. The value of an expert is in his real experience and real results.

Make sense Pete. A subject matter expert should be able to express himself clearly according to his audience's level of knowledge.

Sal,

Like you stressed, an expert is a hands-on person with real track record. You're definitely one of them.

Hope I can be an expert of at least an area of IM. And later on, be able to help a lot of people in that area.

Well Bill... I consider you as a person of quality experience. Most of us here know your accomplishments, ups and downs in business.

Thus, you can easily and quickly help another person who is facing the same issues that you faced before, in your area of expertise. To me, this is a true expert.

Tim... that is deep. I'm not sure I can understand. My English is not that good.

But what I know is, all the videos you produced are fantastic ! I watched ALL OF THEM !

Very true. This is the sort of mixed up that I would like to stay away from. Which is one of the reason I opened this thread.

A GURU can talk or write about a topic even if he has not accomplished a thing in that area. The content is from what he read, heard and scraped.

IMHO, an EXPERT talks only about a subject which he is truly familiar with - experienced, failed, succeeded, accomplished and still doing it. We can feel his passion.

An expert who has many clients already, don't need to market himself. Many get clients by word of mouth.

Others definitely need to market themselves. Obviously, they need to spell out their expertise clearly, accomplishments, testimonies and references. Almost like bragging.

IMHO, there is nothing wrong to actually proclaim their abilities to the right audience. Wise prospects will definitely evaluate and test them before making any decision.

Exactly !

I hope what you meant by real world person is about his real world experience and track records.

lol ... of all examples, you took notice of that one. There must be a reason.

Incidentally, all of my 4 kids ( 2 girls and 2 boys ) practice a type of Chinese-Malay martial art for physical health, mental sharpness and self-defence.

Unlike my children, exponents (experts) are tested and proven in the rings. And mostly will impart their skills to others as well, while training.

My favorite definition of an expert:

"An ordinary fellow a safe distance from home."

Steve

Sal,

IMHO, an expert is a person who can complete and deliver specific range of goals accordingly. To deliver, he has to have hands-on experience and can pool resources anytime he wants. Therefore he can deliver as quickly or as slowly as he wants.

IMHO, an authority ( not the authorities in public office ), is a senior expert who has tremendous years of experience. He is highly respected for his accomplishments and has contributed a lot in the area of expertise. Everyone including other experts see him as THE BENCHMARK.

Steve,

I believe so too.

Hi Andy,

Indeed it is a circular issue and very subjective.

But it has got to start at some point of time like any other professions.

Google has been patient with a lot of junks. Then G decided set a standard against the wishes of junk-mongers who made lots of $$$. G did it for the sake of user experience ( successful to a certain extend ).

So previously we have 2 sets of "experts" :
(A) those who promote products on how to create junks for quick bucks in G
(B) those who promote products on how to create value for G users, and make money.

Nowadays we have more of (B)s than (A)s in here.

So the point is, when we say EXPERTS, we look at VALUEs and NOT JUNKS.

Hi,

I know someone with the same situation like yours at my location.

His main biz is providing SMS Applications for TV, Radio and Telcos. Yet, he is more popular in Internet Security than his biz. He has been invited to give talks here and internationally. He had also gave briefings to NYPD, LAPD and London Met a couple of times. Right now he is one of the committee member for Gov-initiated Cybersecurity Group.

His specialty is not Internet Forensics but more about User Security POV. None of the IT experts here can deliver as good as he does... so far.

Is he an expert? People say he is. But he say he is not. Yet, right now he is also advising the Military. lol.

Probably, he got sucked in so deep as an "EXPERT" because people felt they got more VALUE from him than IT Security Experts. Exactly as AndyHendry described earlier.

Very well said and I agree 100% - in theory.

But, you have to remember that in the "real world:"

Perception is reality to those who perceive it until and unless proven otherwise.

And consider:

If an expert couldn't become an expert unless and until it was conferred by peers with comparable education and experience in the same area - where would they begin?

And recognize:

There are far more non-experts out there who are recognizing people as experts than there are experts doing so. And yes, this includes customers, prospects and others who are less knowledgeable on the subject than the person they characterize as an expert.


And then there are the "Experts In A Box" - who are "created" and (at least initially) validated by a group who has something to gain from this person being an expert (anybody think of any examples..... ?)

In fact, one could argue that "experts" in general - right, wrong or otherwise - are characterized and held to different standards depending on the subject matter, audience and situation (which is what I mean when I say defining an experts is a moving target subject to a number of variables)

Consider the following:

While characterization as an expert should, as Big Mike pointed out, be conferred by ones peers who also have education and expertise on the subject matter - in reality (particularly in some fields more so than others), the "expert" is defined and/or perceived by an audience other than what would be considered comparable peers - by an individual or group who is not qualified to characterize them as such by anyone other than themselves and their perception.

In many cases the audience or group granting expert status to an individual is the prospects or customers who perceive this person as an expert simply because they "know a lot more than I do about it - but I admit, I don't know much," and where the deciding audience has no point of reference by which to gauge the level of expertise and determine whether or not the person really is an expert (probably why the "How to Choose A......" free reports work well to get opt-ins in certain niche markets - but that's a marketing topic).

I think this is Acceptable - so long as the perceived expert (who may only have more knowledge and expertise than the one viewing them as an expert...and may have no experience at all) follows through with action and service from which others benefit.

When she does, she gains credibility as an expert which results in additional validation, more exposure and bigger challenges - which, if she again follows through with action and service from which others benefit - she continues the journey - each time reaching another level of "expertise" and ultimately achieving recognition as an expert from her peers who also have education and expertise in that area.

(I hope that makes sense...it did when I thought it )

But back to the "Expert In A Box" for a minute.

Let's look specifically at Internet Marketing Make Money Online (not sure why other than it seemed the right way to go) and its Experts, and let's use info products where the experts are selling info, training and coaching to the "want to be experts."

DISCLAIMER: This certainly isn't true 100% of the time (maybe more so than not), and I think many IM MMO Experts would agree that this occurs - at least to some extent - in virtually all IM MMO "circles" (and yes - there are groups and sub-groups within the IM MMO community).

So here's my observation - many of the "experts" are perceived and viewed as experts from the customer's perspective because they are positioned that way by a group of peers who are thought to be "experts" (some are / some aren't) by their followers, who in turn may have gained recognition as an "expert" initially by being positioned and presented that way by a group of peers who are also considered "experts" by their followers....and so on, and so forth, etc, etc, etc.

In reality and when measured by "expert" standards for other subject matter, these "experts" may or may not be now - and may or may not have been when they were positioned that way - actual "experts" (but perception is reality...so if someone views them as experts - then they are experts to them despite what others might think).

But some become "experts" as a result of being positioned that way at some point in time by a group of peers who did so NOT necessarily because of their skill and expertise on a subject matter - but in their mutual quest for financial gain (yes...GREED).

Here's an example: Call it the "IM MMO "Expert" Revealed...the truth THEY don't want you to know (you may be smarter than they are)" (WSO to be released....LOL)

IM MMO "A" decides to launch a new product and is going to be paying a nice affiliate commission. At the last event, she met IM MMO "B" who has done a few product launches and is very well connected, has a large "list" of people that perceive him as an "expert" and are responsive to his call to action.

So IM MMO "A" calls IM MMO "B" and pitches her idea.

IM MMO "B" likes it, and agrees to leverage his list and bring in his "partners" to help promote the launch/product (who once positioned IM MMO "B" as an "expert" to their audience in order to sell his product).

Collectively, IM MMO "A" and her new partners know that in order to maximize their return, they need to position IM MMO "A" as an "expert" - so as peers, and whether they believe it to be true or not - they collectively tell the marketplace that IM MMO "A" IS an expert. And since many in the audience are on several of the IM MMO Partners lists, they are getting told repeatedly that IM MMO "A" IS AN EXPERT - go buy her stuff (here's the link).

And since the audience perceives these IM MMO Partners to be experts (because they have characterized each other as such), they believe IM MMO "A" must be an expert.

Now, whether or not IM MMO "A" remains an expert after all her peers have positioned her as such depends on how successful she and her product are for her, the partners that positioned her as an expert and the customer who bought her product.

At first glance one might say "how terrible - that's deceptive and manipulative, and it takes advantage of the less knowledgeable people who don't know any better." But is it?

If IM MMO "A" delivers as promised and meets and exceeds the expectations of the audience purchasing the product and leaves them wanting more, she's validated herself as an expert.

And if she pays her affiliates well and reciprocates to her new audience by continuing to edifying those affiliates as "experts" on their subject matter; and if she promotes and sells their products; and if she promptly handles customer issues and minimizes refunds - THEN she will validate the expert status her peers granted her previously and solidify her position as an "expert" among peers.

If she doesn't....."Next!"

Now let's put a bit of a different spin on it - and say IM MMO "A" really is an "expert" - in the subject matter, but has never actually built an online business or made a dime. Does that make her less of an expert or less qualified to create, launch and teach an audience that knows less on the subject matter than she does?

Society would say "no" in most cases. Take for example the professor in law who is highly educated with Doctorate and JD Degrees, and whose students become top lawyers - but who never passed the Bar exam and has never practiced law. Are they any less of an expert on law than practicing attorneys?

So really - initially an "expert" could be nothing more than a "hustler" (in the negative sense).

BUT - that's not necessarily a bad thing IF ultimately they deliver value that meets or exceeds the expectations of the audience - which is a good reason to identify your target market & set expectations according to not only your skill and expertise as the "expert" but also their expectations in viewing you as such (but that's another marketing discussion for another day) - and it's why expert classification is influenced by perception and opinion.

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder." This applies to experts too.

For example, a number of years ago I had a colleague/friend who was working on taking his company public. He had hired a new CFO that (supposedly) had the knowledge and expertise to help him accomplish this objective. So he called my up and said "hey you got to meet this guy - he's an expert - and he's going to be a huge asset in helping me with the IPO."

So we met for lunch.

Within 5 minutes I saw right through this clown and actually asked my friend to step outside with me where I literally asked him if this was a joke, and when he said no - I told him he had lost his mind and this guy didn't know his *ss from third base, was a "hustler" in every negative sense of the word - and my recommendation was to "run" as fast and far away from him as he could. If I remember correctly I didn't even go back in for lunch - and was pissed at my friend/colleague for wasting my time to come meet this....(I'm pretty sure I used some "not so nice" descriptive words).

Well, unfortunately he didn't see it the way I did and didn't heed my advice, and the IPO kept getting delayed and put off for one reason or another until finally, about 9 mos later my friend discovered this guy had been stealing from him, not paying vendors, creating receivables to borrow against that didn't really exist (yes that's fraud), not paying down credit lines when customers paid invoices and lying to him about the IPO status - and the company was broke.

Needless to say, there was no IPO - and within the next 90 days it reached a point he could no longer operate. Within the next 60 days he was completely out of business - then spent the next 2 years going though hell defending lawsuits and attacks on him personally while he sorted everything and proved that while he was responsible (it was his company), he wasn't involved in the fraudulent activity and was himself a victim.

But the point is - here was this guy who I didn't see as an expert but recognized as a "hustler" that brought nothing but trouble - yet he somehow managed to position himself or get positioned as an expert AND gain the acknowledgement and trust of my colleague/friend as such - to the point that my colleague/friend actually endorsed and promoted him to me and many others as an expert.

Now - whether or not the guy was actually an expert at the time my colleague/friend hired him isn't important and discounting the fact that he was a crook, IF he had delivered as promised he would have solidified his characterization as such...and my friend could have said "see, I told you he was an expert" and I would have acknowledged.


So I guess my point is that (virtually) anybody can become an expert in (almost) anything they want.

But you have to start somewhere.

For most, that starting point is going to be finding an audience that has an interest in a subject matter but is less knowledgeable, then sharing their "greater knowledge" while gaining more and seeking an even larger audience. audience. This process continues until at some point someone in the audience (who most likely has less knowledge and expertise) steps up and says "hey, this is an expert."

Now there is validation from others as well, so the "entry level" expert steps up a bit, gains more knowledge and continues their advancement through the ranks - incrementally expanding their knowledge and reach (and growing the audience that views them as an expert), and one day they wake up and have been recognized as an expert by another expert who has comparable knowledge and expertise on the subject matter. Now they are an "expert among experts."

With validation from peers it goes to even another level, and with continued learning and advancement on the subject matter and the exposure gained by being an "expert among experts" - ultimately they can become "the experts expert."


And with that....I got to get a couple things done now.

Mark

I really wished I could express myself like you do.

Very good example and a powerful respond too.

However, being able to deliver is not the only determining factor of being an expert. She can be recognized as an "expert" by that customer. How about others?

Having only 1 customer is not reassuring, though. A good number (quantity) of customers remains an important factor. That shows more experience. At a another level, quality experience counts much more than many experience. Another differentiating factor is cost. An expert will cost much more because of the value. Also "speedy" problem solving is required - which can only be achieved from experience.

Some years ago, there was a tender project for an international airport - baggage management system. A company got it by virtue of being an experienced software development company with scores of software engineers. But they haven't done any airport baggage management system before.

So they developed, supplied and installed the system. It was running fine during the dry run and finally commissioned.

Later on, they bid and won another tender for a Middle Eastern airport and then another one in Eastern Europe. They won both bids by virtue of the first system they installed and probably because of their lower cost.

After a couple of months, the 1st airport started to face lots of problems, then the 2nd one and finally the 3rd. Baggage went missing and found their way to other parts of the world. ... lol .... My baggage arrived in Jakarta and stayed there. Then it went to Amsterdam and stayed there. By the time it reached me, I'm already 2 weeks in Accra Ghana ... with new sets of clothes and about to leave for London. ... lol

I heard that company got kicked out and replaced.

They may be an expert software dev company in client-server apps for business productivity. But they never had "that particular project experience", therefore they have difficulty in resolving issues, hence failed in those projects. LOW QUALITY and INSUFFICIENT EXPERIENCE.

Knowledge is not enough. Quality knowledge delivers better, which can only be acquired through a number and length of experience.


Exactly true. That is why there are associations and groupings. Every year or so, they have events in recognition of achievements by members in their field.

I think so too.