Friday, October 08, 2010

I'm Not Going to Discuss Social Media

I'm not going to discuss social media in this post. What can be said has been said a thousand times over by every person who fancies themselves an expert in the field. I won't talk about marketing either. Anything you really need to know about either subject, you can just Google or watch on Youtube.



Here is what I will say. If you need an expert, find out who the experts are. Look at their work.



Are they doing for themselves what they claim they can do for you?



Are you, as a client, getting a one-size-fits-all solution?



Are you being sold a product rather than a tailored solution?



Are you paying for expertise or outsourcing? A big clue is, are they showing you how to fish, or giving you the fish?



Do they help you understand what you're getting into? There's always "more to it than that".



Do they make any attempt to dissuade you? You might be expecting something that can't be delivered by what they offer.



Most importantly, if you don't understand what's going on, take your time. Make sure you understand the basics of what you are doing. A sure way to lose money on an investment is to not know what you're doing. Ask your expert to explain it to you as many times as you need to understand what you are getting in return for your money.



Finally, don't rule out putting some skin in the game. Some things simply cannot be outsourced, especially if your business is complex and technical.



That's all I'm saying.

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