As Social Media becomes a norm in our lives, there lurks a sinister threat that many unsuspecting people are falling prey to.
This threat is especially pertinent for entrepreneurs and business owners who turn to Social Media to learn how to build their business.
Sadly, that threat is called trust.
The trust that we inherently have as human beings where if someone speaks from an authoritative standpoint, then they must know what they’re talking about.
Years ago, I remember being told to “beware of the Internet – it lies!” Well, it was a bit overly dramatic, but he did make a good point in his efforts to try and save me from what he thought was certain disaster.
At the risk of sounding just as dramatic, let me explain what I mean…
I often receive requests from clients saying something to the effect of, “so-and-so told me that I should be doing (blank) so can you please change (blank) for me right away”.
Or “I watched a free webinar and they said to do (blank) so I want that done too.”
The “blank” can be anything related to business-building marketing efforts like SEO, newsletters and list building, website copywriting or design and the like.
What concerns me is where is this advice coming from? Is it coming from a proven expert in that field? Someone who has walked the walk and is sharing their knowledge and expertise from a proven track record?
So who are you listening to when it comes to important business decisions? I realize that we all want to make it big in business and we often feel we don’t have the knowledge to do this so we tend to listen to others to seek guidance.
With anything, we must be cautious of all the information that is available to us out there – especially when it comes to websites and marketing.
There are many people that feel because they have read a book or done some on-line research that they are now educated enough to be advising others on certain marketing and business practices.
I’m not saying to disregard these people – many have sincere intentions of wanting to help and can be a great sounding board for ideas. There are also genuine experts in their field that can offer valuable business insight.
However, there are also many that have been misled themselves and could be giving incorrect advice. The problem here is that they don’t know what they don’t know.
For those well-intentioned souls, unless they are experts in the field they are giving advice on, what they are telling you is simply their personal opinion that was derived from an unknown source which may or may not be what is best for your specific situation.
The bottom line is to be careful on who you get your knowledge from.
There are a lot of “know it all’s” and “experts” out there that either don’t really know the bigger picture and may give inappropriate advice or they are just trying to make a fast buck and really don’t have the proof that their system works.
Seek knowledge from those that are educated and/or experienced in that field and can offer proof of their expertise. When you think about it, you wouldn’t be asking your mechanic for medical advice nor would you be asking your doctor for car advice.
When it comes to making business decisions, trust those that are knowledgeable and have experience in relation to the information you seek.
The same applies for the next time a friend, family member, business associate or even your gardener gives you their personal opinion on how to run your business. Remember to do your proper due diligence by researching the information you are given and see what the experts have to say before jumping to make changes that may or may not be in your best interest.
And before buying into low-cost teleseminars, “get-rich-quick” online systems and weekend long workshops that cost thousands of dollars – make sure these offerings can show proof of their success before making that investment.
At the end of the day, you are the one responsible for your own success so turn to those that you trust are going to be providing you with sound advice that is specific for your business and situation.
To your business success,
Susan Friesen
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