Hiring an Expert? Buyer Beware!

Written on March 7, 2010 by Ali Davies in Business Success Blog
10 Comments - Leave a comment!

Hiring an Expert? Buyer Beware!Hiring an expert can be a great way to achieve results in your business and life. Especially for areas you lack experience of or that aren’t your strength. The problem is that whilst there are high quality operators out there, there are also many wolves in sheep’s clothing. The message is simple when hiring an expert – Buyer Beware!

A Personal Story

Over the last 10 years, on and off, I have hired a few experts. I have a strict criteria for hiring experts. As a result, I have worked with really good quality people and achieved great results by working with them – until last year!

Last year, for the first time ever and for reasons that still elude me, I broke my own hiring experts rules. As a result, I got my fingers badly burnt. I was so annoyed with myself afterwards and felt so stupid for making such a huge mistake, especially as the warning signs were all there from the start. I learnt a hard but valuable lesson on what can happen if you don’t follow your own rules.

Warnings!

  • Some people will portray themselves as experts in a field even when they are not.
  • Don’t confuse having a high profile with being a high quality expert. Having a high profile doesn’t always mean they are good at what they do. Sometimes it is just means they are good at self promotion.
  • Not everyone operates on the same level of standards, ethics and integrity.

Tips when hiring experts

  • Do NOT pay up front in full without a watertight agreement in place that covers getting your money back if you are not happy with the quality of their service. If your expert doesn’t offer an agreement or contract at the start that includes this point, walk away.
  • Are they REALLY an expert in their field? Really dig behind the public image and sales pitch. Where is the hard evidence?
  • Be clear and specific on what you want to achieve before hiring. Check they have the credentials, skills and experience to deliver this.
  • If you have made a mistake get out and get out fast before any more damage can be done to your business.

Remember the onus is on YOU to have a strict hiring criteria and stick to it.

What are you experiences of hiring experts? Feel free to share them and any tips or advice you might have on this subject in the comments below.

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  • Hi Ali

    This is really sound advice. Sadly, all that glitters...

    What I'm learning is that you have to be at least twice as careful with online stuff than offline. Expertise seems more easy to portray on the screen than person to person.

    This is all food for thought, not just for who and how we buy expertise, but how we ensure we deliver our own expertise is a trust-worthy way.

    Thanks for sharing your story.
  • Christine, you are so right about being particularly careful about people we have met online. But the good news is that the warning signs are all there if we care to look beyond the surface. That was one of my biggest learnings - the warning signs are always there. The onus is on us to have a robust hiring process before parting with our money.
  • Hi Ali. Wise words of warning. Another thing I would add to the list.. I used a personal acquaintance to do some work in the past (couple of years ago) and had chosen him because of work he had done a number of years previously and my perception of him based on that work. It is important, even if you know the person from a past life, to make sure that you check out that persons capabilities without wearing rose-tinted glasses. If you don't chase up properly it costs time, money and can threaten your business.
  • Great tip Barney. Thanks for sharing it.
  • Anne Marie
    Hi Ali

    You say "I got my fingers badly burnt. I was so annoyed with myself afterwards and felt so stupid for making such a huge mistake, especially as the warning signs were all there from the start."

    Oh, those feelings in the gut are seldom wrong. The one that really hacked me off was when, despite knowing this was not right, I took a chance and said "OK" on the phone. The invoice was in my email box, for the full amount, barely two hours later. Keen to get the money? I'll say.

    I wasted £3000. Will not be doing that again in a hurry.

    The other way I have wasted money is buying a "solution" before fully appreciating what I need. This is no-one's fault but mine. Again, I have learned the hard way.

    I have worked hard to bootstrap my business. There are too many people ready and willing to relieve us of our hard-earned cash.

    Having said that, my most recent purchase of expertise was the best value ever. Worth every penny. I must be learning :-)
  • Thank you for sharing your experiences. Great point about listening to gut feeling - really important. Equally important not to beat ourselves up when we do make a mistake - learn, put things in place so it doesn't happen again and move on. As you say, hiring wisely can add a lot of value.
  • Ali,

    I've never been a lover of referring to a person as an expert but I can understand your reasons behind hire one and why you would want to call them an expert. I think the reasons I'm against it are probably the ones you've identified in your post.

    However, having read your post I would feel more happy about using your tips to hire an (expert).

    Thank you for sharing this.

    Regards

    Paul
  • I totally agree. I am also not a lover of words such as expert and also guru. Just to clarify why I used it in this instance - in the post I am referring to coaches, mentors, consultants and other service professionals. It was easiest just to group them into one word.
    My experience hasn't put me off hiring people. In fact, I have already hired someone this year to help me develop my internet presence as this is not an area of experience or knowledge for me.
    With a good hiring policy, hiring genuine experts in specific fields can speed up progress and success.
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