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I just read a ton of blog posts and comments about the general topic of "what is a marketing expert?" I caught wind of this discussion when Mel Lester posted what I thought was a good piece on how a marketer can increase their value. Mel got the age old comment. It goes something like this, "a marketer’s success is limited by the Principal's support of marketing." Here is the link to that. That article referred to a discussion about "what is a marketing expert?" posted by David Maister a few years ago. I was shaking my head ruefully while reading these posts. So, maybe I can clear a few things up. What is an Expert?Does working in a field for 20 years make you an expert? No. Does a fancy title make you an expert? No. Does an industry certification make you an expert? No. Does a large degree of success make you an expert? No. Does an advanced degree or number of degrees make you an expert? Nope. So, what makes someone an expert? An expert is simply someone who has contributed to the industry body of knowledge in his or her profession. And in the world of AEC marketing, there are not a whole lot of experts out there. The notion that a marketing expert has to worry about a marketing expert being hired at their firm is quite ridiculous. It would be such a rare occurrence, that it's not even worth talking about. Even if that were to happen, "experts" wouldn't start googling your blog to find a solution. The butcher that can cut you a pound of meat without weighing it is not an expert. He's just a darn good butcher. The butcher who created a better way to slice up a cow and documented it, that's your expert. Many of us are darn good marketers. We do stuff and people ask, "How do you make it look so easy?" The answer is simply we have done it a million times. So, like the butcher, we verbalized it with "I dunno." Most likely, you are not a marketing expert. With a lot of practice and smarts, you may become a darn good marketer. Most everybody else is an advanced novice, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Experts are rare. The Principal DilemmaI have yet to meet the in house marketing professional that got fired for bringing in too much business. Let's stop with the cop outs. The problem that most marketers have is not a lack of resources; it's a lack of resourcefulness. Your boss won't spring for the new website? Build it. Find or create solutions that are so good that your boss doesn't say no. Boss won't pay for that conference? Take a sick day and pay for it yourself. If it's that great an opportunity, you'll make it back on bonus or commission. If not, you just bought a good education. Tim Klabunde started the DCN network and essentially brought the conference to him. That is resourcefulness. Mel explained in his response that he was “living proof that you can sometimes change the paradigm.” Again, it's a lack of resourcefulness that is your problem. Blaming your lack of success on the business climate, your boss, or the phase of the moon indicates one thing...you are no expert. Influence = MarketingOne of the posts complained that experts find themselves being bested by influencers. If you are a marketer that does not have the skill or ability to influence other people's decisions, here is a newsflash for you, you suck at your job. I'm sorry to be the one to break that to you. McDonalds may be hiring. It's Not Easy to Become an ExpertOut of the hundreds of construction industry professionals I know, I can count the experts on one hand. All of these have been called to the witness stand as an expert in their field. All have had their expertise aggressively, but unsuccessfully, challenged by the best lawyers in the business. All have significantly contributed to the industry body of knowledge. One, in my opinion, has saved countless lives because of his contributions to the construction of nuclear power plants. Of all the marketers I have met, I can honestly count the experts on one finger. That's a harsh reality. The Only Person Who Has Control of Your Doughnut is YouLike Mel said, You have control of your success. Don't waste your time worrying about the hole. Don’t concern yourself with that which is outside your sphere of influence. Focus on the doughnut. You have control of the doughnut, not the hole. I understand people call themselves experts to market their services. Lets face it, the word expert appears somewhere on every professional services firm website. Throwing words around is fine. Creating perception is one of the things that marketers do. But realize the words eventually become meaningless. What we are left with is Managers who don't manage, Directors who don't direct anything, and worst of all Experts with no expertise. Don't agree? Tell me in the comments section.
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Marketing 101 
I dont think adding to the discourse on a subject makes you any more of any expert than a more savy, more experienced person that is too busy making money and taking care of their lives at the time to write a book or go speak at some convention.
I will agree that if you have a point of view that is
revolutionary - it is often your natural inclination to want to share that view with people and help them to benefit from your experience, discovery etc.
But to think that the butcher who can deliver any cut without weighing or looking at it twice is any less of an expert that the guy who wrote a book on butchering is something I cannot buy. Sorry.
Great blog btw.
I appreciate you reading this site and I'm glad you commented. Thank you. I think you misread my post a bit.
You wrote, "You name the 5 most successful and successful artists in pop music, and I will tell you about 10 more relative unknowns that would blow them off the stage with one hand tied behind their back."
But in my post I clearly stated, "Does a large degree of success make you an expert? No."
You wrote, "Experts are formed many different ways. Some are born and some are forged as a culmination of their experience, trials and tribulations."
That identifies the point of my post. I do not believe what you (and many others) think is an expert is truly an expert. I defined an expert as follows, "An expert is simply someone who has contributed to the industry body of knowledge in his or her profession."
You said, "But to suggest that smart marketers that are between a rock and a hard place in their current situation should quit because they “suck at their job”, shows a real arrogance and lack of understanding of the big picture."
But I clearly stated in my post, "One of the posts complained that experts find themselves being bested by influencers." I'm talking about a post that spoke about marketing "experts" who find themselves in a situation where another marketing "expert," who can influence people's decisions, comes into the firm and does what they could not (i.e. influence the leaders of their firm).
Since, by my definition, "marketing" means influencing other people's decisions, the marketer who does not influence other people is not marketing. I hope that makes sense to you.
It all hinges on this idea of how you define things.
I think your disagreement with me has to do with definitions. I'm defining an "expert" differently than you are. I am defining "marketing" differently than you are.
If you read my "What You Don't Know About Marketing" piece, you may get a better understanding of what I believe marketing is. You may find that piece quite interesting.
Sorry if you found my post disconcerting. Thank you for reading, speaking your mind, and contributing to the conversation. I really appreciate you taking time out of your day to do so.
While I dont disagree with your underlying point, but I think you are making lots of assumptions here and somehow equating recognition with being an expert.
You name the 5 most successful and successful artists in pop music, and I will tell you about 10 more relative unknowns that would blow them off the stage with one hand tied behind their back. Same with nearly any industry. For every brilliant person who invents something and gets rich, there are just as many rich people that couldn’t tie their shoes, yet became successful in spite of their lack of understanding and expertise.
In the vast majority of cases, I think you are right….too many marketers are reactive instead of proactive – and make money riding their company trend lines….never bucking the numbers or delivering in the face of a downturn.
But to suggest that smart marketers that are between a rock and a hard place in their current situation should quit because they “suck at their job”, shows a real arrogance and lack of understanding of the big picture. Lots of brilliant people rise to shine over time, after years of being stifled. Experts are formed many different ways. Some are born and some are forged as a culmination of their experience, trials and tribulations.
Chris.
I have been approaching the same problem from another angle over the last several months. As I go around talking to folks about knowledge management, we end up spending lots of time talking about experts. Your definition -- "An expert is simply someone who has contributed to the industry body of knowledge in his or her profession" -- totally aligns with my basic message.
I think that the key to becoming a knowledge-driven firm is making the switch from learning to teaching. Of course people are going to learn, that's how we are wired. We are curious. We get paid to work on projects and figure stuff out. Rewarding AE professionals for learning is like rewarding a dog for eating. Continuous learning should be "table stakes."
I'd argue that we need teachers. (The other two roles we need in knowledge-driven firms are writers and librarians.) If you are an expert, then teach someone. Do it in your department. Do it your firm. Do it in the industry. I believe that a real expert can make more experts.
So back to your butcher...
We need more documentation on how to slice up cows. The students are waiting.
Best,
Chris
PS...Great blog. Been following it for a couple months now.