What a Marketing Expert Says Every Time

In this post, we looked at how to use a marketing persona to separate marketing experts from the gurus. However, that's just a starting point. The real information is in how that person answers your questions. Here are three pieces of criteria I use when evaluating whether or not to hire or recommend a marketing expert.

1.No scripts/lying.

Scripts include awkward and repetitive uses of your first name; they also sound a little bit like a car commercial. I once met a business owner who worked his own company’s name (or a cheesy variation of it) into almost every sentence that came out of his mouth. It sounded something like this: “Well at VideoVixens, we look at the cost of videos and like a vixen, we prioritize your enjoyment!” Sleezy, slimy and ew!

A little less subtle are the cues when someone is lying. Look for behavioral pauses after questions that should be easily answered. If you’re throwing a curveball or complex question, there’s a legitimate reason a person might delay—or they could be lying or reading from a script! Other signs of lying include throat-clearing or swallowing before answering a question and wiping sweat off a brow.

2.Demonstrates clear knowledge of business model and a clear path for how he enhances my work.

There’s nothing worse than a marketing guru who tries to tell me (a reasonably authoritative expert on most things traditional and online publishing) that their keyword strategy is their differentiating factor. Well, sir, it turns out that I keep tabs on keyword strategy nonstop, and the fact that you think keywords are what makes content compelling tells me you offer nothing to enhance my services. It's a simplistic example, but not out of the realm of possibility.

What’s your business model and how does a marketing expert work within it? At a minimum, before working with my firm (or my clients) a marketing expert must demonstrate that his internal operations are squeaky clean. Many times a marketing expert is a necessary intrusion into daily operations (to fix a problem!), and that intrusion should be as pleasant and effortless as possible--and aim to waste no one's time.

3. Avoids buzz words.

A marketing expert will know how to gauge your knowledge of a topic and scale information appropriately. But never, under any circumstances, are buzz words a good thing. Buzz words in marketing sound like "fantastic ROI" or "exponential growth" or "social branding is no longer an option!" In general, any information that casts far-reaching conclusions is likely propped up by buzz words alone. Listen for the substance of a marketing expert's words. Who is he influenced by? Can you hear your favorite marketer's elevator speech in his? A marketing expert's job is to bring originality in his solutions to your problem. Make sure he earns his keep.