October 30, 2008
But What If They Are Wrong?
Forums, blogs and social sites such as Twitter offer us all the opportunity to keep up to date with what's going on in our industry. There are lots of experts out there all with their own opinion on what you should do to build a successful business.
What concerns me is the combination of the expert who thinks he's always right and his followers who think he can do no wrong.
Wake up sheeple!
If you can honestly say that you've never made a mistake then you are either telling lies or you are not trying hard enough.
Any expert worth his salt will make mistakes as he tests and experiments with new technology, new systems and changes in processes. It's the mistakes just as much as the successes that allow us to learn how to grow.
So, please, before you blindly follow the advice of some self proclaimed expert, ask yourself this simple question:
"What if he's wrong?"
And then consider who will pay for the mistake.. if you blindly follow advice without considering the implications for you and your business then it's no good blaming the so called expert.. it was your choice.
The true experts, the people whose advice you should take seriously, are the people who offer you a balanced view. They tell you what not to do as well as what you should do.
Comments on But What If They Are Wrong? »
I work on this principle: The faster you make mistakes the sooner you will see success.
Sometimes I feel quite happy the sheeple follow all the "duff gen" being spread around, it means less competition. The rest of the time I am concerned that sheeple are… sheeple!
And I'm afraid to admit I have sheeple days…
That was supposed to be:
And I'm not afraid to admit I have sheeple days…
John,
the balanced view is something you only see very rarely. In my experience, the so called experts hype up their product and only tell you benefits (based on current circumstances like SE algorhythms etc). People who promote these experts products via affiliate networks most often copy shamelessly from the experts salesletter. I am not opposed to affiliate programs and selling (also like to do that very much), but nealy no-one tells you of any dangers – its always a blue sky, no rain.
I made a positive experience with giving (honest) positive and negative reviews on one of my sites. Including the negatives about a product helped building trust, increased sales of teh positivly rated product but also made sales for the downrated product.
Anyway, your post reminded me to update my review site again as I came across a new product last week that i haven't tried out yet.
Colin,
Oh I have my fair share of sheeple days too!
Hi J,
Makes me more humble and aware of the Almighty Gods influence in our daily behaviour! God bless! Love this!
Yes, everyone makes mistakes. Sometimes there is no time to correct them, but we should always think that each day cand be our last day in this world. And if it is the last day, I should correct my mistakes as soon as possible or it may be late…
Good points well made, John. I think the real "experts and gurus" will always be the ones who admit to mistakes and are open about them – these are the ones with real worth.
Anyone that says they're perfect and have never erred – well, that's their first mistake (and last, as far as I'm concerned). I've un-followed some people I've had huge respect for, only to find them to be pompous asses. We live and learn…
Excellent thoughts, John, as usual!
During a career of 15+ years in industry, then 25+ years in consultancy I made more mistakes than I can count, or remember, or even probably was aware of. Now I'm making them online. "The person who never made mistakes never made anything".
Thanks for the reminder.
I love it! I can't tell you how good it is to see the word "sheeple" adorn my monitor again. I used to have a friend (a nut, but the good kind of nut) who used that word often.
I agree that we shouldn't be blind followers in any instance for any occasion. By the way, I'll be at the meeting tonight, my $100 bucks is in the mail and you were totally right about everything you said.
Enjoy your biscuit!