Ten Ways to Spot a Fake (when hiring a consultant)

You've probably been there yourself. You're in a situation where someone you meet or come into contact with pretends to be different than what they are.

Market corrections and due diligence will take care of that. Meanwhile, since you need to get a project done and need to enroll help with it, what do you do?

Well, it's easier than ever to spot a fake. Here's what you do.

(1.) Their references lack sufficient authority to be credible - most people can find a few professional allies willing to say good things about them. Vet these. Are they in a relevant field? Do they have any particular accomplishment or expertise? Have they ever paid your expert for services, and were they satisfied with the results? Sort the qualified endorsements from the puffery, and see what is left over.

(2.) Limited accomplishments in their stated field - there are professionals who provide their services on a confidential basis, but most self-professed experts should be able to point to personal achievement in their specialty. If your SEO expert has an unranked website, ask why.

(3.) No evidence of a long-term commitment to their discipline - there are prodigies, but these are the exception. Most experts learned their trade with concentrated effort and practice over a period of time. If you see evidence of unrelated professional activities is the recent past, dig deeper.

(4.) Unwilling to explain positions when challenged - this indicates arrogance, impatience, or a lack of deeper knowledge.

(5.) They think what you're doing is crap - there are crisis managers and people who attempt to demonstrate their worth by manufacturing crisis. If you knew enough to consult an expert, you're probably not a total idiot. If the guru immediately pronounces your past work to be a complete disaster - thank goodness they've arrived - your expert isn't a good listener.

(6.) They won't work on-site, or in front of you - possibly evidence that they're subcontracting exactly what they're selling you - at a markup. Find the real gurus, and hire them.

(7.) Failure to acknowledge the contributions of others - perhaps the most annoying characteristic of all (particularly from the viewpoint of Creatives). Your guru should feel confident enough in their own worth to freely acknowledge the contributions of other individuals. Taking talented people to the next level is precisely the sort of expert service worth buying.

(8.) Magic bullets - real experts know that success is gritty - the result of singular dedication to a goal, superior work ethic, and doing the basics right on a consistent basis. There are very few magicians out there. Beware those who claim to have a single technique, product, or service that will radically change the nature of your business. 

(9.) No means to quantify your expert's performance - when hiring a guru, firmly agree upon what constitutes success. This needn't mean the end of their engagement with you. No real expert will object to establishing reasonable benchmarks and goals.

(10.) Leading questions are the only kind of leading they're familiar with - these are especially interesting when the subject professes to be conducting research.

While any true expert might fall short on one or two of these, you might consider them warning signs and dig deeper if something doesn't sit well with you. Do your due diligence and find out if there is a fit with your desired objectives and business outcomes.

Asking questions is the best way to start a conversation and in no way it's an indication of lack of trust. Trust is the new transparency and credibility is built through work and proof. Your best ROI starts with selecting the right team for the job. Remember that this also applies to you.

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