Don't Hire Me Because I'm an Expert

Do You Really Need Someone Who's Focused on the Past?

Posted by Tom Martin on 11.09.09 @ 10:57 AM

Tom Martin

But ... If a company is feeling a little lost, maybe feeling a little like what it's been doing isn't working any more and maybe, just maybe it's time for a new direction. Well, that company shouldn't be looking for experts. It should be searching for explorers.

Why? Because, by definition experts are always looking backwards. Think about it. You only become an expert by doing something repeatedly and to a point where you've learned all there is to learn, and thus are crowned an expert. But the problem with experts is that they can only really tell you how it has always been done. They can tell you what has worked and hasn't worked. But the funny thing about experts, the thing they don't teach you in grad school, is that experts are looking in the wrong darn direction. They spend life looking backwards instead of forwards, which makes it awfully hard to find a new direction or uncover an unconventional opportunity. Experts talk in terms of what you should do while explorers talk in terms of what you could do. And I think that is a powerful distinction, don't you?

No, if I were looking to find a new direction or a new opportunity, I wouldn't hire an expert. I'd hire an explorer. I'd look for a firm that doesn't have all the answers and doesn't know what not to ask. I'd go find a firm that asks lots of questions vs. having all the answers. Find the firm that spends more time dreaming what might be, instead of telling me what has been. I'd be looking for my Christopher Columbus. And I wouldn't just look in my category or my city or my state for that matter. No, I'd cast a really long, wide antenna in search of the smartest kids in the class. The ones who can see a future I cannot see and hear opportunities that I cannot hear.

You see, experts are a dime a dozen. A nickel if you believe all of those RFP responses.

But explorers are a rare breed because explorers are not afraid to fail. In fact they understand that failure is the roadway to innovation. Explorers look out over a wide expansive ocean and say to the Queen, "I need men, money and a couple of boats because I'm going to sail that way and find a large piece of land that we can colonize and sell our goods to." Yes, that's right, Christopher Columbus was the original economic development director. Explorers think big thoughts, dare big deeds and occasionally -- deliver big results. But that is exactly what most companies need today. They don't need incremental improvement; they need orders of magnitude improvement.

So, brands, before you send your next RFP think twice about what you really need. What's going to give you an edge in the marketplace? What's going to help you crush the competition? Is it really going to be that same expert all of your competitors have hired or is it going to be an explorer that no one has ever heard of before?

If you answered explorer, fee free to give me a ring. I'll be happy to take your call and we can chat a bit about what might be instead of what has been.

14 Comments

  By thrivingmarketing | Two Rivers, WI November 10, 2009 12:32:38 am:

"Experts" have many answers to other people's questions. "Experts" have many solutions ("proven methods")to other people's problems in other conditions in the past.

There are various forms of insanity. Insanity isn't just doing the same things & expecting different results.

Insanity is also when people use a "proven method" without adapting it to their specific situations.

Proven methods are proven by somebody else in a different situation. That person needed a result for his/her specific situation.

Insanity is doing what somebody else did in different circumstances & expecting that same result.

A quack is a doctor or any kind of practitioner who "prescribes" something just because it worked so well for other patients/clients. If it's what patients/clients want, they can find somebody who'll schedule surgery or anything else without a full examination & diagnosis. Those are cases we hear about too often, "The surgery was a complete success, though the patient didn't survive."

Listen to "Like A Surgeon" by Weird Al Yankovic to get a sample of the results fools get.

The problem isn't a surgeon, "cuttin' for the very 1st time." Every successful surgeon has a 1st time. The problems are "I was last in my class; barely passed at the institute." & "I'll pull his insides out & see what he ate."

Pulling somebody's insides out to see what s/he ate may be a "proven method". It'll definitely work. Do you want to try it? I didn't think so.

Dennis S. Vogel, marketing consultant, independent contractor & non-expert

Permalink

  By AdrianCojocaru | Bucharest November 10, 2009 04:17:04 am:

Great article Tom. I would add that an explorer also has more enthusiasm. Enthusiasm is a key skill for anyone involved in a creative position and many experts have gradually lost that.

Adrian Cojocaru

New Media Marketing JE
AQUASoft

www.aquasoft.ro
http://twitter.com/AQUASoft

Permalink

  By Todd_Sebastian | Cincinnati November 10, 2009 08:26:57 am:

Very interesting perspective, Tom. Thanks for sharing.

For the clients out there that do want explorers, not experts, agencies need to be prepared. One way to do that is to make sure account managers and other client-facing staff members are equipped to exceed "service" and give clients what they really want: passionate leadership in the form of proactive business-building ideas.

And clients who claim they want partners, not vendors, need to be prepared to actually treat their agencies like partners.

http://www.TellYourClientsWhereToGo.com

Permalink

  By PULL09 | Ojai, CA November 10, 2009 10:12:20 am:

Nice idea... but an over simplification.

Who says explorer and expert are mutually exclusive? I think the way you are describing explorer is really another word for generalist. Generalists know a little about a lot of stuff...Experts know a lot about one thing.

And your generalization that experts think backwards and only do what worked in the past is nonsense. BTW, it is the generalist agency that is a dime a dozen... that is why clients have all the power in the buying cycle. Firms with specialized expertise get paid more than generalists, and in most case by-pass the silly RFP process all together.

Thomson Dawson
www.pullinc.com

Permalink

  By jaknobbe | Chicago, IL November 10, 2009 10:27:09 am:

What a great article Tom. With advertising and media changing at the speed of light the idea of explorer is one I hope that many clients will grasp. I love learning and ingesting as much information as I can but I realize that in many of these aspects I could never be considered an "expert"- but that does not mean that I can't use these skills to better the experiences of my clients. My philosophy has always been it's not about knowing all the answers because you never will; it's about knowing who to ask and learning the answers.

Jessica Knobbe
Marketing On Target
http://www.jessicaknobbe.com/

Permalink

  By Towens149 | woodland hills, CA November 10, 2009 11:36:59 am:

RFPs are committee-driven. History shows that committees aren't comfortable working with explorers. They prefer experts because it's easier to quantify their decision and cover their collective butts when/if it all goes to hell.

Organizations with the nerve and vision to select an explorer over an expert are rare indeed. If your agency is ever fortunate enough to connect with one, be sure to make the most of the opportunity. It's going to be the most fun you'll ever have in this business.

Tom Owens
http://socialmediacrashsite.blogspot.com/

Permalink

  By Tom Martin | NEW ORLEANS, LA November 10, 2009 01:40:23 pm:

Thomson

Explorer is state of mind. Generalist is a description of current knowledge held. The two are very different IMO. Agree that experts know a lot about one thing -- and if you reread my intro you'll see that... experts know how to execute one thing... but brands today need folks that can explore and eventually string together lots of "things" to create an overarching marketing program.

Adrian & Jessica - thx for kind words.

Todd -- couldn't agree more.

@TomMartin

Permalink

  By PHILIP | CAMBRIDGE, MA November 10, 2009 01:59:21 pm:

Tom, You always bring an interesting POV to the business, not to mention a healthy does of energy and optimism. Thanks for another great post. Phil Johnson http://twitter.com/philjohnson

Permalink

  By JudyGShapiro | new york, NY November 10, 2009 06:19:42 pm:

Uh – why is it an all or nothing proposition? I want explorers who have the experience to read the compass!

You make it sound like marketers have to sacrifice one for the other. I prefer to think about it like a doctor. You want a doctor who has done a procedure a lot of times – but you want him to be up-to-date on all the latest technologies.

The way you explain it – it is a choice no marketers should have to make.

Judy Shapiro
Sr. VP, Paltalk

Permalink

  By Tom Martin | NEW ORLEANS, LA November 10, 2009 11:14:16 pm:

Judy

Ahhhh.... now isn't that an interesting client side point to make... might clients really be looking for expert explorers?

@TomMartin

Permalink

  By swire | Glendora, CA November 12, 2009 12:08:43 am:

Thanks for sharing – interesting. Like the explorer talk but why does everything always have to be black and white. Nothing is black and white. Except black and white, but even then sometimes there are shades of black and white and you're not entirely sure if it's pure black or pure white. Looking back can be a good thing. Do you want to ignore the past and not learn from what has and has not worked. Also, looking forward and exploring is good. So is analytics and measurement. So is creative. So is strategy. So is passion and exploration. It's about the right mix. The right blend. It's not black and white.

Also, many companies have gone for the "explorer" only to find that they have to teach their new agency everything there is to know about their business before they can truly understand all the parameters and create marketing that is more effective than what they've already done.

I like the thinking but feel it's better suited as part of an overall strategy versus a company's mantra.

Cheers,

Zack Swire

www.goSWIRE.com

Permalink

  By chire | Melbourne, -- November 13, 2009 12:51:55 am:

Dear Tom,

Good point. Many clients go the conservative option of an 'expert', rather than the explorer. Of course the creative explorers are rare.

Nice way to phrase the idea.

Keep innovating,


Christopher Hire
Executive Director,
2thinknow - http://www.2thinknow.com

Permalink

  By markthewebhero | Washington, DC November 14, 2009 01:40:33 pm:

The truth of it all is that there is no such thing as an "Expert", its a relative concept. Its impossible to be perfect at something because there's always something else to be learned. The minute we understand that, the more of an "expert" we would become.

As humans, we weren't created to reach perfection, we were only created to STRIVE for it.

Mark Kennedy
CEO/President
Sketchworks - http://www.sketchworkspro.com

Permalink

  By achez | Lawrence, KS November 14, 2009 06:39:14 pm:

I like the emphasis on exploring. Creativity and new ideas seem to be essential to successful advertising. The notion of an explorer rather than an expert reminds me of Raymond Rubicam's rule—resist the usual.

However, for exploration to be successful I think it is essential to be familiar with relevant history. Risk is an inherent quality of exploring, but should we not find a balance between risk and safety?

I think the ideal agency pairs the expert with the explorer. The expert can provide information on where a brand has been—what was successful and what was not. The explorer need not waste time exploring avenues that are sure to be fruitless. Extrapolation should start with the expert and end with the explorer.

In the end I agree that the explorer can achieve great success. I have no doubt that putting more emphasis on the explorer would be a wise business move for many brands. But, as Dawson said above, I don't think it would be completely beneficial to view the expert and explorer in a mutually exclusive way.

A. Chez

Permalink

Comment:

Note: Comments submitted to AdAge.com are posted automatically and will include the user name with which you registered. Ad Age reserves the right to delete comments that are insulting or personal in nature. Comments may be used in the print edition at editorial discretion. Comments are restricted to 500 words or less.