What Makes You An Expert?

Having your expertise on word usage challenged by someone who is illiterate is an interesting experience. My five year old gets all of his information on this topic from a girl who comes up to my pockets. “Libby says 'yea' is not a word,” he informed me with confidence on a car ride home from school. I explained 'yea' was informal speech – OK to use with friends, but not with grownups.

Who was I to question Libby, he wanted to know. She has continually espoused her knowledge to her classmates since the beginning of the school year.

“A trick is a lie!”

“Booty is a bad word!”

“I saw Hailey’s brother naked!” (She's also an expert in anatomy.)

My son doesn’t care that Libby can only read about as many words as he, which as of this posting is still in the single digits, or that her best literary references come from One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish. In his mind, she is an expert.

What makes you, or me, or anyone an expert on anything? Education? Experience?  Money?  An appearance on Oprah? The ability to shout louder than all the other kids in Mrs. Dawson’s Pre-K class?

A fellow business owner told me how a potential client dashed her hopes of landing a new account with a single interview question - “Where did you get your MBA?” She was deflated. Her 25 years experience, her work on national campaigns, and her bulging portfolio became irrelevant with six words. His definition of a marketing expert included an advanced degree.

I was described as an expert once. I experienced palpitations as a result of the utterance. A man emceeing a professional organization’s monthly meeting introduced me, the scheduled speaker, as an expert on social media. My eyes widened as I looked into the faces of dozens of my peers. The word traveled through my ears snaked through my body, encircled my heart and squeezed. Had he not seen the bio I sent? Did he not hear me prior to his announcement when I said I preferred to be described as an independent PR practitioner who has done research on viral videos? I decided he was not an expert on introductions.

Dictionary.com lists the definition of an expert as: a person who has special skill or knowledge in some particular field; specialist; authority.

I have knowledge of food preparation and certain amount of cooking skill, but an expert in the kitchen? Julia Child I am not.

The definition doesn't concern me as much as the connotation. To be all-knowing. Wise beyond all others in your field. The ability to pass a pop-quiz at any time. Unflappable. Right. Always.

When I pitch clients to the media, I feel confident their expertise would bring value to the ten o'clock news because I rely on facts. A dermatologist with 30 plus years experience who has treated thousands of patients is an expert on skin. A consultant who saves his clients, on average, $30,000 on college expenses is an expert on tuition planning. Of these things I'm sure.

Expertise can be less tangible than statistics, and is a bit like beauty – in the eye of the beholder. If you were referred to me by someone I know, or have created a body of work that I appreciate, you are an expert. I make that decision based on what is important to me - the letters after your name, the work you've created, our shared acquaintances.

Someday I’ll tell Ethan my personal definition - someone who has made all the mistakes in a particular field. This less formal description is much easier to live up to, but probably wouldn’t meet Libby’s standards. Defining the word this way releases the pressure, and let's people know you've worked hard, you learned some things, and are willing to help others even at the risk of being scrutinized.

Tips from a Wee Salesman

I watched a salesman close a deal the day after Thanksgiving. The Black Friday transaction didn’t go down at a mall, or a big box retailer. Money didn't even change hands. Instead, the setting was a kitchen, and the currency was sweeter than cash.

My husband’s family celebrates Thanksgiving the day after the holiday. Turkey and dressing were not yet cold in the fridge when the sales pitch began to take shape. The request was simple and the audience was targeted. The pint-sized deal man made his one-word plea to those tall enough to reach the counter, and young enough to hear him speak. I marveled at the lesson being taught by 28 months of life experience. He had already pleaded with others who were unsympathetic, when looked up at me and said, “Cupcake.” He was not a man dying from thirst, but a boy in plain sight of blue frosted heaven. He explained the urgency of his request by repeating himself.

I reluctantly told him that answering his question was beyond my pay grade. He moved on – undeterred. No tantrum, no tears. I couldn’t help him, he needed someone who could. His grandmother at the stove most certainly outranked me, but she like any good customer had questions.

“What did your mother say?” she asked.

“No,” he replied with a level of honesty that escapes most children when speaking of cake.

“Did you ask your dad? What did he say?” Grandma was in his corner, but her apron strings were tied.

“No,” he said flatly knowing the situation was looking grim.   

Grandma learned from her daughter that her grandson had already eaten dessert. He stood there, looking up at them both with no emotion. His silence was key. As a mother of a son and a witness to negotiations similar to this, I knew his behavior was making it difficult for the rule makers. He was honest, quiet, smart and hard to turn down. His actions were critical. The deal hung in the balance. 

The silence was broken by a young cousin entering the kitchen requesting dinner, which caused the stomachs of all the other children to grumble. New terms to the deal were drawn. Eat dinner and a cupcake could be had. He worked his legs double time to the table. After an entire plate of leftover spaghetti, his request was met at long last.

Later as my nuclear family began walking toward the door, the young man’s father headed the same direction. His wife explained their eldest was still eating dessert. “How long can a cupcake take?” he wondered aloud.  I turned my head to see the sales man, who keenly used honesty, integrity, persistence, and a calm attitude with a quiet tongue to close a deal, savoring his Black Friday earnings.

 

How to Create Great Subject Lines

I've spent countless hours finessing subject lines for e-blasts and e-newsletters. The ideas for the right seven to ten word phrase range from trite to absurd as I ponder the right combination that will make someone put down their latte and read my email. A client is launching a new product and we're developing multiple emails for at least three different audience groups. I spent some time researching this matter.

While, as I suspected, there is no consensus among the "experts" in this field there are some guiding principles. Which are as follows:

-keep subject lines brief

-be specific and stay focused on your audience and their interests

-including numbers helps (ie. top 3 tips)

-A/B testing is important
 
Check out these links for more on the topic.

Mail Chimp - the email distribution company shares subject lines from it's clients' emails with the highest open rates. An interesting read, but isn't helpful in all situations.

Constant Contact and Clickz - both include some of the best practices.

Do it Marketing - has actual sample subject lines. A great read if you are in a creative slump! 

5 Ways to be Strategic in Chaos

I recently came across a story on Inc.com titled: The 6 Habits of True Strategic Thinkers. Written by Paul J. H. Shoemaker, the article got me thinking about my time in corporate public relations. I have never struggled more with making time for long-term planning than when I was director of public relations for a large hospital system. My days were jammed with pressing issues. Between phone calls, emails, meetings, media requests, and matters with patients - there was little time to plan for the future. While the story aptly covered the habits of strategic thinkers, I would add an addendum - how strategic thinkers get strategy done. Here are my top five ways to stay ahead of the game.

1. Schedule time on your calendar once a quarter to leave the office and work on your long-term plan. The key phrase is leave the office. The harder you are to find, the more you'll get done.

2. Create a status report so that you may track progress in writing. This is a basic document which can be easily created. Include tactics, people responsible, dates, progress. Commit to updating it every week - this will keep you accountable.

3. Formulate a network of others who are in similar positions at non-competing companies. Discuss your plans with them and they will help you identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats, etc.

4. Keep the plan in plain site. Squirreling it away just gives you an excuse to avoid it.

5. Protect your time and question busy work that comes your way. For example, one of the best ways to free up your time is to scrutinize your calendar. If someone requests a one-on-one meeting, see if you can handle their request with a phone call. Handle as much as you can via email and remember - people pay you to get things done, not necessarily do them. Delegate as much as you can.

Being strategic is more than keeping your head above water, it's changing the way you work so that you can achieve long-term goals while improving your efficiency and hopefully, your company's bottom line.