When checking out a “guru,” ask for the back story…

by Trish

The small/solo business arena is getting more and more crammed with experts wanting to teach you something for a fee (yes, I am one of them, and I gotta tell ya, it’s getting pretty claustrophobic with all the bodies in here).

Many of my fellow experts are great sales people. They know how to tantalize, tempt, and enthuse prospects enough to sign on the dotted line. I envy them their ability sometimes. A silver tongue makes things so much easier when you’re promoting your business.

Problem is, in many cases there’s a slight fork in those silver tongues. Many, maybe even most, of the experts touting their services, products, and programs make things sound pretty easy. And they tell their own stories in stirring fashion; the old “I was a 95-pound weakling, and now I am a buff he-man” story, just with different circumstances. This is smart marketing, because we are all suckers for a good yarn where the protagonist makes the change that makes his or her dream come true. I am definitely a fan of the then-now story as a credential builder.

But….

Too many times, there’s stuff left out of the story. We aren’t told, for example, that the rags to riches experience was ten years in the making. Or that the expert tried and failed at three other business ventures before hitting pay dirt.

There is one mega-expert who has built quite a reputation and a following. One part of his “then” story tells of living in his car on the streets of one of America’s cities for a time. “A time.” I’m such a cynic, I figure, sure, he lived in his car…for a couple of days, week at the most. Maybe while his house was being fumigated. Or so he could use it as part of his story without lying. OK, maybe I’m doing the guy an injustice, but I have a very hard time believing that he would ever have been in such straits…he’s too astute a marketer and business person to have been literally homeless.

There is another well known internet marketing expert who has sold loads of programs and made bajillions. One reason he is highly admired is that he did it all at a very young age—early twenties. The part of his back story that doesn’t get out much is that he grew up in a family of very successful entrepreneurs. He was trained from the cradle. He probably knew stuff at the age of seven that most of us are just learning now. Given that kind of environment, it would be surprising if he didn’t create success for himself in his early adulthood.

So here’s the thing. Don’t take any of our success stories—mine included—at face value. To get a handle on what it may really take to get your business running the way you want, and to set realistic expectations for yourself, dig into our back stories. Ask the questions that no one else asks. Buying the service, product, or program may still make sense for you, but now you can use them with eyes wide open. And I bet you reach your goals that much faster.