Episode 151: Stop Arguing With Gurus And Outshine Them

The most frustrating part of watching “overnight experts” win in business is knowing you actually did the work: the training, the experience, the credentials, the outcomes. So why does the market still reward people whose expertise is questioned? 

The answer is uncomfortable but real. They make the buyer decision feel the simplest, safest, and most valuable in the moment. 

In this episode, we dig into the social media credential debates swirling around high-profile names, not to pile on, but to pull out the business lesson for us as consultants. If you are ready to make it easier for buyers to understand you, trust you, and confidently hire you, press play. Then subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review so more women in consulting can find the support they deserve.

Ready to Go Deeper?

 If you’ve been feeling like your expertise is stronger than the market response you’re getting, you’re probably right. I'm hosting a strategic advisory lab to help experienced women consultants become easier for buyers to understand, trust, value, and confidently hire without relying so heavily on referrals, endless networking, or constant content creation. Simply DM me “LAB” on Instagram or LinkedIn and I will send more information your way.

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Transcript

The Problem With Unqualified Experts

SPEAKER_00 0:00

There's a lot of conversation going on right now when it comes to what people like to call unqualified experts. Whether you're hearing all the discussion that's flooding the social media feeds right now around Dr. Cheyenne Bryant or thinking about all of the discussions that have been had around Mel Robbins or maybe even Dr. Phil, there has long been this belief and this feeling that many of the gurus and experts in various industries are not experts in their own right, that they don't necessarily have the credentials, they don't have the experience, they don't have the knowledge, they haven't put in the work. And therefore, it's very frustrating when you're someone who has done all of those things the right way, the traditional way, the what seemed as and deemed as normal way, is unable to compete. And you're watching these people just make more and more money and grow their platforms and their brands, and you're trying to figure out how in the world is this happening, especially if they're not even qualified to do so. And I like to say that for me, uh just like you, it has been something that frustrated me for a really, really long time. Now, I'm the first to advocate for appropriate credentials, especially when you're dealing with someone else's livelihood in their lives. But here is a harsh reality that it took me far too long to accept. And the moment I did, everything for me began to shift. And that is that buyers are often not running a credential check. They don't have the time in order to dig into history. They're going off of what they see in front of them, what they've been experiencing, what they know to be true, and how it has impacted their life day to day. And so for us, that often means that the consultant who wins is almost always the one who made it easiest to say yes to. And so that's what we're gonna talk about today. Because if you can make it easier for clients to say yes to you, then you're gonna be well on your way. They say the odds are stacked against us as women, especially women of color, trying to thrive in the consulting world. But rather than wait for a seat at the table that may never come, what if we build our own tables? What if we channeled our talents into guiding each other towards the success we deserve? Welcome to the Black Girls Consulting Podcast. I'm your host, Dr. Antoina Davis, and I've walked the path from healthcare consultant to a mentor for women like you. Ambitious, unstoppable, and ready to make waves in the consulting world. This podcast is your go-to spot for all things entrepreneurial consulting. For us as women, especially women of color, think of it as your weekly coffee date with a friend who's here to dish out real talk on building a solid business, elevating your thought leadership, and mastering that all-important mindset. And let's not forget, we're doing all of this while balancing day jobs, family life, and running teams. Yes, we can do it all. So if you're ready to dive into how you can grow a thriving consultancy or get strategies and insights that actually fit your busy lifestyle, then you're in the right place. Grab your coffee, tea, or hey, even a glass of wine. I won't judge. And let's get started. Hello, hello, hello. Welcome to the Black Girls Consult 2 podcast. I'm your host, Dr. Angelina Davis, and today we are going to dive a little bit into the social media world because I thought this topic when I saw it was really relevant to what we experience now in the consulting space, mainly because uh, if you are not aware or haven't seen it, uh, there has been just a lot of pushback on the qualifications or maybe uh the proclaimed expertise of a number of high-level notable individuals in various industries. So I I mentioned, you know, earlier about Dr. Cheyenne Bryant is defending a lot of her work around her credentials and claiming that she's a doctor, and people saying that she's not. I don't know the truth. I'm not here to say one way or the other. I don't really know the details about all of those things, but I know this is a big conversation, and we've all heard of the kind of back and forth around Dr. Phil and his validity or the validity of his expertise. And then people have a number of issues with Mel Robbins and what she may or may not be qualified to do. And the list goes on and on and on. Now, I'm not trying to say that we should not hold people accountable and make sure that people are being very transparent and honest about what they have been credentialed to do and what they have trained to do. Um, but I do want us to focus a lot more of our effort on the things that we can actually change. And the reality is that we can't really change what someone decides to state as their background. And that's something that they're choosing to do, whether it's good or bad. But one thing that we do have control over is how we respond to it. And what I've noticed over time, and I've been guilty of this as well, is that sometimes we get wrapped up in fighting the battle. And in doing so, we find ourselves not finding ways to, in essence, outshine those individuals. Because if they are not as qualified, if they have not received the necessary training, then those who have gone through those processes know more, are more capable and are able to outshine them. But many times we don't either feel empowered to do so, or maybe we don't feel the same level of support in order to do so. Maybe financially, we just don't have the means to get to certain platforms or be able to broadcast our message at a certain level. However, the reality is that if we are continuing to build around our work, then what we build is going to be far greater than what someone may build who is not qualified to do so. That's actually the honest truth. And so many times we get frustrated by these uh people, by the messages that they're putting out there, because we may feel as if they're wrong. But I had to learn that at the end of the day, when it comes to entrepreneurship, especially, it just becomes an even playing field. And that much of what we have been taught in our corporate space, which is built around degrees and credentials and hierarchy, they don't exist in the entrepreneur world. And the reality is that if a client or a customer decides that what they are offering meets their needs, then they're going to get the business. What I want to urge us to do is to start focusing on how we can make that same level of impact on the people that we want to serve so they choose us instead of them. And I do think that this teaches us a lesson about perceived value. You can offer something that is highly valuable, but if the client doesn't perceive it as being valuable to them, then they're not going to invest. Similarly, you may find that someone is offering a service or offer that doesn't appear to be as valuable as what you can offer. However, if it's perceived to be more valuable by that client, then they are going to invest. It's all about perception. And this is why when I would read a lot of the comments under a number of these posts that people were making, I had a very different take on the situation because at the end of the day, what we're trying to do is convince the customer or the client that their perceived value is incorrect. If we're able to explain and tell them the truth about a situation that may be false, then definitely that can shift. But in scenarios where we are unable to have a strong case, then it's going to be difficult to shift their opinion just solely by making this argument. The easier way to do that is to actually show them what they can get that is much better than what they perceive to be a value at that time. And this is how I think that we have to start thinking. We have to be very focused on how are we able to provide more value, greater value to our clients than our competition can. It used to be that your credentials, your degree, your work history all helped to really build your credibility as a consultant. That's why so many people would go into consulting toward the end of their career. So you saw a lot of older, especially cisgender white males that would enter the consulting space when they were approaching retirement or had just retired. And part of the reason why they waited until that time is because they had everything that they had done over the years behind them. It was, you know, kind of like this foundation of credibility that they were able to stand on and launch from. But now we're in a totally different space. This is a completely new era. It's a new age. That is something that doesn't happen any longer. We have people who are starting out and consulting much younger, decades younger, uh, with you know, knowledge and expertise that they have gained, yes, from the classroom, but also outside of the classroom. We have so much available to us right now that allows us to do things a little bit differently. And so sometimes we look at uh competitors and we may be thinking that they don't have the knowledge or the expertise or the experience when in all honesty, they actually may have something that we don't. And that's that's hard to hear, but it's the truth. And I know sometimes I've struggled with that. You often think about all the years you went to school and degrees that you have and the certifications and the credentials and how long you worked in a particular position. I think one of the hardest things for me starting out was realizing that everything that I had accomplished, all of the boards I had sat on, the companies and the in industry that I had worked with, that that did not translate the same way in this space as it did in my career. All of these frustrations are valid, but we have to just recognize that the world is different. The client is also going through a very different evaluation process. They're not just sitting down and comparing apples and apples any longer. We are also vastly different based upon what we are bringing to the table, the experiences that we've had, the value that we offer. It's hard for someone to choose and determine who they are going to work with next. There's so many uh people out there, so many options, so much competition that for them it can be overwhelming. Even if they're trying to do their due diligence, it's hard to really find all the information that they need. And one of the easiest ways that they know to determine whether or not this person is someone that they need to work with is to see whether or not the work that they do on a grander scale, on a larger platform, on in a space where they can easily access it, whether or not that work is meaningful for them, for their business. Is it something that drives change even at this very high, you know, high level, this broad level? If it doesn't, then they're going to go with the person who does. This is why some businesses do better than others, because they understand that they can't rely solely on credentials in their background, or maybe being the best kept secret and what they have always been known for. They are making it clear and obvious why they should be chosen, why they should be selected, because they know and they understand that this old aspect of positioning and messaging, it plays a huge role. We may not want to admit it, but it really, really does. It's one of the, it's one of the reasons why I don't know if you've ever noticed this before, but marketers tend to do really, really well in the online space when they try to start a business. And that's because they know they know positioning, they know messaging. They typically know how to sell effectively. And that's not gonna come from networking endlessly like we've traditionally done. It's not gonna come from even posting on LinkedIn constantly. Yes, post, but it needs to be with strategy. It's not gonna come from just chasing attention and trying to get on every podcast or you know, speak at every, you know, on every platform or every convention. There are certain elements that help to give you visibility, but beyond just being seen, we need to make sure that we are making an impact before they work with us, before any proposal is sent, before they sign on the dotted line. That's really the difference. When you look at some of you know, these individuals, like I said, that have been all of the talk here lately. The one thing I can say is that number one, they show up consistently. Number two, they are making an impact, whether or not you want to admit it or not. They are. And that makes a huge difference in the mind of the consumer. I just want us to kind of learn from this a bit because I do think that underneath the surface of all of it, it really does expose so much. It exposes how how many of us feel about, you know, kind of like the state of um our industry right now. And it is valid. It is very valid to feel as if you have a lot of, you know, overnight experts and gurus. AI is making it very easy for people to see more than competent. And it can actually create a greater burden or a challenge, at least we feel, if you are someone who has been putting in the work and has been building for a long time. As a matter of fact, this quarter I am working with a small select group of consultants. We're working on how to make it easier for buyers to understand, to trust, to value you, and to confidently hire you without relying so heavily on referrals or endless networking or constant content creation. So if you're interested in doing this work, then I'm gonna leave this in the show notes and I want you to join us. I'd love to support you on a closer and a more intimate level. So, look, I hope this conversation helps. I know it's a little bit, you know, different. It's a little, you know, off the cuff. But I just started seeing all these posts and I thought, oh gosh, we gotta talk about this because I think there's so much underneath it. And look, if you enjoyed this episode, please share with a friend. Don't hesitate to reach out to me on LinkedIn or Instagram or any other platforms. I love to hear from you. If you have not joined uh the email list, check the show descriptions and join that so that you can stay um connected through email. And until next time, I want you to focus on how you can make it easier for your clients to invest. All right, guys, take care. Have a good one. Thank you for tuning in to the Black Girls Hunter 2 podcast. If you enjoyed today's episode, be sure to leave your review on Apple Podcasts, subscribe, and share it with a friend. We're on a mission to increase the success and longevity of women in consulting. And you can help us do just that. Also, I'd love to hear from you. So let's connect at Dr. Angelina Davis on Instagram or LinkedIn. And don't forget to visit expel at consulting.com for more information to support your consulting journey. Until next time, keep breaking glass filling. All right, take care.