Work-At-Home Expert or Pied Piper

Disclaimer: This article is to help people who want to work-at-home evaluate the quality of “expert” advice. Its based on a true experience I had last weekend with an “expert” that I felt was taking advantage of his “expert” status by providing misleading information. The situation and the companies in the article are true but I have removed the names to protect all in involved. Nevertheless, one part of the article does encourage you not to accept things without more proof. For that reason, if you’d like the details including the resources to back my claims, you can email me at success@workathomesuccess.com.

Work-At-Home Expert or Pied Piper

(C) 2005 Leslie Truex

The other day, I was invited to listen in on a call in which an “expert”, a veteran of network marketing associated with other mlm gurus, was going to do a talk about how some specific companies were going out of business. I was familiar with most of the companies on the “hit” list and was surprised to hear of their impending demise. One company in particular I researched quite a bit and while it’s not for everyone, all my research pointed to a solid, reputable company. So I was curious and frankly skeptical about what this guy had to say. And even more to the point, why he was saying it.

I was only two seconds into the call when this “expert” lost all credibility with me. Why? He had a hidden agenda. He was affiliated with a specific company and the call was geared to members or “guests” interested in his company. The speaker was not providing objective “expert” information about home business companies, but instead was looking to increase belief in his program at the expense of other programs…his competition.

I listened through and hour and a half of the call and was shocked that a so-called “expert” would give such blatant misinformation and speculation as fact without any proof to back it up. What bothered me most was that because this guy was touted as an expert, the people on the call were predisposed to believing him, without asking questions.

Expert advice is very helpful especially to people looking to work at home. But you need to be careful because not all “experts” are actually experts. And sometimes experts offer “advice” that is NOT based on objective knowledge, but instead is designed to “sell” their own program, as was the case with the call I was on. Below is my “expert” advice on how to evaluate the quality of expert work-at-home advice.

Hidden Agenda

When an expert is strongly affiliated with one particular organization and is dumping on competing organizations, you need to scrutinize the information given to you. That’s not to say experts aren’t allowed to offer opinions or to share their favorite programs. But they need to be upfront about what information they are supplying and whether it’s based on fact and verifiable evidence versus personal opinion. The key difference is what does the expert get out of it. If I share with you my favorite work-at-home website, and am not paid to do so, you are more likely to accept what I have to say about it. But if I’m paid to recommend the website, it still may be a great website, but you should require more proof beyond my “word” that it’s a great website. Good experts are upfront about their motives when giving objective advice, a free endorsement, or plugging one of their own programs to increase their profit. Failure to do this puts their credibility on the line.

Where’s the proof?

There have been occasions when I have specifically advised people away from or made recommendations to specific programs. But, I have always backed up that advice with verifiable information such as Better Business Bureau Reports, Federal Trade Commission complaints or other third-party information that can be verified. The fact that I do this has increased my credibility with people who come to me for advice. They know I am giving them information based facts not on speculation. In instances in which I am not knowledgeable about a company in question, I offer advice based on what I know about the work-at-home industry. For example, if someone asks me about ABC company, I’ll visit the website to learn what I can. If I see that it offers envelope stuffing, my advice is going to be “stay away” as its common knowledge that envelope stuffing is a scam. Further, I’ll direct the person to other credible resources such as the Federal Trade Commission that back up my advice that envelope stuffing is one scheme to avoid.

The point is, when you are looking to work at home, its important you don’t take anyone’s word, even an expert’s, without proof. On the call I attended, the speaker gave information I knew to be erroneous. He provided inaccurate facts, gave misleading information, skewed the information to fit his agenda, and even suggested that the companies in question would be going out of business. What he didn’t give is any proof. No NASDAQ data of a financial down turn. No Better Business Bureau Reports indicating a history of complaints. No credible information to back up his claims.

In my opinion (note I’m giving opinion not fact), I don’t believe he could back up his statements because there was no proof. In fact, I could prove the opposite (note here I’m going to offer evidence of my claim). I could provide mainstream business magazine articles that profiled one company on the “hot list” as being a solid, stable company with extremely strong leadership. Plus, I could provide proof of awards from various business organizations.* Notice, that I didn’t use info the company offered but instead I offered proof through non-related credible resources.

Interestingly, and frighteningly, not one person on the call questioned the “expert” on his claims. But, they should have. Its important to question and research when it comes to work at home programs. Think of it this way; if you were diagnosed with a serious illness, you’d likely go to another doctor for a second opinion. Most doctors are viewed as experts and yet when it counts, you want extra proof. You shouldn’t expect any less from your work-at-home expert.
Where’s the beef?

If it appears that there is a hidden agenda or an outright claim about a program’s “incredible opportunity”, get to the meat of the program. Find out what makes it so great not in “rah rah” or vague terms, but in specific, provable facts. During the entire call, I heard how horrible these other companies were but not a single fact about why his program was better. When I was in grade school, we called these people “bullies”. Remember, when you were young and a bully called you names, your parents or teacher explained to you that bullies have low self-esteem and need to put others down to make them feel more important? That’s what I thought about the speaker on the call. He had to criticize all these other companies because he wasn’t confident that his own company could stack up.

In my opinion (note opinion again), I don’t think it could. I could easily have poked holes in his program. He had a vitamin that was twice the cost of one of his competitor’s and yet he said his competitor was overpricing. Plus the competitor has a patent and an independent scientific study to verify the product works. The speaker’s product didn’t (note claim that could be verified*). Can you see the difference? He was using his “expertise” and charisma to entice people to his program not by touting the merits of his program, but by criticizing competing programs. The important thing to recognize here is that any work at home program you join should be able to stand on its own based on a solid program and provable facts.

Expert or Pied Piper?

So how do you know when an “expert” isn’t being the Pied Piper? Clearly if they don’t have a hidden agenda and they support their statements through proof that you can verify, you are probably looking at someone who is trying to offer objective information. However, it isn’t always clear, so ask questions. There’s a great saying, “Question authority.” When you are looking at investing time and money into working at home, that is sage advice. You shouldn’t blindly follow the charismatic guy or gal who “seems” to know it all. Ask questions. Ask for proof, particularly proof that comes from credible sources outside the company. And always be skeptical about the person who leads with negativity. The most successful people I know who work at home, never dump on other programs even if they personally believe they are bad. Instead, they are extremely positive and focus on their own merits with confidence.

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Leslie Truex is a stay and work-at-home mom who has been providing work-at-home information and resources since 1998 at her website, Work-At-Home Success http://www.workathomesuccess.com/. Read her current Work-At-Home Success Jobs and News ezine at http://www.workathomesuccess.com/ezine.htm