Have you ever had days when you took pleasure at throwing someone out of your office? I do it all the time and it feels great! This is what I'm doing in my head, of course! I would never (actually) throw someone out of my office. That would be rude and unprofessional, but, they cannot see what goes on in my head. These thoughts pervade my mind when someone tries to influence or coerce me into investing in an idea, based on their professional credentials. “Trust me”, they say. I'm a certified cybersecurity professional. Okay, they passed a standardized test; but do they really understand my issues and can they devise and implement solutions that benefits my company?
Have you ventured out to LinkedIn, lately? Everybody is a cybersecurity professional. Excuse me for picking on “cybersecurity” as a topic, but it is being used only as an example. I know people who are professional scuba divers and they are now professional cybersecurity scuba divers. Okay, I'm exaggerating, …a little. And you know I'm not too far from reality. The point is that credentials are useful for one thing; opening the doors. If the industry believes you should be certified or licensed to get an appointment, then by all means, get credentialed. Once you are in the door, however, the game changes.
On the customer side of the table, they simply want quality products and services that meets their needs. Once you get the appointment, there is no further need to keep touting your professional credentials. They are interested in how your products or services will benefit them and their respective businesses. There is nothing worse than people who believe it is of the utmost importance to have the customer meet and talk to their team of credentialed personnel. This is the gang-marketing approach. I have no intentions of marrying into their family! These are your people. Keep them to yourself. I'm sure they are very nice folks. If they do what I'm paying to get done, we're good. A very wise person once told me that when the perspective buyer buys the car, stop talking or you will end up buying it back!
