There are So. Very. Many. People. advertising themselves as coaches and experts on LinkedIn. Founders, you can identify the real deal, as with everything else, by looking at the stories they share.
Dilettantes (people with limited experience) speak in generalities. They might have a surface understanding of a trend, but they don't have enough experience to offer a wealth of examples.
Think of the person who claims to be a sales expert, but only ever says "sell like this" without offering the stories from the trenches about how that guidance was previously put into practice. If there are no examples, then, at best, they read it in a book somewhere and, at worst, they're making it up on the spot.
Think of just about every business book you've ever read. Each concept comes with AT LEAST one story about how that idea played out in their own work history or someone they know.
It's tough, because the dilettante knows they don't have any basis for their beliefs, so they rely on conviction and hard-sell tactics. They might not know it, but goddamn do they believe it. That unearned confidence can really mess with a founder's head -- if you don't have a lot of experience, that pressure sounds a lot like truth, and you suddenly find yourself buying the business equivalent of a time share.
The true experts are overflowing with stories -- ask them about anything in their field and they'll tell you example after example about their own experiences and those of people they've worked with. Experience is grounded in specificity.
Founders, please be careful. Whether you're bootstrapping or have raised capital, you've got limited runway. Don't spend precious resources for bad advice. Ask qualifying questions and see if there is any experience at all behind the sales pitch.
I'd love to hear your best stories in the comments. When have you obviously been sold a bill of goods?
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