So a few days ago I asked you, my amazing readers, what kind of posts you wanted to see, and one of the comments was how to detect the real experts from all the internet “experts.” While I’m definitely not going to sit here and say that I’m an expert in my field, I’ve seen enough and done enough to know a steaming pile when I see one, so I thought I would break it down in a kind of David Letterman Top Ten list fashion.

So today, I’m going to go through the Top Ten ways to spot “experts,” as well as the Top Ten ways to tell the real experts. Let’s start off with the “experts.”

Top Ten Ways to Spot and “Expert.”

10. They refer to themselves as an expert – this is an obvious one but needs some more info behind it. For someone to call themselves an expert is horrendously nearsighted, as no one in their field can claim to know everything there is to know about a subject, especially if they can’t fondly remember disco or World War II. I have a hard time believing anyone in their 20’s can lay claim to being an expert, especially people who say stupid stuff like this:

No woman should lift more than three pounds -Tracy Anderson

Really?

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9. They can’t back up their claims – Opinions are great, and so are anecdotal reports, but if you can’t find a study that shows a statistically significant effect, with an intervention that measures what it’s supposed to measure, you don’t have much of a leg to stand on.

8. They’ve been doing what they do for less than 10 years – I’m not even in this boat yet, and I doubt a good 90% of all trainers out there would be either.

7. The numbers don’t add up – Whatever they’re talking about, be it training sessions, clients, or Wilt Chamberlain hitting 20,000, do the math and figure out if it’s reality or a fudged number. I remember seeing a status of someone doing 35 sessions in one day, but I was good friends with his co-worker. Turns out his 35 sessions were split into 3 group fitness classes and 2 actual training sessions. Participants in spin class don’t count.

6. They don’t read. Ever.

5. They “Specialize” in everything – I met a lawyer once who had this written on the back of his business card:

We specialize in family law, criminal defence, personal injury, and medical malpractice

If someone specializes in everything, then they aren’t very good at anything

4. They never question themselves or how they approach a problem.

3. They know just as little about the back-end part of their industry

2. No one else can say anything good about them – In a world where your reputation is your calling card, it becomes more evident that the opinions of others (and more specifically the opinions of highly qualified individuals) can make or break your reputation. This is why no one believes the claims that Jillian Michaels or Dr. Phil are experts at anything other than product placement.

1. Serious lack of education – Now I’m not going to say that in order to qualify as an expert someone has to have a PhD, but it doesn’t hurt. While having an advanced degree isn’t mandatory to success, it does show that the individual had to go through a series of courses and show their knowledge in order to pass and move on to the next level. It’s a level of accomplishment that can’t be equaled with self-study and “life experience.”

And now, the Top Ten ways you can spot an expert.

10. They actually know what they’re doing, and have worked with a lot of people and situations.

9. Other highly qualified people refer to them on a consistent basis – Each industry has these people. In the fitness industry and sport performance world, these people would be Charles Poliquin, Mike Boyle, Alwyn Cosgrove, John Berardi, Stuart McGill, and very select few others. If you’re calling yourself an expert, you’d better be able to match up to these guys.

8. They can back up what they say with research, facts, and actual numbers reflecting performance.

7. They’re willing to be wrong….

6. ….but they rarely are – if they are actually wrong about something, they’re quick to adjust what they do and how they present information to make sure they stay at the forefront of the learning curve.

5. They turn down more work than they accept – The demand for their service is so high they can name their own price, chose where and when they want to work, and say or do what they want simply because they know there will be another organization, team, individual or whatever looking to shell out money for their time tomorrow.

4. They can solve more problems than almost anyone else

3. People stand in line to work for them for months at a time. For Free – internships with some of the best of the best are typically unpaid, and occasionally cost the individual into the thousands of dollars, but the experience is unlike any other.

2. Their words carry weight – Regardless of what they say, people listen, dissect, and absorb.

1. They get results, and have a proven track record of success

These rules aren’t hard and fast, nor are they even rules. They’re just my observations of the differences between people who are head and shoulders above the crowd and the big shots you’ve never heard of.