Thought of the Day: Proximity is not a stand in for expertise.

Proximity is not a stand in for expertise.

Monday, March 03, 2014 Francisco Carneiro 0 Comments

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I came across this in Seth Godin's excellent Blog.

or sleep near a train station.

Don't ask a cab driver for theater tips.

Never buy bread from the supermarket bakery...

and don't ask your spouse for honest feedback about how you look.

Don't do business with a stranger who calls you at home during dinner.

Think twice before you ask your ad agency how many ads you should run.

And never eat the macadamia nuts in the mini bar.

Proximity is not a stand in for expertise.

This is so true but the human mind is very easy to trick. I would add some more lines

Never ask the Hotel Doorman about a restaurant tip. Probably the guy gets a commission!

Never buy an IPO or secondary offer, just because it's being offered to you. The seller knows much more about the company than you.

If someone comes and offers you a fund or financial product wait at least 1 year before you buy! Normally they just approach you after a hot period of performance.

The mark of expertise is to do something for a long time, to do just that for a long time. If someone is doing something for a long time they must have something. If someone is the son of a medical doctor doesn't mean that he knows more about health than you.