(Plus Two Other Ideas)
This is our third installment on the subject of Subject Matter Experts. Two weeks ago we discussed the merits of a catch and release program for SMEARS (subject matter experts at rest) and last week we talked about the best ways to turn them into SMELTS (subject matter experts liberally talking).
Today I’d like to finish up by looking at how to create a subject matter expert program that can help you get the most out of your SMEARs without traumatizing anyone involved.
1. Focus:
It is tempting to try to create a massive list of SMEs for every occasion but let’s face it, that’s a lot of work and you will then be stuck maintaining it. I think it’s a much more useful exercise to look at your plans for the next few quarters and figure what kind of experts you need and in which areas.
2. Find:
This is easier said than done, especially in a large company. And even if you find a few obvious experts in the company directory, you’re not seeing the less obvious background information. What people did in past lives can be pretty important too. I would start with our good friend LinkedIn. Do a search using your company and some key terms as the filters. I’ve found Elvis impersonators, PhDs, former fighter pilots and beagle breeders among my SMEs. Helpful Hint: Take note of anyone who was once a nurse or a paramedic; you never know. Once you’ve found a few good SMEARs, reach out directly to them and confirm that they, in fact, remember something about their vast experience as a hydrogeologist, and then ask them to rat out their colleagues who have similar or complementary expertise.
3. Finesse:
One of the reasons people like us get the cold shoulder from our SMEs is that we are people like us. Show me a subject matter expert whimpering behind a rented Ficus, and I’ll show you one who was traumatized by a marketing team. There are plenty of ways to apply some finesse, but my favourite is to figure out just one, specific thing you want your SMEAR to do. It can be reviewing a white paper or sitting on a panel or briefing the sales team but it should be just one thing. For now. If you can approach a reluctant SMEAR with a specific request that clearly outlines what you want, how much time it will take and why it’s important, chances are they’ll play along and come back for more. If, on the other hand, you bring them into some brainstorming session where their name ends up on nine different flip charts, you will lose them forever.
4.The FUD Factor:
Fear, uncertainty and doubt, that cynical trinity from IBM’s marketing playbook, are at work in the bowels of your organization. Once you’ve finessed your SMEAR into playing along, guess where they are going next? That’s right: straight to their manager to make sure it’s ok. But that manager has seen your type before. That manager has great fear that you will chew up their SMEAR’s time for weeks on end. That manager has great uncertainty about whether or not their SMEAR will ever return once they’ve tasted the sweet nectar of a marketing boondoggle. That manager has considerable doubt that any good at all can come from this. And your SMEAR is far from equipped to manage this mess. This is your job and you need to make sure you can demonstrate a direct relationship between your SMELT and some larger goal. See last week’s post for ideas on this.
5. Fête:
Once your SMELT has completed their first task, it’s important to resist the urge to pull out the lure and fling them back into the Productivity Prevention Department or wherever it is they came from. You must first celebrate their efforts. Make sure you give them credit as publicly as you can, at least internally. A well-placed note to your SMELT’s manager and, if possible one level up will do nicely, as will mentions in meetings, newsletters, intranets and so forth. Remember to tie their effort to a demonstrable outcome.
5½. Consider Renting:
Sometimes you just can’t catch the SMEAR you want. Either they aren’t being fooled by your shiny bug-shaped lures, or their Overlords won’t let them come out to play. If this is the case, you can always rent an expert. Most of the big research companies such as IDC or Gartner can supply someone to speak in general terms about the industry you’re serving. If you need someone more technical, look for a consultant. In most industries there are legions of independent experts, many of them former corporate SMEARS or SMELTs, who can be hired to make appropriate noises on your behalf.
5¾. Fix:
I have worked in exactly one company that had an up-to-date internal database of employee expertise. I have heard of perhaps a dozen more where an expertise database actually worked. And this is the saddest thing of all because for years and years and years, marketing has had the opportunity to turn the ad hoc harassment of experts into something approaching their domestication. Perhaps it’s time you forgave the HR people for sucking all the fun out of Groundhog Day and worked with them to build a Subject Matter Expert system. Besides, they could probably use your help with the rebrand to something called Talent Management.
If you have succeeded in launching a successful and sustained SMEAR Campaign, I would love to hear about it.
Bizmarketer is Elizabeth Williams
Follow me on Twitter @bizmkter
or email escwilliams@gmail.com
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