I went mountain biking with a couple buddies (one of whom is a pro) and I took a pretty bad fall…
… Off a bridge ….
… Into a “ravine” … (not a huge ravine, but a ravine none the less).
Fortunately, the bridge was low, the ravine small (in comparison to standard ravines) and my fall was cushioned by some unlucky shrubs and ferns.
But it was still awkward (and painful).
And you know what my friends did?
They circled back. Helped me out of the ravine. And rode behind me the rest of the way out. (Mostly because I was a bit woozy but also to make sure I was safe… and maybe partly to see if I’d fall off another bridge 😉 I’m sure it looked hilarious!)
But do you know what they didn’t do?
They didn’t publicly shame me for falling. Because public shaming is normally wrong.
Unless, of course, the person or people being publicly shamed are doing something unethical that could potentially hurt another person.
In which case, sometimes a good shaming is important. If for no other reason than to warn others to be careful, trust slowly, and don’t believe everything you read online.
And so I present to you Exhibit A: (I’ve kept the group this was posted in and the identity of the poster hidden as public shaming ain’t really my bag. But I do think it’s important to share what goes on “behind the scenes” in some of these groups)
The scary part of this post?
The title which reads “How To Quickly Start A Highly Profitable Chatbot Agency With Zero Experience”
(Specifically, the “Zero Experience” part)
But even scarier than that is that a few dozen, hundred, maybe even a thousand or more people are going to take this training and then hang up their shingle as a “Professional Facebook Advertiser: specializing in Chatbots.”
YIKES!
Even scarier than that is that this is NOT the first post I’ve seen like this.
And it won’t be the last.
At LEAST twice a day I see a post come up along the lines of:
“Hey guys! I just got my first Facebook Ad client, any suggestions on what to do next?”
It’s sad.
And the reason I hear so many horror stories from clients of previous “agencies”they’ve worked with.
So my parting advice is this….
Caveat Emptor. (aka buyer beware)
Do your due diligence. Make sure the person you’re hiring has some Career Capital (ie results, history, testimonials, etc)
And when you see a wolf in sheep’s clothing steer very, very clear.
If all else fails? Trust your gut!
