How to spot a marketing fake guru: the warning signs

Signs to spot a fake guru in marketing:

• Direct response marketing
• Brand Positioning and Al Ries
• Dan Kennedy
• "High-spenders" (their made-up jargon for premium clients)
• "You don't need any skills to do this"
• "I'll teach you how to close a deal in one day"
• "I make more revenue than you" (and maybe their company is in Switzerland and they're drowning in debt)
• "Niche" (which aren't the American niches they think they are)
• On LinkedIn they have no education or career path, but suddenly appear as entrepreneurs, coaches, or book authors
• They go from warehouse worker/factory hand/hairdresser/real estate agent to mega marketing expert
• They call themselves number one without proof

Start here. It's easy. Anyone actively following people like these is on the path to becoming a fake guru themselves. Stay away because it's a cancer that takes over your brain — you gradually dissociate from reality and enter their cults. And at that point, you're done.

Not just because your reputation is finished, not just because Fufflix will destroy you sooner or later, but also because quality clients (the ones who are a joy to work with and actually pay) are increasingly savvy and increasingly alert to these warning signs.