by Frank Scotti, Chief Idea Officer

It’s pathetic that people with little or no actual helpful knowledge or beneficial experience in their field will label themselves an “expert,” with the sole intention of personal and financial gain, and at the detriment of their customers. In these “experts” defense, though, they have so little knowledge that they actually believe they know everything. These people deserve a flick to the back of the head. Stop it. You’re stupid.

So what defines a person as an expert in his or her field? How do you become an expert in your field, and how do you know if someone is an expert? There is much more to mastering a skill than merely having done it for a long time. Because you have 20 years of driving experience does not make you an expert driver. Knowing how to make spaghetti does not make you an expert cook, nor does tweeting make you an expert in social media.

The hallmark of an expert is intuition. Let me elaborate…helpful and applicable intuition…backed by years of experience and success. While proficient practitioners can intuitively identify problems, experts can also intuitively solve them. They tap into their vast pool of knowledge and effortlessly identify patterns, applying solutions in context to solve problems.

In short, you don’t become an expert. You evolve into an expert. The expert title is bestowed upon those who have vast, practiced, and constantly evolving knowledge in their field. The expert title is also reserved for those who innovate and explore boundaries with positive outcomes. We give these people cool nicknames like Hammerin’ Hank, The Axman, The King, The Chairman, The Duke, Stormin’ Norman and Papa.  We look to them to continue to dazzle, innovate and inspire us. And each time they do, they confirm their status, and nicknames.

To find an expert, look for those who are doing, not just talking. Look for individuals who are solving problems, not just identifying them. And look for those who are considered experts in their fields by others in their industries, not just self declared. Then don’t stop at simply asking who the experts are, but also why they are considered the experts.

by Caitlyn Arigo, Assistant  Navigator and marketing newbie.

Wednesday.  Who really likes Wednesdays? It’s the middle of the workweek so we’re stuck in the thick of it all, but at the same time the weekend is waiting  ahead, teasing us.  As a means to improve Wednesdays here at Whizbang we began wine tasting on a weekly basis, coining the term “Winesday.”  Each Wednesday we end our day by tasting a new wine and writing reviews.  This helps us discover wines, allowing us to share the wines we love and warn people when we find those sour grapes.

This weekly ritual has resulted in a wine collection in the office fridge, of partially opened bottles.  Because this collection keeps expanding weekly, wasting perfectly delicious wine, Frank decided to add a new rule here at Whizbang.  He decided there will be no more half bottles of wine lying around the office – “If it gets opened it gets drunked!”  Yes, he said “drunked.”

Hopefully we all like the wine enough this week that we won’t break this new rule in the first week!  I wonder what the punishment would be… shots of tequila?

Stay tuned for more office observations from the marketing newbie.

PS – If you’d like to see our “Winesday” reviews go check out: http://www.recipemarketing.com/blog/category/winesday-tm/

Part 1 of an ongoing series called Cadet Chronicles. Follow the adventures of  Caitlyn Arigo, Whizbang’s Assistant Navigator.

Oh My Gosh !!! I am so embarrassed! I’m not sure how I can face my co-workers tomorrow after a day like today… I just want to crawl under a rock and hide forever.  I almost lost my boss’ credit card!!! As the new girl  in the office, naturally I am the one who has to run the random office errands.  Today my errands seemed fairly simple:

1. Drop off a package at a client’s office. 2. Go to Staples and buy some rubber bands for Frank (the boss-man).

I thought I could handle the pressure. WRONG!  Everything seemed to be going smoothly until I stuck my hand in my pocket at Staples and realized my boss’ credit card was GONE!  Of course I start panicking, I tried to remember where I’d been while I frantically patted myself down to check any additional pockets and searched through my purse.  After that was a major FAIL, I proceeded to frantically tear my car apart in the Staples parking lot.  All I could think about was how I had to find that credit card before anyone found out. Suddenly my phone started ringing; of course the office was calling.  I attempted to conceal my panic and the shame of losing my boss’ credit card, when I hear Molly (Whizbang’s project manager) tell me that Frank’s credit card had been found in our client’s parking lot.  So much for pretending this never happened.

As I crossed town once again I began dreading my return back to the office.  “Come on Caitlyn! How stupid can you be that you could lose your BOSS’ credit card?” I thought to myself.  Thankfully I only had a half hour left of work when I got back today, leaving little time to be ridiculed by my co-workers about how I’m already losing my marbles.  Uggg… I can’t go back tomorrow and be the butt of all the jokes again!!! I’ve never been so mortified at work!!! Now I’m just going to be known as the irresponsible newbie.  I wonder if other people have had similar experiences where they were embarrassed at work.

Until next time….

by Frank Scotti, Chief Idea Officer

Have you heard? Paso Robles is “Authentic California.” Not sure exactly what this means. Is Paso home to a large Hispanic population from the days of the Mexican land grant, Rancho Paso de Robles? Maybe Paso is a place to learn all about the authentic Salinas Indians, the historical inhabitants of the area. No. Is it the current downtown shopping culture? Doubt it. Is there something in Paso that makes it authentic, as opposed to San Miguel? There is a lot that is not authentic. Technically, white people aren’t “Authentic California.” Neither are grape vines, trains, paved roads and water parks. I wonder what “authentic” means. I think it might be the charm of a small, friendly community.

Just when I thought I had a vague understanding of “Authentic California,”  San Luis Obispo claims to be “Pure California.” Don’t pure and authentic mean the same thing? Why, yes they do. They are synonyms. But no one will disagree that Paso and SLO are very different towns. Also, isn’t there a lot about SLO that is not “Pure California?” Crate & Barrel is Pure Chicago. Banana Republic is Pure Grover City. Home Depot is Pure Atlanta. I know, I know. I’m missing the point. This is a tag line, meant to differentiate SLO from other destinations. Pure refers to the mission, our proximity to the coast and healthy living. Hmmm, but then that also includes Monterey, San Jose, Santa Barbara, San Rafael, Santa Clara, San Francisco. Santa Cruz, and every other mission town. Maybe I’m not missing the point. Maybe the tag line is lazy, vague and simply falls short of its purpose.

But wait, that’s not all! Read more and you’ll discover that Arroyo Grande’s new tag line is “Vintage California.” I’m pretty sure the city meant this to mean representing the high quality of a past time, and not old-fashioned or obsolete. Mmmm. Wait. Maybe they mean vintage, as in the harvesting of a grape crop. But doesn’t Paso and SLO both claim to be the region’s wine center?

I had a little fun and created tag lines for most of the county’s other towns, so they don’t feel left out. Templeton is now “Genuine California” (it actually comes closest to being true). Atascadero, “Irrefutable California.” Pismo Beach, “Initial California.” Santa Margarita, “Veritable California.” Shell Beach, “Accurate California.” Morro Bay, “Legit California.” Oceano, “Bona Fide California.” Nipomo, “Factual California.” Cayucos, “Honest California.” Los Osos, “Valid California.” Avila Beach, “Credible California.” If I left out your city, e-mail and I will get you your very own “Undeniable California” tagline.

Whizbang is looking for an Account Manager. Person must be detailed oriented, have excellent client relation skills and the ability to work in a creative environment. 3 years experience minimum needed for this job that requires multitasking, negotiating media, and managing workflow of projects from start to billing.  Please send resume to info@whizbangideas.com.

Must possess skills like multi-cating.