Why the experts you need are not in the database of your Expert Network provider?

Expert Networks reason to exist is to connect their clients directly to the smartest people on any given topic when data is scarce. They offer something as helpful as expertise-on-demand by setting up telephone conversations between experts and organizations that seek expertise.

The current model is that when a consultancy firm or investment fund asks for an expert on a specific field, the traditional Expert Network picks the best professional available from its database, a pool of experts that the company tries to keep updated. According to our clients this traditional database methodology is not always satisfactory to provide them with the knowledge they are looking for because it is not good enough to find "difficult-to-find experts". Learn the reasons why:

1. Most of the times, your ideal expert is not in an Expert Network. If you are looking for insights in a very niche market, you will need exceptionally hard-to-find professionals and even if a database is made of 300,000 professionals, your specific need may not be covered by any of them, due to:

• Many difficult-to-find professionals are not aware of the existence of the Expert Network market
• Even when they are aware of their existence, real experts don't pro-actively register either because they do not realize that they are experts at something or because joining a an expert network database is time-consuming (set-up, compliance updates,...) and has no fees guaranteed

2. Even in the case that your ideal expert is in an Expert Network, there is no guarantee of your partner reaching him or her. The chances of your ideal expert being in your partners’ database are slim for the following reasons:

• There are a hundred Expert network firms operating, each one with its own database and as they don't share lists and professionals do not join more than 1 or 2 of these expert networks, you will need to be lucky to have him or her in the database of your provider
• The information available in the databases is not always updated to the latest experience or detailed enough, therefore it is difficult to do successful fine searches on them
• Professionals participating in these networks are sometimes overpromising and are used to get revenues from micro-consulting. Our clients tell us that they get better results with ad-hoc searches because they provide them with professionals with the required expertise and who are “Fresh leads” who have not participated in expert network interactions before, a factor that gives them an extra-motivation to give their best

Firms organising expert interviews are here to stay because conversations with experts will always help their clients discover insights to take better decisions. However, after analyzing the current modus operandi within the sector and the current strong need of professional advice given by the uncertainties provided by the covid, I suggest that there is a better model possible, which is the one that 1 Hour Experts has embraced since its origins. This approach consists in doing customized searches to all the market of professionals in any geographical area, regardless of their inclusion in Expert Network databases.

At 1 Hour Experts we help professionals in consultancy firms and investment funds by presenting them better experts than those offered by traditional Expert Networks.

We find these difficult-to-find experts using tailor-made search methodologies available thanks to new technologies. We are experts in finding them no matter where they are. For more information on the service and free and quick quotation for a project, please DM me or contact us at [email protected]. We also offer yearly Committees of experts for Marketing Managers as an alternative to Focus Group and surveys.