I’ve gotten a rash of LinkedIn connection requests recently from people who bill themselves as “Certified High-Ticket Closers.”

Now, I’ve stayed out of the “certification” business.

I used to sell IT certification training, and that made sense.  Because you could easily demonstrate the repeatable skill of configuring a router, setting up a network, installing certain software, and so on.

Those are proven processes that consistently get the same result.

And with technology always changing — new software and hardware constantly being released — it makes sense to keep an always-up-to-date mix of certifications both on the market and on your own résumé.

But when it comes to selling and marketing, it’s a bit trickier.

Yeah, you could get certified in Google AdWords setup, or Facebook Advertising setup, or on any one of many ad platforms.

You could get certified in the technical skills of selling.

Heck, you could even get certified in the extremely tactical aspects of things like headline formulas, calls-to-action, closes, and so on.

In short, anything that can be QUANTIFIED.

And yes, there is a lot of things in marketing and selling that can be quantified.

But there’s also the QUALITATIVE aspect of marketing and selling that are, in large part, far more important than anything you can break down to tactical implementation.

Anything tactical, technical, or technique-driven becomes commoditized.  It’s low-value.  It tends to be the first thing that gets automated, as AI continues to work its way across the work force.  Quantifiable skills are the doing aspect of work.  In marketing and selling, this is the science side.

And yes, they have to get done, by somebody.

But it’s the qualitative skills that are far more important.  This is the thinking part of work.  It’s the underlying principles and strategy.  It’s the art of what we do.  And there’s no machine that can replace it, at least for now.

And, this is where massive value is created.

The qualitative, subjective, art-based aspect of marketing and selling is where entrepreneurs, salespeople, and marketers “make it up and make it real.”

This is where you truly add value.  It’s where you dynamically solve problems.  It’s where you make the real human connections that matter for really closing high-ticket sales (one-to-one or one-to-many).

And, it can’t really be “certified.”

Here’s the thing: the real “players” know this…

If you get someone who has real business experience and acumen, and you approach them saying you’re “certified” in some marketing or sales area, here’s what they’ll likely think…

“This person is a buyer.”

In other words, you’re the type of person who buys things thinking it’s a shortcut for the real work.

It’s not a shortcut.

It’s a lucrative business to be in, selling to people who want to buy their way into success.

And, IF you are indeed providing legitimate value and direction and giving people a true blueprint they can follow to achieve success, then it’s not unethical.

But the moment you hang out your shingle as certified in one of the “art” skills of selling and marketing, you’re risking immediately being DISqualified as a potential partner/employee/consultant/whatever by the people who’ve got real chops.

It’s not a shortcut.

It’s not a surefire path to success.

No matter what the sales message you read or watched or listened to said to get you to fork over your moolah.

You can’t shortcut success…

Yes, invest in education.

There’s nothing wrong with going through a program that gives you some kind of certificate on the other side.

All of this is well and good.

But your true credibility comes from YOU and your experience and your accomplishments.

Bury those certifications as an “oh by the way” on the second half of the second page of your two-page résumé.

Don’t make it your headline.

You’re not unique.  You’re not conveying value.  You’re not establishing your USP…

You’re not telling your potential prospects why they should choose to do business with you over every other option available to them in the market…

All you’re doing is saying you forked over some money to give yourself a title that may or may not represent true results-getting ability.

If this is causing you some regret, good…

Not good that you’re feeling the regret.  But rather, good that you’re now recognizing that you can’t simply buy your way into competence.  Good that the previous model you had for what it would take to succeed doesn’t map to real-world success, and you are recognizing that you need a new model.

And what is that new model?

Well, a lot of it is a journey you’ll have to take on your own.  You’ll have to find your own model, or make it up as you go.

Believe it or not, I do not have a model to sell you.

I can point you toward resources that you can go out and apply to learn at a more rapid pace.

I can point you toward opportunities that give you a chance at building real-world experience.

I can cover a lot of bases for you, but ultimately you EARNING any title worth any merit will only be bought by your own hard work, effort, and practical experience.

Then, people don’t buy or hire you for some title someone else bestowed on you.

Then, you’re being paid because you’re YOU.

And when that happen, YOU are the one in control, YOU write your own ticket, YOU call your own shots.

It’s not a shortcut, but it is a breakthrough.

Yours for bigger breakthroughs,

Roy Furr

PS: Just so you know, I can’t speak to the quality of any specific “Certified High-Ticket Closer” program or its contents.  Hopefully it teaches some great sales skills.  Just like I hope that any other certification program in our industries teaches great skills.  What I’m giving you is a raw reaction that an experienced businessperson, marketer, and salesperson has when they see that title or something like it.