We all want to be respected. We all want people to think we’re smart. And if you’re in business, you want your clients to look to you for expertise. Hey, it’s one of the things that keeps them coming back—right?  But nobody likes a phony. Nobody respects someone who pretends to know more than they really do. And it doesn’t take long for your customers to figure out if you’re bluffing.

It’s important to be real. It’s OK to admit that you don’t have all the answers. But just because you don’t have the answers doesn’t mean you can’t help customers or prospects. Sometimes the best advice you can give your customers is to encourage them to talk to someone else.

The way business is done has changed a lot over the last few years. Perhaps the area of marketing has seen some of the biggest changes. Traditional forms of marketing and advertising continue to have less and less impact. The emergence of the Web and Social Media dramatically impact how businesses get their message out—and move their business forward.

We try to help businesses use traditional, web-based, and social media methods of marketing. But we don’t have all the answers. That’s one reason we encourage clients to read what companies like Hubspot are saying about inbound marketing. It’s why we send tweets with links to articles about how other businesses are using social media tools. Do we run the risk of losing clients to other experts? It’s possible. But the information is helpful. And ultimately, an educated client will be a more successful client.

So get off your high horse. You don’t have to know all the answers. It’s OK to point your customers to a place where they can get better information. Chances are, they’ll thank you for it and come back to you for help in implementing it.

How are you helping your clients get better educated?