|
|
Title:
Super Searchers Make It On Their Own
Review:
This follows the standard format of the invaluable Super Searcher
series: a knowledgeable interviewer asks top researchers how they do
their job. What are their tricks of the trade, their favorite tools
and strategies? In this case, though, the focus is not on the search
but on the business. In an era when information is abundant, and most
of it is believed to be free, how do you convince people that they
need to buy it, and from you? How do you make the decision to go
private? How do you build a clientele? Price your services?
The answers vary widely because the information entrepreneurs include
generalists, experts in aviation, intellectual property, public
records, search engines, telecommunications, and Canadian business,
and an information expert who provides contract library services to
corporations.
But there are commonalities, too. This work is not for the faint of
heart. Information entrepreneurs need to be willing to take risks and
trust their abilities. They need opening-day credibility, the ability
to answer the question, "why should I hire YOU?" with a "Because ..."
derived from years of acknowledged excellent performance in
information retrieval. They need to have a clear sense of who their
prospective clients are and how to market to them.
For many information entrepreneurs, the solution is added value. The
fact is that raw information is valueless. Professional researchers
have to have the background knowledge to ask the right questions, find
the most useful data for the purpose, and recognize when key
information is missing; furthermore, they need to be able to summarize
the data and provide the analysis, the "so what?".
That's why many researchers specialize in highly specific subject
areas. Some of the people interviewed here were never librarians, but
were knowledgeable experts in a subject area who became expert in
manipulating the information structure of the field. Martin Goffman,
for instance, was a specialist in intellectual property and patents,
was a chemist, inventor, and an owner of patents before he got into
the business of patent searching. Crystal Sharp, who specializes
in Canadian business information, got her degree in economics and was
a contract researcher for the Harvard Institute for International
Development before she decided to offer specialized business
information for a living.
Word of mouth and networking are the primary marketing methods these
researchers use; as public records specialist Lynn Peterson says
"every client I've ever had has led to two or three more". Many of
them publish newsletters to stay in touch with existing clients and
let them know about new services and tools; they encourage their
clients to forward the newsletters on to anyone who might be
interested (and become a future client). Many of them publish articles
in the trade literature and work the conference circuit; by sharing
some of what they know, they pick up both new clients and new
referrers in the information community. They all maintain web sites,
not so much as a way to attract new clients, but as a quick way to
acquaint prospective clients with the kind of work they do, show them
sample projects and/or lists of satisfied customers, and present their
pricing structure.
Their search habits are living proof that it's NOT all on the web for
free. They all use the internet for some purposes, but for their meat
and potatoes they rely on the various databases they subscribe to.
Sometimes they'll get on the phone to experts in the field, and
they'll even go to libraries and archives as needed (or subcontract
this work to others).
All of them must deal with the issue of continuous learning and
retraining. Most of them are part of professional listservs and
discussion forums, both within their subject specialties and within
the information community -- the book is kind of like a love-letter to
the Association of Independent Information Professionals.
All of these information entrepreneurs enjoy the flexibility of
setting your own hours. Many of them went private so that they could
work and still have the time they wanted with their young children.
They like the control that comes from running your own business, the
freedom to choose or refuse assignments, and to do them in the way
they see fit. And they like the respect that comes from a job well
done, respect that is measured in the willingness to pay large amounts
of money for their expertise.
As for the down side -- well, actually, there doesn't seem to be one.
Not if you know your stuff, and people know you know your stuff. If
you're ready to take the plunge yourself, but would like to have a
lifeguard standing by, this book offers plenty of tips, things to
think about, and suggested reading.
Free Pint Reviewer:
Marylaine Block, who is also known for building the well-known web
site, Best Information on the Net (BIOTN), is now a full-time writer,
internet trainer, and publisher of two e-zines for librarians,
ExLibris and Neat New Stuff I Found This Week. She's written numerous
articles for library publications and has edited a book of the wit and
wisdom of Barbara Quint, The Quintessential Searcher, recently
published by Information Today and reviewed by Free Pint at
<http://www.freepint.com/bookshelf/quint.htm>.
Related Free Pint Links:
|
