In Episode #282, Eric and Neil discuss if it is important to become Google certified. Tune in to learn what Eric received from his Google certification, the importance of creating a culture of learning in your business, and why Neil believes being creative is a KEY trait for success.

Time Stamped Show Notes:

• 00:27 – Today’s topic: Is It Important to Become Google Certified?
• 00:34 – Neil thinks it’s not important and that it’s actually useless
• 00:42 – Eric got certified a couple of years ago
• 01:10 – “Any person can learn how to use Google AdWords”
• 01:20 – The hard part in becoming a really good PPC manager is being creative
  • 01:27 – Google AdWords’ certification can’t make you creative
• 01:36 – Neil is lucky enough to be creative and he thinks outside the box
• 02:00 – Eric looks at the certifications of juniors before hiring them, just so he knows that they have the baseline knowledge
  • 02:31 – It is the same thing with people who have a bachelor’s degree
  • 02:52 – Having a certificate doesn’t mean that you’re going to be good at it
  • 03:10 – Google account reps don’t really know about the accounts and just want people to spend more
• 03:24 – Most of Neil’s employees are from Ivy League schools and most of them haven’t worked out that well
  • 03:44 – They’re better in memorizing than solving problems that are out-of-the-box
• 04:02 – Neil’s CTO in Crazy Egg doesn’t have a college degree, but is one of the smartest people Neil knows
• 04:10 – Neil has also hired people who have no certification, but “out-knowledged” those he hired with certificates
• 04:30 – Eric is more interested with those who are willing to learn
• 05:08 – Marketing School is giving away an access to Yesware, a sales tool that allows you to track the messages you send
  • 05:20 – Subscribe, rate and review Marketing School
  • 05:22 – Text MARKETINGSCHOOL to 33444
• 05:40 – That’s it for today’s episode!

3 Key Points:

1. Creativity is what WINS in the end.
2. Create a culture of learning in your business.
3. When hiring, don’t just look at certifications—how well can that applicant problem solve or apply their knowledge?

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