Last
evening, I had the good fortune of having dinner with my sister who is visiting
from California. Over sushi we talked about how grateful we each are for our
businesses. Lorraine is a fine artist who has built a very successful business over
a number of years.

I
told Lorraine I feel so blessed to make a great living by way of the Internet;
yet there is a downside that is not often talked about; people who want
“just a minute of your time” but “I have no money to pay
you”.

Ironically,
Lorraine goes through the same thing with people who simply want a bit of
design advice. It’s amazing that although we are in two completely different
industries, there is a common thread.

Recently,
I had a conversation with a lawyer who has the “I just need a minute of your
time to ask you a question” experience when she goes to social gatherings.
Inevitably, someone will corner her and say, “I just have this one
question.”

Years
ago, as a new lawyer, this was tough on her. She didn’t want to be rude, but
she didn’t want to spend her off time consulting and advising with people who
had no intention of hiring her. It didn’t take her long to decide to either
avoid social gatherings all together or learn how to say no.

Years
later, she has no problem letting someone know that when she is not in her
office this is her personal time. She hands them a card and invites them to
make an appointment. Some actually push the issue and say, “If I drop by your
office can you give me five minutes to answer a few questions?” Again, for
free.

The
fact is, there are people who assume because you have a successful business, it
is okay for them to ask for your services for free. Wow!

And,
the more visible you become in your market, the more you will have people who
assume you have an extra few minutes to address their questions – for free.

If
you don’t learn how to handle this from the start, it can easily get out of
control. You can end up spending more time addressing the concerns of people
who have no intention of paying you to the detriment of those who do.

Think
about how much time this could take in your day and how much in free services
you could end up giving away. Not that you shouldn’t occasionally offer your
services for free, but it’s nice when YOU decide when and how this will be
done, rather than being cornered into doing so.

Growing
a business takes time, focus and the willingness not to give your services
away. For those who want to grow an online business, your challenge can come by
way of emails people send with, “Just this one question.”

The solution?
Information products. That’s right. When you have a variety of information products
that address various challenges, rather than giving your information away, you
can direct people to a sales page.

Should
you ever give information away? Absolutely! I do it all the time as do all of
my colleagues who make a great living on the Internet. Over the years I have given
away more than most people could ever imagine. However, there is a point where
free must turn into fee.

Wondering
when that is? Find out by listening to a one hour audio to find out. By the
way, it’s FREE. Click here to get the recording.

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