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.
This is very typical for businesses who sell a service or information products. In fact, I have written an article on this that will be the topic of my podcast next week. I’d love you to join me to share your experience! Dec 3rd 8am PST/11am EST http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/19736
Seems to be a very timely topic for many folks.
I get this all the time. Typically it comes in the form of: here’s a link to my blog (website). Will you please take a look and tell me how I can make it better (or what I should be doing, or what is missing)?
In fact it happened yesterday and when I told the person that I’d be happy to review his site, gave him the link to purchase consulting time, he responded by asking me to take him off my list.
No problem.
It takes time, energy and expertise to give thoughtful, relevant feedback and advice. I’m not sure why people think I would do this for free when I’ve spent years studying and applying what I’ve learned, not to mention the tens of thousands of dollars I’ve spent working with my own mentors and coaches. Baffles me.
Like you, Kathleen, I offer tons of free stuff and in fact have been yelled at by my business coach for giving away TOO much free advice. I’m pulling back and it’s hard, but it’s in order to service better those who do invest in working with me so I can give them the utmost in care and value.
Thanks for bringing up this important topic, for all business owners.
Thanks for your comments Denise. I too have had coaches who say, “Enough is enough.”
I always invite those who want free consulting to put themselves in the position of being the one who is being asked to give free products and services.
Thanks for your comments. They are ALWAYS welcome.
Found this through Denise’s Tweet, great stuff. This is something Liz Strauss has helped me with a few times (I don’t always learn my lessons the first time, unfortunately, heh). Liz is an expert on finding this balance and I am still learning from her 🙂
Hello Kathleen,
Thank you so much for this post, which allows me to realize that I am not the only one experiencing this specific business issue.
Being a Street Smarts Marketing VIP Club member, I just can’t wait to receive lesson #4 and learn how to handle this issue!
“There is a point where free must turn into fee.” Love it!
Kind regards,
Chantal