There’s No Such Thing as a Free Lunch
Once upon a time, before I managed so many businesses (www.MediaMinister.co.uk and www.advantageinc.co.uk being the chief ‘runners’), I was known to donate a lot of my time helping other entrepreneurs and business-owners. Perhaps too much time, in retrospect.
I’d take on voluntary roles and tasks, and always be ready to offer help and advice to those that sought it. But lately, I’ve had to be a bit, well, mean…
As nice as it is to meet interesting people over coffee (if you’re lucky) or lunch (if you’re REALLY lucky), I’ve had to put my foot down and say no to those who want to meet up to ‘pick my brain’ (what a horrible image that conjures up!). I simply don’t have the time or the energy. Besides, I wouldn’t expect my lawyer to give me free and impartial advice in exchange for a few hours of my undying attention. Actually, I can almost hear his response: “Of course you can pick my brain . . . for £250 an hour.”
Psychologists and behaviorists have observed that women in business tend to fall into the trap of giving away our time and ideas for free because we’re afraid to ask for compensation. Being the ‘carers’ in society (and presumably in business), we are almost conditioned to WANT to help people. But ultimately there is the danger that we end up feeling overwhelmed and undervalued — especially if we try to be everything to everyone, or simply give too much of ourselves away.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that I’m too busy to help people full stop. I still relish the idea of being able to share my opinions, knowledge, ideas and experiences in the hope it will make a difference to someone’s life or business. That’s why I publish a newsletter and am active on social media platforms such as Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. It’s why I do teleclasses/workshops and produce business-building tools. It’s why I always try to help as many people as I can. And it’s why I am a blogger.
It’s a well-worn, clichéd ‘win-win situation’ for everyone — my ‘reach’ is extended so more people benefit and my ‘life-balance’ is a little kinder thanks to the freed-up time I have stolen back from no longer partaking in ‘pick-my-brain-for-free’ meetings. 
What about you? How do you deal with the ‘brain-picker’? I’d love to hear your thoughts — especially if you are a fellow consultant or freelancer.
• Related post: Are You Investing Your Time Wisely?
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April 30th, 2010 at 11:43 am
When I had my own business I was too free and easy about giving away information. It was a great fault of mine. People saw me as an easy bet to get the info they wanted for practically free. I missed out on a lot of revenue and that’s probably why my business failed.
Since then I have watched my boss and how she reacts to this. Blatently she says ‘Of course, but it will cost you £75 an hour plus VAT’. This immediately increases the value of the advice and credibility of the giver, and since they have had to pay for it, hopefully they are more likely to go away and take action.
And then there is the upselling area of organising a return consultation to see if they have implemented the suggestions, and would they need any help with anything that has arisen from doing them. And before you know it, they are employing you as a Marketing Consultant!
April 30th, 2010 at 01:12 pm
Thanks for your input, Alice, much appreciated and very interesting to read.
You are absolutely right; people generally have greater respect for or at least perceive things as being more valuable if they have to pay for them, as opposed to getting them for free.
(PS. I’m sure if you went back into business, you would excel, having learned the hard way. I KNOW you have a LOT to give — and are very skilled at what you do. People should and WILL recognise that with the right ‘positioning’, I’m sure.)
May 5th, 2010 at 04:00 pm
I learnt the hard way that one should not meet every prospective client face-to-face.
For me, it’s a question of time. As a “one-man-band” myself, time is money. So, if I take time to dress up for the meeting, travel to it, have the meeting, drive back- that’s at least 2-3 hours of billable time gone. Also, by the time I do get back to my desk, more often than not I find my productivity has been thwarted for the rest of the day.
So, no, I do not “do” face-to-face meetings any more. I always push for an email or phone consult instead.
Established clients are different. I WILL and DO meet up with them, because that’s billable time. But small business owners and start-ups are another matter. Oftentimes, copy writing/marketing services are new to them and they are not too sure what they want, or they are trying to figure out how to do certain things. Many have little regard for your time, while others seem hell-bent on wasting time.
As you can see, I guard my time VERY closely! But, like I said, I am a sole proprietor, so I need to!
May 6th, 2010 at 10:53 am
Thanks, always good posts on your blog!