Turn Free Advice Into Clients
Ever had someone find out that you’re a freelancer and say, “Can I just pick your brain?” If you agree, that person will probably ask you a whole stack of questions about how you work and how you would complete certain projects. More often than not, it’s someone who probably could use your services, although if he gets answers to all of his questions, you may never seem him again. If you’re lucky, the brain-picker in question may by you a cup of coffee in the process, but it’s not exactly easy to walk away from these situations with a new client. People who “just want to pick your brain” want to be able to replicate what you do, preferably without paying for the privilege.
Becky McCray, who helps businesses in small towns with social media and founded Small Biz Survival, is no stranger to this type of person. It happens enough that she’s had to set some rules on how to handle people who want free help. “I decide how to handle people seeking free advice based on my existing relationship with them. Some people are close friends. I’ll help those folks more than someone who emails me out of the blue. Most of the questions seem to come from folks who don’t know me at all. So I try to assess the situation based on our relationship.”
Turn Freebies Into Clients
McCray sees the people who ask her for free help as potential clients. Some need simple consulting services, something that McCray (and many freelancers) do offer. If you can suggest that sort of option, rather than just handing over plenty of free advice, you can walk away from a situation with a paying client. It doesn’t always happen, but if you at least ask, you’ll be better off than if you just offer a flat out no. But you do have to have a plan of attack. McCray says, “I do have to help the freebies turn into paying clients. It doesn’t happen by magic, you do need a strategy. And even then, not all of them will convert.”
McCray has been collecting phrases that she can use to steer advice-seekers towards her services, preferably in the nicest way possible. She’s found a variety of ways that different people say the same thing: “Liz Strauss says, ‘If you’d like me to do that for you, I charge $XXX/hour.’ Denise Wakeman says she will point people to her matching products already available. If someone asks her to look over their blog, she’ll give them the link to her sales page for a blog critique. Cathy Stucker uses, ‘I can spend ten minutes with you, and if you require more assistance I will be glad to schedule a consultation at my regular rates.’ Sheila Scarborough invites folks to talk with her at her weekly co-working session, Round Rock Jelly. If the question is more involved than can be answered there, it’s a consulting job. Jennifer Navarette told the story of meeting with a potential client in his office. He asked lots of questions. Finally, she stood up to come around the desk and reached for the keyboard. Her partner interrupted, ‘You do know that we just crossed into paid time?’ he asked. ‘Oh, yes,’ the prospect said, instantly converting to a paying client. Those are all useful strategies.”
You have to find your own strategy for how you’ll address requests for help, of course, but having a set response can make a world of difference.
Help Others Without Hurting Yourself
There will be some people asking for advice but still not able to pay your freelancing rates that you still want to help. The key to helping them is to find a way to provide them with resources, without tying up all of your time with providing that help.
McCray does provide resources to help educate people on her own terms. “The basic answer is to offer them the help they need, but in a way that respects your valuable time,” she says. McCray even has a few suggestions on how to do just that: “Create a standard resource you give to people that want to do it themselves. Invest a few hours in creating a simple how-to booklet, paper or downloadable, and recoup those hours you would normally spend trying to assist the freebie-seekers. You probably have all the info you need on your blog. Do workshops. Charge a modest fee. Then Do-It-Yourself-ers can be encouraged to take the class, online or in person. This lets you group up the learners, help them all a certain amount, get paid for it, and allow some of them to see that they really do want professional help. Then the next time you get hit up for more free advice, you can hand out a flyer for your workshop. Do NOT make this a pitch for your service. Do make it an honest useful training.”
This is such a sticky situation that both freelancers and marketing consultants (like me) fall into constantly. Thanks for the great suggestions!
You have a mis-spelling in the first paragraph. “By you a cup” should be “buy you a cup”
Thursday – excellent advice. I just began freelancing in the last few years and learned quickly that I need certain boundaries in place. Properly executing those boundaries is often a challenge. The tactful suggestions you present are both helpful and valuable.
Thanks for writing!
This has happened to me a few times. I think that you’re right about setting boundaries and sticking to them. Basically, if it takes longer than fifteen minutes, I need to offer them my services instead of my advice. I make exceptions, but they are usually for people who I have a close relationship in some other capacity.
I agree as well. While I try to give free advice and help out as many people as I can, it’s just not possible to spend all that time on advice seekers without losing time for my clients, who are #1 in my business. I’ve tried to curb this the same way by saying “I’d love to help you do X, this will cost X” It’s really helped out
Boy, does this story bring back memories. Very unpleasant memories at that.
Back in 1996, when I was just getting started in the web design field, I was a member of a well-known networking organization here in Tucson. This outfit held meetings all over town, and each was chaired by a member who was called a network leader.
Well, wouldn’t you know it, I got a referral from one of the network leaders. Now, before I go any further, gaining referrals was one of the main reasons why people joined this organization. I knew people who built their businesses out of the referrals that they’d received from their fellow members.
So, when I got a referral from (wow!) a network leader, I was excited. At last, I was really on my way. No more struggling to get my studio off the ground.
I met with the man to whom I’d been referred, and he said that he was a consultant. However, unlike many of the consultants I’ve met, he didn’t go on and on and on about his background. If anything, he was very close-mouthed on that subject.
Well, he wanted to build a website to serve as sort of a one-stop shopping center for consultants. And, oh, brother, did he want to have meetings. We had several. He also developed the annoying habit of calling me several times a day to ask questions about his many and varied computer problems.
Mind you, I hadn’t mentioned anything about my fee, because he was A Referral from a Network Leader. Surely business would follow, right?
After more than a month of not getting any closer to doing any real business, I started to get annoyed. And, one fine morning, I decided to do a search on the guy’s last name in the local newspaper’s online story archive.
What I found was horrifying. This man had been convicted of defrauding the elderly in a previous venture, and he’d done a year in jail. And this guy had been coming around to my home studio to me. No more, I decided. My landlady emphatically agreed.
I turned off my computer and headed to a meeting of the aforementioned networking meeting. That network leader was in attendance, and I confronted her about the man she referred to me. The leader insisted that he had turned himself in, but I knew from the news coverage that her statement wasn’t true. He’d actually been reported to our county attorney’s office.
The network leader didn’t stay long at the meeting. Her abrupt departure made me wonder if if was safe for me to return home after the meeting had ended.
Well, I went home, and nothing was amiss.
I checked my telephone voice mail, and there was a message, time-stamped shortly after 7 a.m. from Mr. Consultant. His first computer question of the day.
Then there was another message. Mr. Consultant again. Apparently, the network leader had tipped him off about what I’d said, and he left quite a convoluted message about how he’d gone to jail and decided to turn his life around. He signed off by saying that it had been a pleasure doing business with me.
Yeah, right.
Nowadays, I don’t let brain pickers like him get started. I name my rates from the get-go, and it’s amazing to see how fast they disappear.
I have to say, however, that there are other assessments that determine what I do in this situation. Sometimes there are social or business connections that could come through the person who is asking for help. I try to assess that as quickly as possible.
If I can’t make a determination about how much they’re going to want for free or whether they’re looking for paid help, I’d prefer to give them just enough information to make sure they realize what they’re asking for requires professional assistance. I want them to come to that realization themselves. Then they’ll either ask for it or, if I can guess that they’re at that point, I’ll offer my services for pay.
If what they’re asking for is something they can do themselves with just a little advice from me? Sure, why not help. You never know when that favor will come back around in a nice way. If it doesn’t ever come back around from that person, I don’t really mind.
That said, it’s not like I go around giving away professional services. I’m in business to make money, among other things.
Great post with good advice – boundaries are necessary! Really appreciate the tips.
Thank you
Thanks for the post.
For the Lookie Lous, I give them feedback but with some vague references. I give them a 10,000 ft view by answering 2-3 questions before I then mention, I provide these services and can give you a quote.
If they push to ask more detailed questions, I assume they are ready to talk real business and I ask if I can quote the project. I can give them ball park rates for some items such as consulting, social media development and the like. After talking costs, they either ask for a quote or change the subject.
But I do like to pay it forward because at some point someone shared some knowledge with me.
Generosity aye! I think this ‘FREEBIE(s)’ is a good key to gain reputation as well as more referred future clients. Im not a freelancer, actually! But hanging around here shapen a whole lot of business knowledge in me.
Kudos to the brilliant authors here.. Looking forward to read more of your blogs.
Giving advice always puts you in the expert seat and from my personal experience giving advice always gets people to trust your advice.
I usually quote my coaching fees and direct such freebie seekers to my blog and suggest that they sign up for my ecourse. I have a family to feed and spend time with and I can’t waste time.
Thank you for this. I am terrible at providing too much free advice. I have to remind myself about the opportunity cost – what am I missing out on by doing this!
Thanks for this post!
I’m new to freelancing, so I’ve recently been gathering info on how to thrive as a freelancer.
I heard that freelancing in now becoming a current trend. I’ve noticed it with a lot of people where I live too (I’m in the UK, btw).
I thought this might be useful to others : http://www.freelancesupermarket.com/news/2010/5/3/demand-for-freelancing-style-of-working.aspx
Anyway, so far, I’m loving being a freelancer!
I’m slowly, but surely, getting the hang of it, and have realised that my network has helped tons get my new career off the ground.
Great article! I’ve had this issue a few times, simply because people assume I know practically everything there is to know about computers or design. I’ve been approached numerous times about design related things, asked to take a look at a website and give a detailed explanation of what I would do to “improve it” as well as many technical questions about computers.
Like many here, I assess the situation, the person and the relationship. After a few smaller incidents with consultations, I have been upfront about a consultation fee but do offer a free 10-20 minute phone conversation (again, depending on the situation, person and relationship).
I agree about creating some kind of resource for those who aren’t able to buy your full price services. I found if you hear the same question or get the same request twice, then there are at least 10 other people who have it but don’t know who to ask. By creating a resource you can get some publicity (free resource) or side income (paid resource). Both will help out your business.
As a data point: I took some existing documentation that was poorly laid out, summarized the main points, put it into a PDF, and now it’s been downloaded over 500 times. That’s 500 people who I was able to help just by spending a few hours creating.
This is such a great article. I always give out advice to a lot of people, some are clients and some are not. However, I do try to make clients or lasting relationships with those i do give information to.