23 things to say when someone wants to "pick your brain"

Many service business owners these days aren"giving away" their business services – and thennwonder why people aren't hiring them in droves. Innthe name of "marketing," business owners arenproviding way too much information for free. Somenshifts in thinking are necessary if these businessnowners expect to be in business years from now.
Even trained coaches, I believe, do too muchnpro-bono work. Why? They say that they need tonpractice, but the bottom line, IMO, is that theyndon't value their gifts.

What can you say to people who 1) ask outrightnfor free information, or 2) want to "pick your brain"nor 3) just start talking to you about something, andnyou realize that they're trying to "borrow" your nvaluable resources without becoming a client? Here nare some ideas. Try them on to see which ones "fit" nyou best.

23 things to say when someone asks you - a servicenbusiness owner – for free information!

1. My charge for an initial consultation is "x."
If we turn out to be a good match, and you hirenme, I'll apply 1/2 of "x" towards your commitment.

2. I'm happy to give you 5 minutes or less of freentime, however, most issues are more quickly &neffectively resolved in an undisturbed session(s).
May we schedule a meeting so I can give you mynundivided attention?

3. If someone is very persistent, whip out anstopwatch & say "For $2 a minute I'd be happy tongo into this now. May I start the clock & do younprefer to pay with cash or check?"

4. What I can do is refer you to a free resourceno
"_______."

5. I do work with two pro-bono clients, who are inndesperate need financially. I'll take your cardnand add you to the waiting list.

6. Yes, I do work with clients on "name thenissue." Would you like to set up a consultation?

7. That will cost "x" per hour.

8. There's a lot I can do for you that's simila
to the work I did for "xyz" client. Would you likento get together and build a marketing plan? (Andnthen charge for those services.)

9. Well, I'd love to suggest something; however,nmy fees are "xxx" per hour.

10. Are you looking to hire me?

11. Are you looking to hire _____? Well, I'd lovento talk to you about that; my fees are "x" pernhour."

12. You may call me for a 15-minute talk, verynfocused, on that issue.

13. "Well, the answer to that question depends"nand then spend a few minutes explaining some ofnthe options and considerations. For example, I maynexplain that the best way to identify then"solution" is to work backward from the desirednend result and process. That provides a naturalnlead-in to: "If I were to work with you on thisnproject, here's how we would do it..."

14. Sorry, I can't answer that unless you pay mynfee (or hire me).

15. A complete answer to your question is going tontake more than 15 minutes over the phone. Wouldnyou like me to send you a proposal on this?

16. I have really enjoyed talking with you andnwould like to help more. May I send you one of mynbrochures and a rate card?

17. Do you have a time line and/or budget in mindnfor solving this problem?

18. Have you looked at cost estimates from othersnwho would like to help you solve this problem orncomplete this project?

19. It's not a good time for me to begin a sessionnright this minute. Would you like to brieflyndiscuss session times and fees?

20. Are you seeking generic free information o

"the topic" or to work with a "your professionnhere" to address your specific situation? [If Inhave a free resource, I'll ask for their emailnaddress and send it to them.]

21. I provide a general 3-4 sentence overview ofnhow I would address their conce
with them. The

I say that I've found that the sorting of theninformation available and subsequent applicationnof that information is so specific to eachnindividual that I always recommend hiring a "you
profession here" for getting that one projectncompleted.

22. Well what I can offer you on that subject isnan ebook (CD, audio, etc) called ________. I’llnemail you the link.

23. Refer them to these "free" or "almost free"nresources:nØ The library has books/tapes/audios/CD/referencenlibrarians.nØ To an outsider, your local SBA and SCORE Officesn"look" free. They're really not "free" either.
Their classes "cost $" and their advice is paidnfor by all of us as part of our taxes.nØ Find a professional who needs your services andnsee about some sort of in-kind exchange or barter.
Again, this isn't totally free, as you do need tonreport it on your taxes, but in most cases, therenisn't any money exchanged.nØ Join lots of ezines by experts in the areanyou're looking to learn about, but do it quicklynwhile they are still free. And know that the 'bestnof the best' contain ads and affiliate programs,ntoo.

Marcia Yudkin, Marketing Consultant, Speaker and
Author says this in Marketing Minute:
http://www.yudkin.com/marksynd.htmn"You can head off a good portion of that fromnpaying clients by settingdown innwriting what your fees cover and do notncover. While you don't want to come off as somensort of dictator with a stringent rulebook, itnhelps to set forth guidelines for a productivenrelationship. For folks who are not yet clients,nfeel free to copy what I do. If I can answer anquestion in five minutes or less, I generally justngo ahead and do so. If a question is morencomplicated than that, I reply, 'I couldn't donjustice to your question without a consultation.
My consulting rates are ...' Prevent hassles bynmaking expectations explicit!"

Remember, as a service business owner, part ofnwhat you "offer" clients and what they value fromnyou is your knowledge and expertise. It's as muchna part of your "services" as any tangiblenmaterials you produce. So make sure to treat itnas such, and get compensated fairly! When younvalue your services, others will, too.nn ==============
With special thanks to members of the CoachU
Alumni Helping Alumni Listnhttp://www.coachu.com/, Digital Eve Seattle and
Freelance Seattle,
www.freelance-seattle.net discussion lists fornsending me their questions and observations, whichncontributed greatly to this article.