Freebie Seekers? Turn Them Into Clients and Referrers - or Turn them Far, Far Away

Many service business owners these days are"giving away" their business services - and thenwonder why people aren't hiring them in droves. Inthe name of "marketing," business owners areproviding way too much information for free. Someshifts in thinking are necessary if these businessowners expect to be in business years from now.Even trained coaches, I believe, do too muchpro-bono work. Why? They say that they need topractice, but the bottom line, IMO, is that theydon't value their gifts.

Shifts in thinking and action need to occur. Oneplace to start is by moving yourself from anemployee mentality, where you "give informationfor free because your company is paying you andit's just what you do in your job" to thinkinglike a business owner who values their gifts andexpects to be paid for those gifts.

There's a definite shift in the right direction,thank goodness, taking place on the Internet. Ithink it started after the dot.com bust settleddown. The first site that went from free to paidthat I remember was Consumer Reports, apublication I've been reading since 1973! Ithought, "how could they" and then realized what anovel idea - business web sites actually makingmoney using a subscription based membership site.

Membership sites, for those who - like me - are"informational entrepreneurs," are on the rise,too. In 2001, Infopreneur Terry Dean's site wentfrom "free" to a "paid" membership site, whichbrought him a minimum of 5k per month. His incomeis much more than that now, but you get the idea. Just like a toddler, we have learned from ourmistakes and are taking the Internet from a placeprimarily for freebie seekers to a valuablesophisticated, professional marketplace.

The final shift is to always act like a "real"business owner and stop giving away the bank.Being paid for your service is about honoring yourbusiness, your talents, your precious time, yourgifts and the skills you've developed. Settingboundaries on just how much free information, orfree services, you'll give away is not easy to do.Just like pricing services!

However, no one expects to go into a shoe store,ask for free shoes, and walk out of the store! Ifyou don't value your services, no one else will.So if you're holding back information that yourightfully should be paid for, and you believethat you're hoarding or being stingy, please lookto see if that belief is based in reality.

VERY big shifts indeed.

Tiffany Bond, principal at BrandBond in Seattle,said it best: "People seldom value an opinion theydidn't pay for - but they will sure assess blameto it!" So if you're going to take the blame, atthe very least, get paid highly for it!

Yes, providing some limited free advice may be agood marketing strategy. It may assist someone totrust you. On the other hand, it might have theopposite effect, and cause people to wonder whythey should pay you when they're getting theinformation for free. So, just be careful thatyou're not giving away the shop. As I tell myclients, "learn from my mistakes (and I did giveaway the shop until I got smart!), and go and makebetter mistakes!"

And what can you say to people who 1) ask outrightfor free information, or 2) just start talking toyou about something, and you realize that they'retrying to "borrow" your valuable resources withoutbecoming a client? Here are some ideas. Try themon to see what "fits" you best.

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

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

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

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

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

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

6. Yes, I do work with clients on "name theissue." 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 similarto the work I did for "xyz" client. Would you liketo get together and build a marketing plan? (Andthen charge for those services.)

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

10. Are you looking to hire me?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

20. Are you seeking generic free information on"the topic" or to work with a "your professionhere" to address your specific situation? [If Ihave a free resource, I'll ask for their emailaddress and send it to them.]

21. I provide a general 3-4 sentence overview ofhow I would address their concern with them. ThenI say that I've found that the sorting of theinformation available and subsequent applicationof that information is so specific to eachindividual that I always recommend hiring a "yourprofession here" for getting that one projectcompleted.

22. Well what I can offer you on that subject isan ebook (CD, audio, etc) called ________. I'llemail you the link.

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

Marcia Yudkin, Marketing Consultant, Speaker andAuthor says this in Marketing Minute:(http://www.yudkin.com/) "You can head off a goodportion of that from paying clients by settingdown in writing what your fees cover and do notcover. While you don't want to come off as somesort of dictator with a stringent rulebook, ithelps to set forth guidelines for a productiverelationship. For folks who are not yet clients,feel free to copy what I do. If I can answer aquestion in five minutes or less, I generally justgo ahead and do so. If a question is morecomplicated than that, I reply, 'I couldn't dojustice to your question without a consultation.My consulting rates are ...' Prevent hassles bymaking expectations explicit!"

Remember, as a service business owner, part ofwhat you "offer" clients and what they value fromyou is your knowledge and expertise. It's as mucha part of your "services" as any tangiblematerials you produce. So make sure to treat itas such, and get compensated fairly! When youvalue your services, others will, too.

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With special thanks to members of the CoachUAlumni Helping Alumni List http://www.coachu.com/, Digital Eve Seattle andFreelance Seattle,www.freelance-seattle.net discussion lists forsending me their questions and observations, whichcontributed greatly to this article.

© 2004 Maria Marsala, Business Builder and former WallStreet Trader. "Powering-UP service busine$$es andtheir owners". Providing articles, tips, classes, andresources. Learn more at http://www.ElevatingYourBusiness.com