You Just Picked My Brain… Here Is My Bill!

by Paul Cooley on April 11, 2011 · 2 comments

A couple days ago as I was cruising through Twitter, I saw a link a friend of mine at posted. (Thank you @PpcMom)! The title of the Article was “No, You Can’t Pick My Brain. It Costs Too Much.”

This article brought up some great points about not allowing people to pick your brain for free when it comes to your profession. I know I have been in plenty of situations, maybe out to lunch or having coffee with a friend and the topic goes to business. I really enjoy what I do, so it is easy to get excited and start offering nuggets of valuable information. But, the question we need to ask ourselves is…

Is this helping our brand or not?

Please understand, I love helping people! But, is there a line when it comes to business? We do have bills to pay right?

I want to look at this from a branding perspective… I have used this example of offering free stuff in different workshops I have held. I have brought up the fact about how many free eBooks I have sitting on my hard drive that I have NEVER read. But, all the paid eBooks I have on my computer or iPad, I HAVE read! It’s a proven marketing fact, people just don’t appreciate free stuff like they do paid stuff. Why? I believe when you pay for something with your hard earned money, you are going to pay attention to that thing and value it. The same goes for business.

Now, this will depend on what kind of business you are in. There are tons of teachings online about free offers. But, there comes a time when we have to examine if our free offers are working. If we are giving our valuable information (which we paid for) for free all the time, what is our ROI? Are we getting new clients by doing that? Or are we expressing a cheaper brand?

I don’t think anyone that sits down in front of Donald Trump would expect a free consultation. And I bet they would pay attention to his every word. Why? Because he has built a solid brand and people respect what he has to say. (At least most people)

So here is my question to you…

Is there a right time to give free training, tips or consulting? Or should you charge, no matter who it is? Please share you thoughts below!

Keep moving forward!

Paul Cooley

Paul Cooley (Also known as @PaulCooley on Twitter) is the Founder of iBoost. Paul started iBoost to help Independent, corporate and entertainment professionals strategically define and express their brand through Social Media to get maximum results. Paul has help numerous professionals "Humanize" their brand and help reach out and engage prospects and customers in unique and not always traditional ways. Paul is also a consultant, trainer and speaker on the topics of Social Branding and digital marketing.

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http://www.empowerme.org Adrienne Graham

Hello Paul.

First, thank you for posting my article. I’m glad you enjoyed it and I hope it was helpful to your readers.

Your summarization was brilliant. Thank you for understanding my points in this article. Free is good for some things. But you end up getting what you pay for. Unfortunately, because we live in the internet society, many people believe they are entitled to everything for free, simply because they can “Google it”.

Thanks again.

Adrienne Graham
Adrienne Graham recently posted..Are You Living Your Best Professional Life Yet
Paul Cooley

Thanks you Adrienne! And thank you for stopping by.

It’s so true… you do get what you pay for and that has been proven over and over. I have noticed that when you stick to your guns and charge your price, it separates the quality clients from the “tire kickers”.. Very cool!

Keep up the great work Adrienne!