Sure it is healthy to offer your expertise and time to potential clients and customers online, this is how you build trust and relationships. Where it becomes dangerous to not only your business but your bank account is when you do not set boundaries. This is the biggest mistake that I see with online social networking. People fall into what I call Panic Marketing Mode and they keep giving and giving, asking for nothing in return.
Here are a few quick tips to help you balance your free offers and time giveaways and asking for the business, I call it the 3/3 Rule:
1) Give away free advice and or tips when directly approached no more/no less than 3 times before you ask for the business.
2) Don’t spend more than 3 minutes responding or chatting per person or group.
3) JUST ASK- this is the one thing that separates the good from the great, the broke from the prosperous- ASKING. NOW don’t get me wrong there is a BIG difference between desperate and sincere. Make sure that you really want the relationship and or the business and that you are not just asking for the sake of getting another deal. Consumers are smart and they can tell the difference between the two!
BONUS TIP- Set up free monthly consulting/coaching teleseminar or Blitz Session (Blitz is a new online social networking site to have quick conversations with people one on one in a row) for 30 minutes, give a quick presentation and then allow each caller 3 minutes to determine whether or not there is a good fit for doing business together. It’s called Speed Networking or if Blitz coins a new phrase it may be Blitz Networking.
Feel free to share your tips and suggestions as well, I would love to hear them.
For a FREE report on how to ASK for the business- email me starr@starrhall.com
I like what you suggest because I haven’t seen anyone quantify this before. I’m not sure I agree that one should wait 3 times before asking for the business. If someone asks me for advise more than once, I’m going to ask for their business.
Very good informatiom. I think as business owners we should be constantly creating relationships. And I believe we need to learn how to capitalize on those relationships. I have learned if you give enough people what they need you will get what you need. But,I will try to focus more on the number three and see how it works.
Starr, what an awesome blog! I was impressed with it and now I’ve featured it on my ActiveRain.com blog at: http://activerain.com/blogsview/1008777/Give-Away-your-Time-Your-Expertise-A-Gift-Are-you-Joking and also on RealTown.com at http://www.realtown.com/rpbrown/blog/give-away-time-expertise-gifts Keep up the great work!
Starr,
Thank you all the info. I am using it.
I’ll add my 2 cents.
As I ask questions and find out what someone wants, it is so much easier to know if what I do matches what they hope to get.
Simple free consultation. Asking the right questions and Listening to the answers instead of selling is the key.
I’ve built my business on giving away free advice–but I do it in forums such as this, where it’s visible to a large group. I may sometimes spend 15 or 20 minutes answering a reply–but I know that 500 or 1000 prospects will sxee it, and I don’t get too specific but et it be known that higher-level advice is available for a fee.