Getting paid for your time

Everyone has those moments that they look back on and get that dreaded feeling in the pit of their stomach. I was meeting a potential client about her interior design website and some changes that needed to be made. It all seemed to be going brilliantly since she was open to my ideas and was ready to revamp her website. Thinking that I had found my next job began to plan out the proposal silently. But then the worst happened. The words… “I’d love to pick your brain, how about we go out to lunch sometime?”
All of a sudden I didn’t know what to do. Speechless and embarrassed I began to stutter the first excuse that came to my head, “I’ll check my calendar and get back to you.” After all, it’s really no fun to have your brain picked through, even though you see it frequently in any business. Then you find yourself become resentful, thinking with each new client, “They probably just want free help, they won’t hire you.”
But is this really supportive for obtaining new clients?
There is a way to reverse this, for those who have been in similar situations. Handling these circumstances with poise and without aggravation is imperative to turning the freebie wishes into paying clients. It might sound intimidating, but it is important to set boundaries within your business to clarify what you’re willing to do for free and what must be paid for. Getting paid for your time is important, and that must be emphasized. It’s not beyond your reach to do, and we’re here to help.

1. Take complete accountability
Do not be upset at the prospect for asking, this is vital. It helps to see the situation through their eyes. If given the choice between getting a favorite electronic for free or paying for the same electronic, of course you would pick the free item. It also wouldn’t be likely that you consider the company who is not getting paid for the sale. There is no reason to. Everyone likes things for free. Blame cannot be placed on the potential client for asking for free service when in fact they would be impractical for paying for something they could have gotten for free. It’s simply logical.

Don’t overlook the subtle compliment that is being presented, also. The person asking for your time already views you as someone who can offer helpful instruction; you should be appreciative of the praise. Since they are already partially “sold” on you, because they would be asking you for more if they weren’t, view them as someone who will be a future client or a basis of referrals as opposed to a scrounger trying to attain free labor.

2. Be sure that what you are offering is apparent.
If you haven’t given potential clients anything to buy, of course they’re going to ask for free work. While I was doing web design, I was not presenting enduring support packages. Clients were charged per-project which was considered done when the project was signed off on. However, it was inevitable that I would be contacted once the project was “finished” with small changes- insignificant things that would probably take 5-10 minutes of my time. It seemed that writing up an invoice for these tiny requests was just unreasonable, but all these started to seriously take up my time. Clients were paying once for the project, and then getting this revision service for free; I started to feel like I was being taken advantage of. Of course hindsight shows they were not in fact taking advantage of me, but assuming that since I had no charge for extra support, that is service was free. The blame therefore did not fall onto the client, but squarely onto me. It is essential to provide a definite offer that clients can purchase, removing the ambiguity of what is free and what needs to be paid for.

3. Come to a decision on what will be given away for free.
Content marketing is helpful here since you can give plenty of priceless free resources like your blog or newsletter. Introductory phone calls may also be suitable, as well as hosting live group sessions for people who are interested in working with you. Whatever you do offer, though, make sure it is clear. It is not required to offer services for free; you can get hired without free consults if you are doing a fantastic job of constructing relationships through your content marketing.

4. Do not presume that all they want is free counsel.
Everyone loves getting things for free. Just because they ask to “pick our brains” does not mean that they are unwilling to pay, it means they are hoping that they will not have to. You are trying to run a business which means you are exchanging your time for money. Treating them as a prospective client when they are articulating interest in learning from you is important. Take the lead and steer them down the path of being a customer instead of leading down the free path.

5. Be self-assured in your reply.
If someone asked to take you to lunch or coffee to “pick your brain” here’s a simple way to respond: I’m happy to hear that you’re interested in pursuing this. My next step is a one hour consultation. Would you like me to tell you how that works? Observe that you are requesting permission and handing lead to the client. You are also giving a clear service offering. There’s no need to explain why you’re charging because we’ve already established that your time is valuable. Get used to responding as such, even if you’re not used to thinking in that way yet. If they are interested in hearing more about the consult, wonderful, you can sign a new client. However, some will recant, saying that money is tight. If this happens, a good response would be, “I understand, you have my card so just give me a call when you are ready. My blog has many helpful articles and general advice that you can use until you are ready to initiate this project.” Do not falter or discount, you want to be firm and show respect for your business and you’ll see that the client will share that respect.

6. Stand strong and the freebie requests will stop
If you observe the people at the top, they seem to struggle with this topic less, though they get the most leads. Why is that? Being plain and secure in what you propose offers natural progression towards paying for your time. If you want to be the expert who always gets paid for their time, be clear and confident in what you are offering and be flattered by those freebie requests.