Are you a natural strategist? I am, and so are most of my clients. Do you love to think about business problems and offer advice? Do you love it so much that you sometimes give your hard-won advice to people who could – and should – be paying you for it?
I can answer that question for you because I know there have been times when you have kicked yourself for giving away something valuable.
So, how do you stop yourself from giving away too much to people who should be clients? That is what we are going cover in this post.
Build rapport
If you’re at a networking function or an association meeting, you may find yourself in a conversation with another professional who mentions having an issue that they need help solving. If you’re lucky, this issue is something that you have expertise around.
You may immediately want to jump in and offer advice, but it might be better for you to hold off for a few minutes and ask some clarifying questions to find out more about the issue, and to build a connection with this person.
Give them a taste
If you have a helpful suggestion, feel free to mention it, but keep your conversation at a very high level. See how they respond. Are they interested? Would they like to learn more? If so, you might want to take the conversation into a more formal setting before you give away the store.
Schedule a meeting
Tell them that you are really enjoying the conversation. Tell them their issue is something you are familiar with, and you think you could be helpful. Tell them you offer xxx service and would like to schedule a meeting where you could discuss this in more depth and determine if there is a fit to work together.
Ask for their business
If you do get a meeting, plan on offering a little more detail on how you would approach solving their issue, but again, don’t give away the whole plan. Talk about similar clients you have worked with. Establish your credibility and expertise, and, most importantly, ask for the business. You would be surprised by how many professionals forget to do this.
Provide a free resource
If they are not willing to schedule a business meeting, they might not have a budget, or they might just be looking for free advice. Either way, they probably aren’t going to be a client. If you have a free resource, or if you know of some resource that could be helpful, send it to them. They may think of you when budget frees up, or they might connect you with someone else who could use your service.
Please remember that your knowledge is valuable. Treat it like the precious gift it is and value it appropriately. Your business will grow if you do.
PS – There may be times when you want or need to help someone for free. That is totally fine, but please do it consciously. That way, you won’t feel bitter later on.
Photo by M ACCELERATOR on Unsplash
