Expertise: noun
expert skill or knowledge; expertness; know-how: business expertise.
Knowledge: noun
Acquaintance with facts, truths, or principles, as from study or investigation; general erudition: knowledge of many things.
Experience: noun
knowledge or practical wisdom gained from what one has observed, encountered, or undergone: a man of experience.
As you can see, all three of the above go hand in hand.
They all take time to obtain.
They are all are valuable.
So, why then do people think they can get it for free?
Free: adjective
provided without, or not subject to, a charge or payment
As you can see, free is the opposite of the other definitions.
Lately there have been many who want knowledge, expertise, wisdom handed to them for free.
Why would they think that would happen?
As Denise Michaels discusses in her book, girls were taught to be nice, don’t toot your own horn and other traits similar.
Is this why so many women call or email other women thinking that they’ll be given information, knowledge, expertise for free? Because the one they’re seeking information from should “be nice”…is that why?
This morning I posted on Twitter about a woman who called me seeking free expertise and advise, then got mad when it wasn’t given to her. She got even madder when I told her she could pay for my advise and knowledge.
I loved some of the comments from others on Twitter.
Teresa Berger commented: a lawyer, doctor or accountant wouldn’t give free support; people don’t always value others time
Dr Mommy commented: I hear ya! time & experience = money…but only valuable to those willing to pay
and there were others as well.
So, those people grasp that time is money…knowledge is money.
This happens often…a person wants to know how to do something or wants advice. They’ll pick up the phone or email you wanting it…but wanting it for free. Perhaps I’m from a different “place”, but I’d never ask anyone in business how to do something or expect information for free. Experience and knowledge are worthy commodities. They cost people time, money, and life lessons…living it, learning it, knowing it are worth money to those who want to take the easy way out by asking for free help.
I mean, yes there are groups, networks, blogs, etc that will help with different aspects of life, business, etc. for free.
That’s totally cool, shoot I even offer free stress relief tips via blog, as well as free advice on getinshapestayinshape.com along with free green advice. So, yes there is some free advice and help that’s easily accessible to those who want it.
But, that doesn’t mean that you can pick up the phone and call someone and pick their brain for free. First, that takes time. Time is money. The time one spends on the phone for free they could have been spent doing other tasks that earn them money. The knowledge one has probably comes from years of education that they paid for or for life experiences that they have been through…both having a monetary value.
If you’re starting a company on your own, you really should have knowledge and experience in the particular field.
If you’re going to work as a consultant, distributor, representative for another company then that company should be training you or educating you on the product/service you are going to be providing.
Three people this week so far have contacted me wanting free advice on how to either open a green company, work their own company or how to incorporate green consulting into their existing company. Ironically when I explained that I’d be more than glad to help them…for a fee…they all backed down from my offer. One was via email, at least she was nice about it and understood. Two have been via phone and not so nice…one screaming and then getting sarcastic…the other, went into a cussing rampage..he then heard the phone hanging up in his ear!
This morning a woman called me at 8 a.m. to ask if I’d give her advice and explain to her how to market her green product and help her with her green company. I was in the mood to see where she was going…normally I get people off the phone immediately when it sounds like a spam sales pitch, etc.
But, I asked her what type of product she had and she said “xxx green”
(i’m using xxx in lieu of the company name because I refuse to give publicity to a company that looks like a farce, has no info up on their site and from the ‘conversation’ with this woman, has clueless people repping for them).
I said: “that doesn’t tell me what type of products you have, you just told me the company”
her: “I offer xxx green products”
me: “again, you’re not telling me anything about what you do or offer. The company name doesn’t mean or tell anything”
her: “they have enzymes”
me: “Ok, see here’s your problem..you haven’t a clue what you’re selling or perhaps you do and you just don’t understand a simple question of what type of products are you offering”
her: “they’re green”
me: “ok, again…what type of green products are you offering?”
her: “xxx green”
now do you see where this is going?? NOWHERE! The woman was totally clueless.
me: “ok, not sure why you’re having a hard time answering a simple question…what type of products do you sell specifically?”
her: “I’m sorry if I’m bothering you so early in the morning”
me: “8 is not early but you don’t know what you even have…that’s what’s bothering me”
her: “I have xxx green products”
me: “yes so you’ve said that numerous times now but you can’t tell me what the actual product is!”
her: “it’s green”
Then a pause because at this point I just want to laugh or scream…not sure which to do yet.
She then proceeds to tell me she’s a nurse, blah blah blah blah…ok and that somehow this makes a difference?
Now, normally like I said I’d have hung up a long time ago but this morning I apparently was into self abuse or something because I continued on with the woman.
Now, unbeknownst to her I had already vaguely heard of a new “green” company that was launching mid Feb but the company doesn’t have info on their site and reeks of being something similar to “melaleuca companies and teams” that are evasive in their business dealings. This may’ve been the reason I tried to draw her out more…who knows…maybe it was just because I had nothing else entertaining to do at 8 a.m.
I asked her if it was “cleaning products by chance”
and her response: “yes, that’s what green products are!”
When she made that comment, it about blew my mind! I couldn’t believe that people thought that way?! And, perhaps her comment about being a nurse made me laugh even harder because most people think that nurses would be semi-educated. And, that comment just blew me away!
me: “ummmm yea…your company REALLY needs to educate you or you need to pay for green coaching because cleaning products are NOT the only green product there is”
her: “xxx green products are green”
me: “Ok, I’m done here…you have a choice…pay my hourly rate for coaching or tell the owners of xxx green that they really really need to educate you”
and here’s where she started screaming! “well if you don’t want to help, just say that”
me: “I’ve already told you the options, ma’am. Time is money, knowledge is money. If you want my time and advice, it costs”
her..still yelling: “I thought you’d be nicer”
me: “I am being nice, I’ve already established you know nothing about the product you’re offering and have no intentions on paying for help either”
her: “I thought green people were supposed to be nice…well God bless you”
Now this is the thing….I’m white/tan..not green…I do live a green lifestyle though as much as I can being stuck in an apartment. I do educate others on living a green lifestyle, I do know my services and products. I do want the environment to be improved upon. I’ve gone to trainings which cost money, I’ve gone to school which also cost money, I’ve bought countless books which cost money, I’ve done what it takes to learn and continue to learn on a daily basis and here’s a woman yelling at me because I won’t hold her hand and help her for free!?
The final note of “well..God bless you” always gets me, because while I’m Christian I know the difference in someone’s tone of being genuine and wanting to pour blessings on me and the ones who use that as a last comment with a touch of sarcasm and a hint that somehow they’re “better” because this comment means they are Christian and because I’m not being nice I must not be?! And, my come back to that is the same as it always is…”yes ma’am God does bless me…every day, thank you”…CLICK.
Now, some may be reading this and saying “hey Tara, you just messed yourself out of a paying coaching client”
ummm..no….she never had any intention on paying…that was evident…though she needs it…badly.
Sadly, she is the type of person who gives green a bad name. She hasn’t a clue about her product, hasn’t a clue that there are countless green products besides cleaning products. She really needs help in that area yet will she get it?? Who knows…the company should train people, she should get some training on her own as well…but will she spend the money needed to do that…I doubt it. Sad.
This all goes hand in hand with a previous blog of mine about knowing what’s going on in your business and like my dear friend Laurie Ayers says…. “read the manual” and know what you’re talking about when doing business!
and now I’m off my soapbox!
Opportunity is missed by most because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work. ~ Thomas Edison
That sounded like an Abbott and Costello episode. Unreal. I’d actually be leery of anything in business that was FREE. I’d expect to pay and I’d expect to get value.
It was truly comical Laurie
hey who’s on first
what’s on first
I was blown away when woman is bragging about being a nurse, blah blah blah and yet kids know that there are countless green products and here she was thinking cleaning products were the only green product out there?? geeeeez
free=no value to minimal limited value
pay=knowledge, wisdom, guidance, expertise, value, experience
Oh my! That was actually quite funny and sad all at the same time 🙂
OMG! How funny. I get a lot of the same thing. Don’t these people realize that just because we’re “green”, doesn’t mean we’re going to let people take advantage of us.
My hats off to you. You showed way more patience than I would have with her.
Oh Terri, Normally I’d never have been on there past her first sentence but I was in a “mood” to play I guess LOL
people just don’t get it….
I mean danged look at you…back in school, investing time, money to get more education for your profession and then other idiots want it to be handed to them for free..geeeez
Although I completely “get” where you are coming from; I am torn on this topic.
Personally I give and give and give. Having a seminar, need door prizes? Call Elizabeth. Having a women’s retreat, need door prizes? Call Elizabeth Having anything that requires you to give away something that you do not have or will not buy? Call Elizabeth Need to hold a fundraiser for your organization and want all of my profits? Call Elizabeth
Now, don’t misunderstand, that was not necessarily sarcasm; it was fact. With that being said, is it possible that I do not value my time and products enough to say, “NO!”? I LOVE my products so I know that is not it! Is it possible that I have a “doormat” type of personality? I think not. I actually believe (paraphrasing from Zig Ziglar) that if you help enough people be successful that you will be successful too.
What a great thought provoking blog Tara! Once again, I long to be like you when I grow up! I sincerely do think you are awesome!
Elizabeth…what you’re talking about is different than what I’m talking about….
you’re all there for giving the door prizes, giving a prize,etc.. that’s not taking your time…knowledge…expertise… That’s a simple task of “hey here’s my product”. That’s not teaching/coaching people that takes countless hours and requires expertise, time, wisdom, knowledge.
I give away products all the time, that takes about 5 minutes of my time…nothing more…
Training people is totally different 🙂
now, on a side note about prizes, etc. you may want to read the other blog I just put up at http://onethingyoucando.com/business/think-research-before-giving.php
Tara 🙂
I must’ve missed this discussion on Twitter but Tara, you are absolutely right in your position here.
I remember the first time someone responded to my offer for a free 15 minute media consultation. She then asked me my media consulting fees. When I told her, she replied, “You sure charge alot not to be well known in the Industry like_________________”
After we hung up the phone, I thought maybe I was charging too much. But then my business coach put it in the RIGHT perspective and told me I was charging for my experience and connections.
Shortly after word got out that one of my clients was going to be on The Today Show, this same woman called me and wanted to see if I would work with her on a payment plan.
I told her I wasn’t taking any new clients.
Tara,
I just tell people to go to my Web site and my blog now when they call up wanting more information. On there I have the fact that I charge for that information if they want more than is on my blog.
People do want things for free. However, they often don’t realize that free advice isn’t usually very good advice.
Even if you offer something for free, it should be in exchange for something in the process that you will get from the experience – a person who is just getting into coaching and needs someone to “practice” with or something like that.
People who get mad when you state your fees are probably not going to be successful, because they don’t realize the fundamental business principle: You get what you pay for.
Polly Scott
I am loving this topic!
Maybe I should have went down another path and used another example.
Although, I am a professional Network Marketer; my expertise is in negotiations (both traditional and on-line). I had someone negotiate a price for my consultation services, which was below the actual market value for my expertise. After speaking to the person at length I ended up GIVING her the service for a year!
While reading all of your comments it just makes me wonder if I am too much of a softy.?.?.?.?
Hey Elizabeth…I’d go with yes you’re a softy!!
Don’t take it the wrong way, but giving away something…especially a years worth of service is probably a bit “much”.
People who get things for free don’t appreciate the value behind it.
It also makes the person wonder why you’re willing to give your service for free…they equate cost with value. If you’re giving it away then it “must not be worth much”. If you’re charging accordingly then they appreciate the value.
There’s a fine line in giving and doing business and getting paid what you deserve. I give regularly but not major time consuming, knowledge consuming services.
Like I said, people don’t find value or appreciate when it’s free. They have no investment, they have nothing to lose…whereas you have lost time, energy, etc. that could’ve been spent doing other things or with a paying client 🙂
You may want to check out Denise Michaels book at http://www.tfmbook.com/ it’s an easy to read helpful book.
I have a bad habit of giving a lot of my time for free, I spend too much time chatting up thoughts and advice in emails and on the phone and wondering if I shouldn’t be clocking my time. I mean if I hadn’t just giving them my pearls of wisdom so they could do it themselves, they’d be paying me to do it for them, right? So, I know where you are coming from!
Let me clarify something: I’m talking about the clueless people, the greedy people, the people looking for free hand outs, the people who want you to hold their hand and guide them every step of the way…taking no responsibility to learn on their own, the ones who want you to teach them everything…the ones who want to take up hours and hours and hours of your time and not pay you.
That is totally different than advice or a quick help tip.
I help, everyone helps someone at some point…that quick five minute help or advice is not what I’m talking about here.
Everyone has a choice, everyone has an opinion, everyone should be able to make up their own minds….if you want to give away your time and knowledge, experience then that’s your choice…just don’t complain later that you have no money, or you can’t do this or that because so and so didn’t pay you…because you made the choice to GIVE AWAY your services. Once you give your service for free to someone, they’ll expect it…for free…again….and again…
Put value on yourself, your time, your knowledge, your expertise…that’s what this post was about.
Hi Tara:
Thanks for mentioning me in your blog post. Greatly appreciated.
Yes, I’ve discovered women tend to be the people most likely to want my expertise as a marketing mentor for free – but I’m pretty understanding about it because I know why. If a woman isn’t valuing your time it’s probably because she’s not valuing her own time. It all goes back to self-esteem. That doesn’t mean you should give your expertise away free – but knowing why helps me not to get upset about it.
Many women are now solely responsible for their finances and supporting themselves and/or their children. Yet we still have these notions about what “a nice woman” is supposed to be. Giving everything without expecting anything in return. It’s just like all the women out there who own businesses or have demanding careers and still think their house must be spotless and they must do it. It’s a throwback to an earlier time.
Our mothers and grandmothers were the women who gave everything away. They made their husbands look good by always being the one to volunteer, show up with brownies for the bake sale or contribute a lasagna at the potluck. Giving ourselves away with no expectation of reward was a mark of being “a good woman.”
Also, not charging enough for our services happens soooooo much with women. They say, “I just want to be nice.” But “nice” doesn’t help you pay the bills and “nice” is often a coverup for, “I’m uncomfortable when it comes to marketing and selling and I don’t want to admit it to myself or others.
Well, the world has changed – we have big responsibilities. We’re responsible for creating our lifestyle – not just making someone else look good.
That’s why I wrote my book, “Testosterone-Free Marketing” and you can get a copy at http://www.tfmbook.com
all the best,
Denise Michaels, Author, “Testosterone-Free Marketing”
Visit me online at http://www.MentoringwithDenise.com and follow me on Twitter as DeniseMM.