I heard a good metaphor many years ago that I want to share with you. It’s all about the clear distinction between using content marketing strategies that share you free content — and having little shoes shaken out of your head.
Let’s assume that for the past 20 years, you’ve purchased all your shoes at your local shoe store. Tomorrow you go into their store, pick out five pairs of shoes, and bring them up to the cashier. You place them on the counter and say to the clerk:
“Since I’ve been buying shoes here for the last 20 years, I think I deserve these five pairs of shoes for free today . . . what do you think?”
No dice! The store can’t be profitable if it gives away free shoes to anyone who asks.
When you are an expert in your field, you often share free content via blog posts, podcasts, videos and webinars.
But there are some people who will try to extract free advice from you. It starts out with a simple question: “Can I pick your brains for a few minutes?”
Inside your head, there are racks with lots of tiny little shoes: every piece of knowledge you possess, ways of thinking about situations and solving problems, tools and techniques for getting things done. That’s your knowledge base, your “inventory.”
Just like the shoe store has inventory they sell, you sell inventory, too. You sell your knowledge, skill, and expertise.
Giving away your inventory regularly will land you in bankruptcy court. It may be prudent to occasionally give away a pair of shoes in hopes of getting a large order or to help a friend. But you must be very careful when and how often you choose to do that.
When someone asks you if they can pick your brains, imagine that the person has grabbed you by the lapels and is shaking you. While they are shaking you, they have their hands open under your ears as they wait for the tiny shoes (your inventory) to fall out of your ears and into their hands.
They are looking to steal your valuable inventory!
Don’t let them do it.
How to respond to the pick-your-brains request
If your knowledge, skill, and expertise are what you sell, don’t let people steal your inventory. It’s how you make your living.
Instead, answer people very directly when you get this kind of request.
Say something like:
- I would love to give you the answers to those questions and will be happy to do so once you are a paying client . . . . how would you like to pay for my services? Would a check work or would paying by credit card be more convenient for you?
- I offer a class that covers that very topic! It begins in two weeks.
Stop giving away your inventory for free.
Are Email Newsletters Dead?
The timing of this article is absolutely perfect, as I just had someone today that wanted information without buying it. In the consulting business, information is your ONLY product so you have to be careful of the ones who will ‘drain you’. Thank you for the article!
I am a singing teacher and I get this all the time. People are asking me about their singing problems and wanting some answers, but I am getting better at catching it and stopping it. Enjoyed the story. I also have this problem with less experienced singers, wanting to know how to get all the work, but not willing to do the leg work to get it! That one is really annoying, so I tend to keep stum, but they can feel like they are shaking me at times.