The Forum Question

How many of you offer something for free? If so, what and why?

• Angela Wallace—free special report on strategies for simplifying your business to develop mailing list and database
• Kamila Harkavy—free initial consultation and report about how to improve credit, and free articles on her website.
• Sanford Friedman—free series of articles on the 10 most common mistakes made in business so people can identify areas where they’re having trouble
• Mark Grainger—8-10 videos by autoresponder that show you how to communicate your brand.
• Herb Kessner—online test that people can take to evaluate their readiness to sell their company (free intake).
• Diane Pleuss—services are free: she gets paid by recruiters.
• Roohi Moolla—free event calendars.
• Richard Marks—free white paper with no way to capture addresses.
• Deborah Myers—Daily “Clean your house flow” exercise on the website.
• Yael Schy—free 30-minute consultations for prospects, public speaking, free articles
• Ethan Rotman—series of speaking tips by autoresponder
• Richard Kiwata—will spend 30 minutes with anyone advising them on real estate
• Fred Greene—free Golf Smarter podcast

Question: once you have that database of e-mail addresses, what do you do with them?

• Judy contacts them to let them know about other resources—not too often, but when she has a new offering.
• Kamila uses the list to send out free previews of MP3s
• E-zine on a regular basis—it’s good to have a schedule for how frequently you’re going to do it. Give away 80% of the content and have 20% be promotion.
• It’s easy to get carried away—it’s important to identify your brand and the exact words and phrases that make you money and keep using them over and over again. Be consistent.

Maynard thinks free sessions for consultants are controversial—giving away services is not the same thing as giving away articles.

• Sanford says he gives a 45-minute consultation to unemployed people. He’ll have a 45-minute sales meeting. But no multiple meetings: it undercuts your value.
• Kamila seconds that. One session should be enough for anyone to get a feel for what you do and how you do it.
• Yael does 30 minutes free of charge—it’s matchmaking—but if you volunteer consulting services to non-profits, you’re undercutting those who do paid work for non-profits, who need to learn to pay for those services, even if it’s not what corporations do.