My Thinking

In this case, probably weird.

I’ve had a few instances in which I’ve felt compelled to provide marketing advice to a misguided advertiser. The latest email below was sent to a small provider of house cleaning, pet and house sitting services:

To whom it may concern,

I don’t recommend leaving your business cards on peoples’ windshields. To us, it is a minor annoyance to have to remove trash from our cars. It makes us less likely to buy from you.

You might consider a referral program to incentivize happy customers to refer their friends to you. Or buy pay-per-click ads on Google that target only the local area. People are more likely to buy if they have a friend’s recommendation or if they’re actively seeking your services online than if they have to remove your ad from their windshields.

Best of luck,
Eric

Over the summer, a new spa in town left a laminated flyer on my car, which proceeded to melt in the hot sun. My email to them was not as pleasant and remnants remain on my drivers side window.

Which brings me to this: when is free advice good?

In The Simple Tricks Experts Use to Always Get Paid For Their Time, agency people and independent entrepreneurs discuss how to avoid doing work for free. (The article got about a million comments, shares and retweets.) But let’s face it; we all do it.

So what are my rules for providing free work?

1. If it only affects me and not my team. If my team is needed, it’s probably worth more than a small bit of advice.
2. If the relationship is strong and two-sided, of course I’ll provide free advice! It’s also called added-value and I’d argue it is a requirement for building loyalty.
3. If the client is new, a little show of faith can lead to a smooth project, stronger relationship and long-term opportunity. But be careful to draw a clear line in the sand if you start receiving requests that are pushing the limits.
4. If I’m pitching or introducing myself. No ideas? I lose. It’s like getting samples of Turkish Delights at the Spice Bazaar in Istanbul — there is plenty of competition, so give me a taste or I’m out.
5. If I feel personally motivated to help, such as in the example above or helping someone I like, like my father-in-law’s real estate law firm Chasen and Chasen.
6. If they don’t have budget. What?! If it’s a non-profit with a great cause or a prospect that’s too small, pay it forward. If the client or prospect has plenty of budget, they should pay for your agency’s professional advice. Don’t be cheap. We work hard, employee good people, and skate by on small margins. We’re not paying out 6-figure bonuses like some people. If you value the advice, compensate us.

There are those hard-liners who will argue against me, and I get it — time is money and my time is valuable. Being a new father makes my time even more valuable to me. But don’t overestimate the value of your advice at the expense of a great relationship and possible business opportunity. Search Google. Your advice probably isn’t that new.

---