I don’t think anyone will disagree when I say that time is the most precious asset of any small business owner! Using it to best effect means we need to constantly guard against anything - and anyone - who could potentially waste any of this limited resource.
So when the phone rings, or you get cornered at networking events, and someone utters the words “Could I just pick your brains for a minute?” - alarm bells should start ringing. Loudly.
If you’re a coach, consultant or trainer, your brains have cost you a lot of time, energy and money to develop. You’re in business and people should pay for what’s in those brains!
You’ve probably already come across that group of people who don’t seem to realise that we’re in business to make a profit and to pay our bills. It’s true we enjoy doing what we do, but working for ourselves also means taking total responsibility for earning every penny, but this group don’t think like that. I accept that there are subscribers to my newsletter and readers of this blog who are members of that group and who will never hire me, but that’s OK because I genuinely enjoy sharing what I write here.
Now, if you have a blog and a newsletter, perhaps a podcast or teleclasses too - then you’re already providing great free resources for all to access, so don’t feel guilty if you don’t say yes to every request for free advice.
I suggested in a recent post that it’s sometimes better to make your prospects wait. Well, to weed out time-wasters, who may not immediately be identifiable as such, you need to adopt a similar process. Here’s what I mean.
I invite all my newsletter subscribers to a free Marketing Makeover consultation call - which they only find out about if they read the follow-up emails. Next, I ask them to answer a few questions about their business, which requires a bit of work on their part. I’m only interested in working with business owners who are serious about succeeding and prepared to make the effort.
What I’m suggesting is that you treat the ‘pick your brains’ enquiries the same way. Say that you don’t have time just now (don’t fall for the ‘it’ll only take a minute of your time’ wheeze, because before you know it 30 minutes will have disappeared). Invite them to book an appointment a couple of days away (try using an online scheduler like Tungle.me) and only AFTER they have answered your introductory questions, which are on a page of your website you can easily direct them to.
While this may not deter all time-wasters, it does seem to discourage the ‘brain-picking’ variety! Don’t worry about putting off genuine enquirers; when people are serious about their business they’ll be happy to answer a few questions in return for some of your precious time.
I’d like to add that there’s obviously a big difference between sharing ideas and advice with friends and colleagues you value and respect, and the one-way information leech of time-wasters.
How do you discourage time wasters? Please share in the comments, and if you found this post helpful - a retweet or share would be appreciated :)
Interesting post Louise, I also agree on what you said that "time is the most precious asset of any small business owner!". Working online as a freelancer, time wasters are cannot be avoided. However, this is how I manage my time wasters at work. I believe that discipline is a big factor in order to avoid being tempted by time wasters. If you can discipline yourself it is a lot easier for you to avoid it. If you cannot totally avoid time wasters, online tools can help you where you can block unrelated to work websites for a period of time. I read a blog that discusses time management tools that is very useful to avoid time wasters.
http://www.timedoctor.com/blog/2010/07/25/how-is-time-doctor-different-than-rescue-time
Posted by: Edward | December 23, 2011 at 03:23 AM