Should I Work Free…?

Just today I got a message from someone who purchased my report Offline Gold For The Online Marketer when it first came out (since then the report has been updated with over 20 pages of new content).

He wrote: “this report was the catalyst for me setting up an offline biz in the UK – which I’ve now been doing full time for the last 4 years – so a big thanks to you.”

In over 5 years of helping people just like you to start making real money out of selling internet marketing services of various kinds to brick and mortar businesses one question has come up probably more than any other.

“Should I work free?”

Should you work free to get experience? Should you work free so you can have testimonials so other business owners will be more comfortable hiring you.

Should you work free for referrals?

First I should say that if you’ve never had any kind of paying client there is value in working with a business owner at any price just so you get experience with the process of working with a client.

But here is a huge warning:
clients who don’t pay you a substantial fee upfront
tend to be problem clients…

Why?

When a business owner is making the decision to pay you in his mind he has to establish the potential value to him of the service you’re offering him.

If you’re smart you get very good at HELPING a business owner establish the potential value of your service before you even tell him the price but that’s another topic.

Here’s what’s important.

If a business owner pays you a substantial fee upfront then when he’s paying you he’s already established in his mind that your service is worth something substantial to him.

And that is going to flow through into all his interactions with you.

He’s committed to making your strategies work…

He know has his money on the line and he wants to get that money back.

When you need him to do something to make a strategy work it’s quite likely he’ll go out of his way to get it done.

The reverse side of this is not pretty.

When you work for someone free you’ll be amazed at the lack of respect many business owners have for your time, how they’ll mess you around, fail to follow through properly to make sure strategies are being implemented effectively by staff, call you at odd hours making stupid demands and generally be a pain in the rear end.

So even if you don’t charge a client you should ask for something substantial in return.

Give them the opportunity to establish the real value of your expertise and service in their minds before you start working with them.

One Final Tip…

One of the reasons many people have trouble charging clients and think it would be great to work free is because they don’t have any confidence in themselves and the genuine value of what they have to offer.

Really think about this.

You’re going to do something for a business owner that almost no one else is going to do for them.

You’re going to go to bat for them and help them make some real profits and you won’t stop working till they do.

In the business world that’s about as good a deal as they can get.

Be proud of what you’re doing and be proud enough to charge the people who are lucky enough to get your help.