I was so exhausted yesterday after Monday night's celebration of my 40th year as a cabaret performer that I just couldn't get this written. So here it is just a few hours late, and I'll have to write a second post this afternoon to stay with the program.
One of my greatest professional joys is to share the knowledge I have acquired over my almost 40-year career in the A/E/C industry. I do this in a number of ways.
- I have served as a mentor in formalized mentor-protégé programs through the Austin and Dallas chapters of SMPS.
- I have been a mentor in informal mentor-protégé relationships with young marketers in the industry.
- I have written articles for this blog, as well as for industry newsletters and magazines, mostly on an unpaid basis.
Most recently, I have published eBooks that are collections of my writing on various topics. Through SMPS communities, LinkedIn and my company Facebook page, I have made my five eBooks and other writings available pretty much for free. The only cost to the person asking is that they email me directly so I can add their contact information to my address book.
At the start of the 2014 Holiday Season, I made up the above mailer and offered all my writings as a gift. And when my next eBook came out in December (about my experience with A/E industry proposals), I sent out a message adding that publication to the gift list.
I have also offered my publications for free to people who take a workshop with me or sit in on a webinar.
I look at this sharing as something I would do for any good client, and if I share with a stranger hoping to make them a good client in the near future, I just consider that to be good sense. It's nice to see that my name is recognized, but I feel I have to establish a credential with people before they give me an assignment for which they will pay.
I don't like to give away free consultations or complete writing assignments. On the other hand, I have been known to give away an occasional hour by not charging for every hour I worked on an assignment for an 8(a) or very small/new MBE or WBE firm. For years, one of my 8(a) clients had one hour out of every eight worked as a gift, and the moment his company reached a point where they moved into a building they had purchased, that discount stopped.
After the LinkedIn offer for one of my eBooks, someone emailed to ask me how much I charge for these publications. I was stumped. I had never charged for sharing my writing or answering a question. To that point, I had never even considered charging for them.
While I wouldn't think of charging for a sample Go/No Go procedure or information on Debriefing, I'm still up in the air about charging for an eBook. So I ask this question of anyone who has received any (or all) of my eBooks: Would you have been OK if I had charged $3.95 or $4.95 for that publication? I'd really like to know. I would appreciate it if you would respond directly to this blog or email me at [email protected].
Thanks.