{"id":153,"date":"2013-03-23T18:49:01","date_gmt":"2013-03-23T23:49:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lemasney.com\/consulting\/?p=153"},"modified":"2020-07-11T15:45:23","modified_gmt":"2020-07-11T19:45:23","slug":"why-i-offer-the-first-hour-of-consulting-for-free","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lemasney.com\/consulting\/2013\/03\/23\/why-i-offer-the-first-hour-of-consulting-for-free\/","title":{"rendered":"Why I offer the first hour of consulting for free"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"width: 510px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lemasney.com\/consulting\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/20100527donotcovetyourideas.png?resize=500%2C500&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Do not covet your ideas... by John LeMasney via 365sketches.org\" width=\"500\" height=\"500\" \/><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Do not covet your ideas&#8230; by John LeMasney via 365sketches.org<\/p><\/div>\n<p>A few colleagues have learned that I always offer my first hour of consulting with a new client for free, and have given me lots of advice:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"line-height: 15px;\">But what if you only ever get one hour out of them?<\/span><\/li>\n<li>You should never give away your skills, it devalues you.<\/li>\n<li>People will take advantage of you.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The reasons that I give my first hour of consulting for free to new clients considers these and many other issues. I&#8217;ll discuss them here.<\/p>\n<p>I may only get one hour out of a client, but if that&#8217;s the case, I was not likely going to get a lot of business out of them anyway, and they are likely to speak well on my behalf to their\u00a0friends\u00a0and colleagues if it goes well. If even one referral comes from any client, it is at least worth an hour of my time.<\/p>\n<p>I have spent many hours volunteering my time doing my consulting, presentation, and training work, and it has come back to me a thousand times over in referrals, new paying work, experience, and good-faith networking. Volunteering also happens to bring me joy and happiness,all by itself. I am focusing more now on paying work these days, but I will never regret the volunteer hours I have put in.<\/p>\n<p>I welcome people to take advantage of me, or try to. I think that if someone sits with me and sees what I have to offer them, I can\u00a0make an impression that makes them think of me the next time they need graphic design, technology support, a presenter, a media consultation, etc.<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps the most important reason for the first-hour-free clause is that I may not wish to continue to work with someone after hour one, and they may not wish to work with me. Everyone has their philosophies, concepts, experiences, and values, and they may sometimes make for uncomfortable partnerships. I&#8217;d rather not have to ask for money from someone who does not wish to work with me, and I&#8217;d rather not take money from someone who I&#8217;d rather not work with. It&#8217;s more important that we be able to amicably walk away, saying &#8220;I&#8217;m sure you will find success, thanks so much for your time!&#8221; with smiles on our face, cheer in our heart, and money safely remaining where it was.<\/p>\n<p>This philosophy also acts as a standing discount on the remainder of our work together, meaning that if I work with someone for two hours, it&#8217;s as though they had a 50% off coupon.<\/p>\n<p>So if you are wondering if I can help you, remember that you can find out for free, no strings attached, for the first hour that we work together. I promise.<\/p>\n<h6 class=\"zemanta-related-title\" style=\"font-size: 1em;\">Related articles<\/h6>\n<ul class=\"zemanta-article-ul zemanta-article-ul-image\" style=\"margin: 0; padding: 0; overflow: hidden;\">\n<li class=\"zemanta-article-ul-li-image zemanta-article-ul-li\" style=\"padding: 0; background: none; list-style: none; display: block; float: left; vertical-align: top; text-align: left; width: 84px; font-size: 11px; margin: 2px 10px 10px 2px;\"><a style=\"box-shadow: 0px 0px 4px #999; padding: 2px; display: block; border-radius: 2px; text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https:\/\/infolific.com\/technology\/it-consulting\/independent-consulting-guide-breaking-away\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"padding: 0; margin: 0; border: 0; display: block; width: 80px; max-width: 100%;\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lemasney.com\/consulting\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/153153911_80_80.jpg?w=1170&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a><a style=\"display: block; overflow: hidden; text-decoration: none; line-height: 12pt; height: 80px; padding: 5px 2px 0 2px;\" href=\"https:\/\/infolific.com\/technology\/it-consulting\/independent-consulting-guide-breaking-away\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Independent Consulting Guide: Breaking Away<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"zemanta-article-ul-li-image zemanta-article-ul-li\" style=\"padding: 0; background: none; list-style: none; display: block; float: left; vertical-align: top; text-align: left; width: 84px; font-size: 11px; margin: 2px 10px 10px 2px;\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"padding: 0; margin: 0; border: 0; display: block; width: 80px; max-width: 100%;\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lemasney.com\/consulting\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/94197499_80_80.jpg?w=1170&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" \/>The Value of Regular Customers &#8211; Thoughts From Our Prevailing Experts<\/li>\n<li class=\"zemanta-article-ul-li-image zemanta-article-ul-li\" style=\"padding: 0; background: none; list-style: none; display: block; float: left; vertical-align: top; text-align: left; width: 84px; font-size: 11px; margin: 2px 10px 10px 2px;\"><a style=\"box-shadow: 0px 0px 4px #999; padding: 2px; display: block; border-radius: 2px; text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https:\/\/violetroot.wordpress.com\/2013\/03\/18\/a-case-for-consultancy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"padding: 0; margin: 0; border: 0; display: block; width: 80px; max-width: 100%;\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lemasney.com\/consulting\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/153238721_80_80.jpg?w=1170&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a><a style=\"display: block; overflow: hidden; text-decoration: none; line-height: 12pt; height: 80px; padding: 5px 2px 0 2px;\" href=\"https:\/\/violetroot.wordpress.com\/2013\/03\/18\/a-case-for-consultancy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">A case for Consultancy<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"zemanta-article-ul-li-image zemanta-article-ul-li\" style=\"padding: 0; background: none; list-style: none; display: block; float: left; vertical-align: top; text-align: left; width: 84px; font-size: 11px; margin: 2px 10px 10px 2px;\"><a style=\"box-shadow: 0px 0px 4px #999; padding: 2px; display: block; border-radius: 2px; text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https:\/\/lemasney.com\/consulting\/2013\/03\/07\/on-life-changes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"padding: 0; margin: 0; border: 0; display: block; width: 80px; max-width: 100%;\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lemasney.com\/consulting\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/150718227_80_80.jpg?w=1170&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a><a style=\"display: block; overflow: hidden; text-decoration: none; line-height: 12pt; height: 80px; padding: 5px 2px 0 2px;\" href=\"https:\/\/lemasney.com\/consulting\/2013\/03\/07\/on-life-changes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">On life changes.<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"zemanta-article-ul-li-image zemanta-article-ul-li\" style=\"padding: 0; background: none; list-style: none; display: block; float: left; vertical-align: top; text-align: left; width: 84px; font-size: 11px; margin: 2px 10px 10px 2px;\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"padding: 0; margin: 0; border: 0; display: block; width: 80px; max-width: 100%;\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lemasney.com\/consulting\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/noimg_104_80_80.jpg?w=1170&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" \/>The 5 Best Productivity Articles We Read This Year<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A few colleagues have learned that I always offer my first hour of consulting with a new client for free, and have given me lots of advice: But what if you only ever get one hour out of them? You should never give away your skills, it devalues you. People will take advantage of you. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3457,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[7,3653],"tags":[3875,346,3870,478,562,809],"class_list":{"0":"post-153","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-consulting","8":"category-insights","9":"tag-arduino","10":"tag-google","11":"tag-john-lemasney","12":"tag-library","13":"tag-new-jersey","14":"tag-technology","15":"czr-hentry"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lemasney.com\/consulting\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/20100527donotcovetyourideas-500x288.png?fit=500%2C288&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3h6y2-2t","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":7300,"url":"https:\/\/lemasney.com\/consulting\/2014\/02\/10\/41-365-teach-man-fish-design-principle\/","url_meta":{"origin":153,"position":0},"title":"41 of 365: Teach a Man to Fish design principle","author":"lemsy","date":"2014-02-10","format":false,"excerpt":"Teach a Man to Fish Give a man a fish, he eats today. Teach a man to fish, he eats forever. This rather common phrase is a core part of my philosophy in consulting. This is sort of a stretch as a design principle, and the first time in this\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;brand&quot;","block_context":{"text":"brand","link":"https:\/\/lemasney.com\/consulting\/category\/consulting\/brand\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"41 of 365 - teach a man to fish design principle by John LeMasney via lemasney.com","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lemasney.com\/consulting\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/41-of-365-teach-a-man-to-fish-design-principle-by-John-LeMasney-via-lemasney.com_.png?fit=1000%2C600&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lemasney.com\/consulting\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/41-of-365-teach-a-man-to-fish-design-principle-by-John-LeMasney-via-lemasney.com_.png?fit=1000%2C600&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lemasney.com\/consulting\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/41-of-365-teach-a-man-to-fish-design-principle-by-John-LeMasney-via-lemasney.com_.png?fit=1000%2C600&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lemasney.com\/consulting\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/41-of-365-teach-a-man-to-fish-design-principle-by-John-LeMasney-via-lemasney.com_.png?fit=1000%2C600&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1309,"url":"https:\/\/lemasney.com\/consulting\/2013\/04\/28\/recent-work-ala-battledecks-2013-chicago-showdown\/","url_meta":{"origin":153,"position":1},"title":"Recent work &#8211; ALA Battledecks 2013: Chicago Showdown","author":"lemsy","date":"2013-04-28","format":false,"excerpt":"I was very happy to be asked\u00a0for the fourth time by Janie Hermann to create what has become a tradition: the visual branding for ALA Battledecks, a fun contest in which presenters\u00a0present interesting, funny, and sometimes shocking slides that they've never seen until they present. This year, in Chicago, Janie\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;affiliations&quot;","block_context":{"text":"affiliations","link":"https:\/\/lemasney.com\/consulting\/category\/cv\/professional-affiliations\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"ALA Battledecks Chicago Showdown by John LeMasney via lemasney.com","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lemasney.com\/consulting\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/ALA-Battledecks-Chicago-Showdown-by-John-LeMasney-via-lemasney.com_.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lemasney.com\/consulting\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/ALA-Battledecks-Chicago-Showdown-by-John-LeMasney-via-lemasney.com_.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lemasney.com\/consulting\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/ALA-Battledecks-Chicago-Showdown-by-John-LeMasney-via-lemasney.com_.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":623,"url":"https:\/\/lemasney.com\/consulting\/2013\/04\/10\/the-customer-and-the-service-on-recognition-engagement-and-jerkdom\/","url_meta":{"origin":153,"position":2},"title":"The Customer and the Service: On recognition, engagement, and jerkdom.","author":"lemsy","date":"2013-04-10","format":false,"excerpt":"In this session, Sean Piotrowski and John LeMasney talk about customer service in the contexts of the value of recognition, client engagement, and not being a total jerk just because you suddenly realize that they don't hold immediate clear value for you. Related articles Equal rights emblem, version by John\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;brand&quot;","block_context":{"text":"brand","link":"https:\/\/lemasney.com\/consulting\/category\/consulting\/brand\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":762,"url":"https:\/\/lemasney.com\/consulting\/2013\/02\/21\/john-lemasney-making-infographics-february-2013-at-princeton-public-library\/","url_meta":{"origin":153,"position":3},"title":"John LeMasney: Making Infographics (February 2013) at Princeton Public Library","author":"lemsy","date":"2013-02-21","format":false,"excerpt":"In this session, we looked at the reasons why infographics are becoming an important, highly popular way of presenting information. We showed how to find data, how to build your message, and how to put together your infographic using great, free tools. Below is the presentation for this two-hour session.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;affiliations&quot;","block_context":{"text":"affiliations","link":"https:\/\/lemasney.com\/consulting\/category\/cv\/professional-affiliations\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"7 out of ten dogs infographic by lemasney","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lemasney.com\/consulting\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/20100618infographic1.png?fit=499%2C499&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":648,"url":"https:\/\/lemasney.com\/consulting\/2013\/04\/16\/tonight-infographics-at-ppl\/","url_meta":{"origin":153,"position":4},"title":"Tonight: Infographics at PPL","author":"lemsy","date":"2013-04-16","format":false,"excerpt":"\"DATE\/TIME: \u00a0Apr 16 2013 - 6:30pm - 8:30pm LOCATION: \u00a0Technology Center Have you seen those beautiful posters that visualize and demonstrate statistics in fun and elegant ways? Those are called infographics, and you can make them with some time, practice, and free design tools. In this two-hour session, John LeMasney\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;classes and presentations&quot;","block_context":{"text":"classes and presentations","link":"https:\/\/lemasney.com\/consulting\/category\/portfolio\/classes-presentations\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Should I eat this by John LeMasney via lemasney.com","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lemasney.com\/consulting\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/should-I-eat-this.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lemasney.com\/consulting\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/should-I-eat-this.png?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lemasney.com\/consulting\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/should-I-eat-this.png?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lemasney.com\/consulting\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/should-I-eat-this.png?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":684,"url":"https:\/\/lemasney.com\/consulting\/2009\/04\/16\/john-lemasney-rider-university-gives-linkedin-overview\/","url_meta":{"origin":153,"position":5},"title":"John LeMasney at Rider University gives a LinkedIn Overview","author":"lemsy","date":"2009-04-16","format":false,"excerpt":"LeMasney Consulting speaks on topics related to Social Media - LinkedIn Overview","rel":"","context":"In &quot;affiliations&quot;","block_context":{"text":"affiliations","link":"https:\/\/lemasney.com\/consulting\/category\/cv\/professional-affiliations\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Revised Rider logo","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lemasney.com\/consulting\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/06\/20100621newriderlogo.png?fit=809%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lemasney.com\/consulting\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/06\/20100621newriderlogo.png?fit=809%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lemasney.com\/consulting\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/06\/20100621newriderlogo.png?fit=809%2C500&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lemasney.com\/consulting\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/06\/20100621newriderlogo.png?fit=809%2C500&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lemasney.com\/consulting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/153","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lemasney.com\/consulting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lemasney.com\/consulting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lemasney.com\/consulting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lemasney.com\/consulting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=153"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/lemasney.com\/consulting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/153\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":46062,"href":"https:\/\/lemasney.com\/consulting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/153\/revisions\/46062"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lemasney.com\/consulting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3457"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lemasney.com\/consulting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=153"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lemasney.com\/consulting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=153"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lemasney.com\/consulting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=153"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}