Amazingly, this story I’m about to tell happens about once a week, and it’s usually coming from a large brand.
A week or so ago I got an email from the director of corp comm for a decent-sized company. She had read a post I wrote on responding to negative feedback from customers, and that’s what she needed help with. She told me that her company had been dealing with a customer stemming from an issue in 2008. Since that time, they claimed the customer had repeatedly complained about their service, the company claimed it had tried to work with the customer, but the customer continued to post negative comments on its Facebook page, etc. I was even given a word doc with exchanges between the customer and the chain.
The director of corporate communications then ended her email by asking ‘What should we do now?’
I informed the director of corporate communications that I was a Social Media Strategist that gets paid by corporations such as her’s to help them with issues just like this. I told her my blog was here to provide her with FREE help via the content I provide, and that if she wanted more extensive help, that she would have to PAY for it, and gave her my rate.
She responded by saying she might be interested in working with me in the future, and asked me if I could give her some examples of my work. I responded with this:
“I’m confused, XXXX. An hour ago you were willing to have me advise you on how to handle a customer-service matter that’s been an issue for your company for 4 years, for free, but now that I want to charge you for that help, you want to see examples of my work? I would assume you had already determined that I was qualified to help you with this matter, else why would you have contacted me to begin with?”
Shockingly, our email exchange ended at this point. Every consultant that’s worked with companies for any amount of time can probably tell stories just like this one. If it’s a small business or mom-and-pop outfit asking for free advice, I don’t mind quite as much. But when it’s a major brand that can afford to pay, it’s inexcusable.
Oh and BTW to the brand that contacted me about a customer service issue it’s been dealing with for the last four years, maybe you would have figured out how to fix this problem by now if you weren’t looking for a FREE solution.
Weekly occurrence indeed, and so disrespectful. Agree x 1000.
Great post Mack, as I have this happen a few times a month as well. Hard to understand where companies/employees are coming from. I wonder if their Attorneys work for FREE too 🙂
Amen and Hallelujah! And by the way, I don’t think it’s ok for small companies to expect free consulting services either. Free ADVICE, as you pointed out, is what you give out in your blog. Same here.
Lots of information is FREE. If they really can’t afford consulting services, they need to suck it up and do the heavy lifting themselves by sifting through all of the FREE information out there and figuring out their best course of action.
Strategists shouldn’t give away strategy anymore than an ice cream shop should be giving their customers free ice cream. Taste tests are FREE, not the whole ice cream.
Amy I am sure this brand went down the list and kept reading blogs and will keep contacting consultants like me until someone gives them something they can use for free.
And if that doesn’t happen, they will chalk it up as ‘social media doesn’t really work after all’. 😉
But when your stance is that the level of customer service you plan to provide is only as good as the free advice you can get on how to improve it…
Yep, this is a typical issue. Giving away lots of free advice online, but the putting it all together into a plan and actionable items is worth something worth paying for and some companies don’t have the time/resources to put it together, which is where consulting fills in that gap.
http://www.vimm.com/pros-joes-how-hiring-professionals-impact-your-bottom-line/%20
YEP – and it’s our struggle as consultants to communicate that message.
Hi Mack,
Just like you I understand the need to pinch a buck and get the most for it. All companies today are struggling with that reality. Perhaps, in the case of this brand, they are allowing their fiscal discipline to run rough-shod upon other businesses as an expeditious strategy.
If this is so, then the problem they encounter with customers is perhaps more emblematic of an internal systemic issue. No amount of customer conciliation will solve a problem of ethical rot from within. Aggrandizement of other businesses to impel your objectives is not a sound strategy. Ultimately the model will alienate both B2B relations and customer satisfaction.
Thanks for the forum to chat!
Dean
Dean I agree, I can’t help but wonder if if their problem isn’t the byproduct of a larger issue within the organization.
BTW, if the original email had included something like ‘I know this is the type of advice that you likely charge companies for, so maybe we could buy 30 or 60 minutes of your time for a phone call to discuss the matter?’, then I probably would have given them some initial direction for free. That approach at least shows that they value my time and expertise.
Mack, as usual you nailed it. You get what you pay for. Any consultant worth their salt, especially one with a blog like yours, should accept nothing less than proper remuneration. To fail to so is a great disservice to your colleagues. You ROCK. 😉
Thank you for sharing your story!
Yes, this is a tough world economy that we’re dealing with, and companies are expecting “volunteering” work before they start spending big bucks. The problem is that those same companies are not seeing the whole picture and that by not spending a little money they are effectively falling behind in the global social media race.
Here’s what I usually say when I get asked to work on the cheap (and what is cheaper than free?):
I AM cheap and easy, but NEVER both at the same time. In other words…
If I’m working for cheap, it’s not easy to get it (i.e., you better be one of my brownie-baking, kid-foilble-commiserating honest-to-goodness friends OR a company I desperately want something from.)
If it’s easy to get me (you just had to email me and ask) it’s not happening for cheap.
End of story 🙂
I’m so stealing this 😉
Steal away!
Enough Said! I’m a newbie Mack to your blog and to the social media marketing industry (2 yrs. in). I am extremely grateful for you and this community. Your brute honesty is unparalleled, and this community are all champions of the craft. Thank you all and I will not be a stranger.
Good for you, Mack!
As someone who has been involved both on the corporate side and the social media side (i.e. promoting social media as a new means of corporate communications) of things, I can tell you exactly why corporate communications folks and companies do this.
Because social media proponents have taught that social media is FREE. That it is ‘proper’ social media etiquette for a company to give away their IP in the name of community!
How many times have we heard and debated this? “Yes! Everyone must give away their IP and time for FREE!” That’s what social media is about… Just ask the Cluetrain gang — it’s true! 😉
When companies use social media for self-promotion they are called spammers and blog posts are written as case studies about how they are doing everything wrong.
Isn’t it a bit unfair to set this precedence and then say, “Oh, but it doesn’t apply to me” ?!?!
Yes, yes… I know that tons of posts have been written that social media is NOT free. But then again, when someone has time for social media and sharing their IP — how can that be taken seriously? It won’t be, not by corporate folks. Perhaps since I have been out of the social media community for almost a year, I see the ironic hypocrisy that others don’t… What I know is that time and IP equal money. Real money.
My company won’t get back the time (and IP) I just spent writing this comment. Right?
Beth you have gotten into a whole ball of wax that I didn’t want to bring up here but since you have now, I will run with it 😉
I agree to an extent that social media proponents as a whole have sent the message that social media is either free, or damn cheap. So I do understand why companies would think that, but I still don’t think that absolves a company of trying to solve customer services issues by hoping for FREE advice from people they deem to be as qualified enough to solve their problems for them.
And I think the model, in theory, is that the consultant proves all this basic information for free, that’s useful, and that proves the consultant’s worth. Then, ideally, companies will see the value in that expertise, and pay for it.
But here’s a twist I wanted to put on this: Is this ‘freemium’ type of model that consultants as a whole seem to be employing in this space at least somewhat motivated by the fact that if anyone tries to directly monetize their social media efforts, that someone will give them flack over it? I think Chris Brogan is the poster child for this. I started following him around 2007 or so, I think the first time I discovered him was a post he wrote about his Saturn over on the Grasshopper Factory blog, or whatever it was called. Anyway, what I noticed was that Chris was universally loved by all. No one had a negative word to say about him. But as soon as he started promoting the fact that he was trying to make money off social media, some people started criticizing him. I started watching and saw this happen with other people as well, in fact I never received any criticism on my blog….until I started promoting the fact that I was selling social media services, and naming prices. Hell just announcing I was writing a book got a few snippy replies here and elsewhere.
I think on some level, this type of criticism has made many consultants leery of promoting themselves and their services. Which I think lends itself to the whole ‘social media is free’ idea. Or maybe it’s two completely different issues, who knows? 😉
Here are my 2 cents:
Social Media IS free – you are free to read as much of it as you want. Consultation services that center around how to USE it as a tactic in your marketing or PR strategy is not free.
Mack does have a free blog. That does not mean he owes any company free advice.
This is so incredibly obvious to me it makes my head hurt.
Obvious because you are a consultant. If you think corporations have the same perception, well, chances are they don’t. This issue isn’t new to social media. It’s been affecting designers and web developers for years…
I agree Beth.. and I think the same is true with any non-tangible, intellectual work – artists have the same issue. But, we have every right to call it out as OBVIOUS when you take 2 minutes to think about it.
Like I said, it’s obvious to you because you are a consultant. Corporate marketers have been trained to behave this way… both by management and now by social media experts touting social media is about giving away free IP/time. Thus, making it not so obvious in some cases. My point is that social media consultants can’t have their cake and eat it too.
But Beth I don’t think it’s fair to give corporate marketers an implied pass (they’ve been trained this way) and then turn around and call out consultants (they can’t have their cake and eat it too).
I somewhat agree with your point on consultants, I do think we are sometimes our own worst enemies when it comes to setting prices and getting what we are worth. But I don’t think we can absolve corporate marketers of incorrect behavior simply because they have been ‘trained’ that way.
Ha! If there is anyone NOT giving corporate marketers a pass — it’s me. 😉
I am not saying their behavior and assumptions are correct, fair, right, etc., etc. I am trying to point out what is reality based on living in this world for 18 years and the corporate SM world for 6 years.
There is a tendency for folks involved social media consulting to see the world through the “social-media-is-the-best-thing-since-sliced-bread-and-if-you-don’t get-it-you-must-suck” lens.
For example, I get emails weekly from social media consultants and solutions/software providers asking to help us (my employer) with our social media. When I tell them that on a list of ten tactics, social media isn’t even number 11 — you can hear the audible shock! Then they try to go on and “school” me on why social media is so important. So I start asking the tough questions (’cause I am sneaky like that) that I know they can’t answer because they are a bunch of kool-aid drinkers.
If I see these people who call me on Twitter all. day. long compared to what I have time for… I know they aren’t working and truly don’t get marketing/PR.
I hope that clarifies my point. 🙂
One more thought… It’s time for the real social media experts to stand up and stand out — folks like you, Mack.
Real experts don’t always have high Klout scores, a ‘personal brand’, a high-ranking blog, 10s of thousands of Twitter followers, speaking gigs, a book deal, etc.
Why? Because they are actually WORKING.
And, unfortunately, that’s all corporate marketers look at — all those meaningless metrics. Why? Again, because they’ve been trained to do so by social media ‘experts’ playing this game.
I can’t tell you how many people I’ve talk to that have all the above “credentials” but actually know squat about business, marketing, PR and even social media from a business perspective. (And I know you know what I am referring to.)
Maybe people don’t want to hear this?
Don’t want people asking for free stuff? Change your own strategy. Re-train them!
Mack, I totally agree with you and the premise of your post. 🙂
Sorry to take you down a rat hole…It’s two different issues and maybe neither need to be addressed.
I am addressing your post purely from a corporate perspective (“why do they keep doing this?!”). A company pays their employees to develop IP and for their time (i.e. I work 40-hours week, I get a paycheck). It is assumed that every action an employee takes is to benefit the company’s goals/objectives. Right?
Does my commenting here benefit my employer? Heck, no. Will they get this time back? From me they will, but that’s not the case for all employees.
My point is that social media people are so wrapped up in social media that they don’t see a corporation’s point of view.
If someone is blogging, tweeting, Facebooking all day long…what message does that send?
Mack, as you know, I have been doing corporate social media since 2006. Perception is reality. Reality says that if a social media consultant has time to play on social media all day… they must not have work and be cheap. Who wouldn’t try to take advantage of that?
People might not like that statement, but it is reality. And, gee, really how are can a social media strategy be? You just tweet all day! 😉
This is why I am glad that you and others like Peter Kim stick to your guns. It’s the only way to change perception.
Oopsie! That was to be how HARD can a social media strategy be… 🙂
Beth,
I think you make many good points and I think you’re absolutely right about so called “experts” – when they’re actually questioned, know nothing. I think that it gives practically anyone working in the ‘social media’ space a bad name. Guilty by association.
I do agree with Mack, his line of thinking and his clear boundaries as well. It separates the strong from the weak.
I have a marketing company and I noticed several years ago that social media was about to change everything. It did and it continues to do so. I took my marketing experience and extrapolated that into social media and how that strategy could work for companies if done properly. I’ve proven to be right for those companies I’ve trained and managed, but often find it incredibly frustrating trying to get new businesses (big and small) to understand it and actually hire me. And frankly, I don’t blame them. I never have time to update my own website, post on my own social media sites and I think my pitch stinks because it sounds like everyone else’s. The difference is, there are a few of us who can actually back up what we’re saying and companies would benefit.
As someone who gets pitched about this often, do you have any advice on a better approach?
Thanks.
Michelle Manire
MIchelle here’s one idea, have you tried offering a ‘guarantee’ in any of your services. I offer a Social Media Strategy Audit for $7,500, split up into 3 monthly payments. Last year I decided to add a ‘guarantee’ to it in that the client makes the 1st 2 payments, then I deliver the audit, with an invoice for the final payment. The last payment is voluntary and dependent on whether or not they are satisfied with the quality of the audit.
I’ve sold twice as many of those this year as last. So that might be an option for you to consider.
Hi Michelle,
It’s nice to ‘meet’ you! I think Mack has suggested a great option — people love guarantees! 😉 Especially if it’s something they haven’t tried or don’t understand.
I’d like to offer another one… be customer-centric. And you may know what this means, but a lot of marketers I speak with don’t.
Being customer-centric means not selling social media just because that’s what you want to sell. Offer solutions only once you’ve discovered/uncovered what someone’s needs or pain points are. Focus on the customer, how they measure cost, what do they consider convenient and how they like to be communicated with.
And by cost, I don’t mean what the price is of something. I mean the cost of giving up A to get B. For a lot of marketers with limited budgets paying for social media might mean giving up a major yearly trade show or event. So, what is that cost to them?
I don’t hire social media people because it’s not a need for me right now. Now, if someone took the time to uncover what my pain points are they’d be better able to position themselves to offer a solution to fill that need.
There is NOTHING today they’d be able to say/do to convince me that I need to spend my marketing budget on social media.
I don’t know all of the services you offer, but you might be able to offer traditional marketing strategy or tactical help that can springboard you into additional social media services.
Here are some good selling resources that focus on being customer-centric:
1. CustomerCentric Selling by Michael Bosworth
2. Questions That Sell: The Powerful Process for Discovering What Your Customer Really Wants by Paul Cherry
3. Rethinking the Sales Cycle: How Superior Sellers Embrace the Buying Cycle to Achieve a Sustainable and Competitive Advantage by Young/Holland
Not sure if this helps or answers your question. But I truly believe that being customer-centric (or prospect-centric) will give you an advantage over many consultants.
I have written some posts on the topic if you are interested: http://www.theharteofmarketing.com/category/customer-centric
Wishing you the best,
Beth
Fantastic post and soooo applicable to my world. It’s amazing to me the level of expectation many of our clients have around getting social media and marketing strategy and execution for free or cheap. We work with a lot of non-profit organizations and while often we do offer our services at discounted rates, the sense of entitlement is shocking.
Great post Mack, I’ll be bookmarking this one to forward!
Ahh, the classic “I might be interested in working with you in the future.” Once in a while this pans out, but those sales cycles take an incredibly long time. Most of the time, these tire-kickers will find the free advice they seek. Now, whether it’s good or not is a different story. Good job sticking to your guns!
Thanks Peter, or it’s first cousin ‘help me make the case to my boss for why we should use social media’ 😉
That’s the one that burns me… I can point you to a dozen case studies and resources that will help you do that. In fact, my blog and several others (like this one!) do that for free. But if what you’re really asking me for is a marketing plan that includes social media strategies, tactics and potential outcomes – complete with reasons and justifications and research… have the guts to say so. I’ll still probably give you the “cheap and easy” line, but at least I’ll respect you for being straight with me. 😉
I get this too, usually in the form of “I’d love to connect and talk with you about social media sometime…” Unless it’s a good friend or small not-for-profit, I find a way to respond with some variation on, “Great, I charge X for that.” Some folks do drop off at that point, which is fine by me. As a former print editor + publisher, I’m very careful about what content I give away—my industry learned about the pitfalls of “information wants to be free” the hard way. Thanks for the great post and conversation.
Mack,
This happens in all aspects of online marketing, web development, social media, etc… and is partly why I don’t blog very much any more (I feel it only contributes to this problem by giving away free info).
My business is geared more to SEO, but I see the same issues as well. I am currently in the process of weeding out the clients that essentially want something for nothing. From now on, I owe it to myself to not take on these clients (you know, the $100-$200 per month client that takes more time than the $1k per month client and is a bigger headache). Not because I am better than them, or that I don’t need money, but because my time is worth more than that, and my other clients deserve better.
Ah, yep… And if you stop blogging, tweeting, Facebooking all that FREE IP, it’s amazing how people scamper away to those who do! 😉
Then they will get what they deserve 😉
Yes, indeed! 🙂
Nice job Mark on a very typical issue. We (our firm) seems to be attract those that view “marketing” in general as something of an after-thought then find out the real dilemma of getting the word out ($$$). A challenge indeed and I fear will only grow… a somewhat relevant post-> http://wp.me/p2c5cm-80
I do apologize Mack for calling you Mark but I had Mark in the office (no Kidding) just before I read your posting…Please excuse
Randy it happens SO often I rarely notice anymore 😉 No worries!
Clearly you have more experience in this than I ever will, but just for the sake of argument, isn’t it possible that they simply have to justify the expense, therefore the request in order to draft and evidence of your previous work prior to allocating the money?
Just curious.
I give public and in-company seminars on various aspects of social media. I always conclude by saying that if anyone has questions about the seminar content, anything that wasn’t clear and not covered in the Q & A they can email me. Yes – you’ve guessed – there’s always a few who email to ask questions that are unconnected with my 3 hour seminar and very connected with their specific business. I answer briefly. They either leave me in silence ( a thank you would be nice actually…) or they have the audacity to write with a further question (or three or four). That’s when I suggest we’re moving into the realms of consulting and I will need to either bill them or send a proposal.That sliences them.
One day I’ll have the courage to write and ask why my advice is worthwhile when it’s free but not when they have to pay for it !
Mack – Your posts about the business of social media consulting are some of the best, as evidenced by the lively conversation going on here around it. I am a basic believer in having a fair amount of free content — blog posts, eBooks, etc. and then charging a premium for my services.
A great way to boil it down is a phrased used by the Million Dollar Consultant Alan Weiss which is “Make it cheap for people to get to know you, make it expensive for you to get to know them, their business, and their unique challenges.” I’m paraphrasing a bit there but that’s the general idea. (The book Million Dollar Consultant is great too; a bit dated but good).
Again, great post.
Hello Mack,
Excellent post! I can definitely relate.
Sometimes I just wonder why people think that experience and expertise have no monetary value. Every time I receive an email like the one the brand sent you, I usually respond by giving them a link to my services page.
I am going to share this article with all my networks!
I’m just like everyone else…this happens way too frequently and usually via someone in a marketing position.
My response….
“oh you want me to do for nothing?
I can lie on the beach for nothing…..
now what should I do ?”
At the end of the day, everyone would love expert advice for free. However, as consultants (whether for big corporations or mom and pop biz) we need to know our value and walk away from these folks with a simple mantra, “These are not my clients.” No amount of convincing is going to get a tire kicker to pay you what you are worth. Let them go. It’s reached a point in my biz that I dont’ often respond to those who write me long emails about their detailed issue and then ask for advice. Is it bad customer service? I don’t think so. They have no intention of paying me and engaging in that back and forth takes me away from people and projects that keep the lights on.
Thank you for this article, as of late this has been happening to me… I dont mind a quick tip here and there – but if you want an analysis or assessment, you’ll need to pay a fee. Time is money, and I will no longer be doing stuff for free. You live and learn, and this is one of my learning days – thank you for “putting me in my place” as a business owner & consultant.
Yah, happens to me too – and I’m usually good about it, offering to talk to frame the situation and that I’m able to be hired for PR/SM work.
My thought is, though, with large brands is what’s wrong with your PR firm that they are unable to deliver needed counsel and strategy? Or are the PR firms just not getting the job done?
Mark-
You are failing to see something: you are entering into a negotiation. At least weekly, I get the opportunity to do a free Simplifilm for “Exposure”. I don’t need exposure – hell, big time authors pay me.
But instead of getting shitty and defensive…why not let’s reframe it.
You get interested in lecturing people., you lose. You lubricate the path to them becoming a customer, you choose if you want them or not. Either way works, there’s one way I prefer.
Sorry -Mack.