13/04/12 3:17 PMNo, You Can't Pick My Brain. It Costs Too Much - Forbes
Page 1 of 6http://www.forbes.com/sites/work-in-progress/2011/03/28/no-you-cant-pick-my-brain-it-costs-too-much/
I love giving advice. I write blogs,articles and a newsletter. I host aradio show. I tweet, Facebook andshare nuggets of advice almost daily.So what is it in all of that, that wouldmake anyone think they can still havethe right to “pick my brain”?
I can’t tell you how flattering it is tobe approached by representativesfrom major companies seeking mywisdom and advice. It shows they arelistening, and like what I have to say.
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FORBESWOMAN | 3/28/2011 @ 4:48PM | 105,178 views
No, You Can't Pick My Brain. ItCosts Too Much
Adrienne Graham, Contributor
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13/04/12 3:17 PMNo, You Can't Pick My Brain. It Costs Too Much - Forbes
Page 2 of 6http://www.forbes.com/sites/work-in-progress/2011/03/28/no-you-cant-pick-my-brain-it-costs-too-much/
But often I find the road ends whenthey are just on a fact findingmission. That mission is to pick mybrain to gather as much free intel andknowledge they need to make theirjobs easier.
Not gonna happen, sorry. My braincosts money to maintain. There’straining, classes to attend, reading (Ihave to buy books), gainingcertifications, costs of membershipsso I can network, attendingconferences and mastering my skills that all cost me money.
I have to protect my investment. How fair is it to me to give away all theknowledge I have acquired that I use to make my living, pay my bills and eat?
Now, don’t get offended. If you do, maybe you deserve to be offended becauseyou’re one of those aforementioned brain pickers.
There have been many articles written and discussions formed around thisvery subject. With the Internet being so widely available loaded with freeinformation, people automatically assume that you too have to provideinformation for free.
My response to that is go ahead and read the free stuff. But when you still findyourself lacking answers, then apparently the FREE stuff doesn’t work. Youcan’t come to a professional and ask them to work for free. In essence, that iswhat you’re doing when you ask to pick someone’s brain.
How would you feel if your boss came to you and said, Hey since we can getthis done from information from the Internet, I won’t be paying you today.Go ahead, let it sink in. Got that visual yet? Good. That’s exactly how I feelwhenever someone wants to take me to lunch or call me to pick my brain.
If you’re like (how I used to be) you’ve given away tons of valuableinformation. I never once minded helping people out. It’s the ones who keepcoming back for more freebies and those who take my ideas, implement them,find success, then never offer to repay me for my time.
And no, a turkey sandwich is not payment for something that helped youovercome an obstacle and either created value or additional revenue for yourcompany. I charge my paying clients very good money for my expertise andresults. How would they feel to know that I’m giving out free advice? Not tooswell I would imagine. In fact I hope they don’t call me demanding refunds!
The most prevalent question I get is how do you draw the line? Deciding thepoint where you begin to charge is tough, especially if you’re just starting out.
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13/04/12 3:17 PMNo, You Can't Pick My Brain. It Costs Too Much - Forbes
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13/04/12 3:17 PMNo, You Can't Pick My Brain. It Costs Too Much - Forbes
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Adrienne, can I pick your brain? No? Okay, fair enough, here’s some free advice: changeyour name to Adrian. Take all of your photos off your website. Let people think you mightbe a man. And then watch as they rush to pay you– nay, OVER pay you, for your services.And nice article!!
Reply
HAHAHAHAHA. I like that Kiri. And ain’t that the truth! LOL Thanks forcommenting.
Reply
You’re welcome Alan. I think men and women get victimized by brain pickingbut women fall into it more because many of us hate to say no. I have NOproblem saying NOOOOOO. Professionals are always questioned andscrutinized. But I always say that if people already had the answers theywouldn’t be coming to you. And if they could solve the problem without paying,they wouldn’t be needing the help. No more giving away the store!
Reply
M I know how it is. I’m usually the person people come to. I can’t complain, Iwrite, do a radio show, and put out a lot of content. I think it has conditionedpeople to think that everything will be free. It can be frustrating to want togenuinely help people but knowing you need to draw the line so you can affordto eat. I truly hope people get the point of the article.
Reply
That is wonderful Robyn! Pointing them to programs and books usually shoulddrive the point home. I don’t deny that the internet can be a great source for alot of free content. But to learn, really learn, a person has to invest. Whether
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13/04/12 3:17 PMNo, You Can't Pick My Brain. It Costs Too Much - Forbes
Page 5 of 6http://www.forbes.com/sites/work-in-progress/2011/03/28/no-you-cant-pick-my-brain-it-costs-too-much/
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that investment is money or a trade of in-kind service, there is a price to bepaid. There’s a time for giving and philanthropy and there’s a time for business.We just have to learn our threshold and stand strong in getting others to respectit.
Reply
Wow Adrienne, you hit nails on the head here! Yikes – I get hundreds of emails daily forfree help, support advice. Thirty years after developing and consistently renewing theMita brainpowered tools – people still want ‘em for free!
Here’s the clincher – “Just come and talk to this group for free and you can get more“exposure.” Still looking for the big bank that converts exposure into bill payments!
All to say thanks for the great article Adrienne! Together we can learn better how to givepro bono within reason, and shout NOOOOOOOOOOO in all other instances:-) You’velaunched us well here:-)
Reply
Dr Weber, thank you so much for commenting!
I get many of those same calls. I’ve had to start filtering which one’s I’ll do forfree. I never go into a speaking event with the intention of converting clients orgaining exposure. Those are happy added bonuses if they occur as a result of mespeaking. I’ve spoken at a prominent business school and a popular businessmagazine’s conference and neither yielded any business or payingopportunities. And both promised “valuable exposure”. it works kind of likemedia. It’s hit or miss. I get more paying clients from blog posts than exposurein well known global magazine articles written about me.
I hardly started this conversation, but I’m glad to open more eyes to it. I alwayssay you have to look in your heart to decide how much free information to giveaway. But at a certain point the brain needs to kick in as a safeguard so youdon’t end up in dire straights. I always find it funny when people complain thatthey can get the information elsewhere for free. They instantly devalue you bysaying that. But didn’t they come to you?
Ladies and gentlemen don’t let leeches make you question your value. Givewhen and where you can. But earn what you’re worth!
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Ellen Weber, Contributor 1 year ago
Adrienne Graham, Contributor 1 year ago
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