Experts say you shouldn't do this. Here's why you shouldn't listen!

“They tell us not to give away too much.?Honey, you just gave away the farm.”?That’s a verbatim quote from a woman who’d just heard my talk on marketing to a group in Minnesota a few years back.?Guilty as charged!??As a business coach, I was doing exactly what many business experts warned them NOT to do.?

I was giving them everything I could in my one hour … not holding anything back and not teasing them, so I could offer some fancy program or “premium package” where they’d get the magic success formula once they’d paid up.

I take a different approach.?It comes from generosity.?I do it because it feels right.?And, by the way, it also happens to serve me very well in attracting and retaining clients.

Go figure.?Being generous and treating other people the way you’d like to be treated actually serves everyone.?What goes around comes around.?It’s a beautiful thing.

No sly tactical maneuvering or gimmickry required.?Just give more of yourself.

And yet, I talk with a lot of potential clients ... and students I teach ... who’ve been told not to even offer a complimentary consultation! ?Based on that advice, they think they should get paid for any value they provide.

Okay.?You can certainly go that way, but let’s take away any value judgment from the equation regarding which approach is better in terms of “rightness” … holding back or giving all you can … and focus purely on results.

There were about 50 folks in the audience that day.?I offered everyone a complimentary coaching session, and 8 people ended up hiring me.

How ya gonna beat that by holding back??Seriously??That blows the doors off stingy.

As for the value judgment angle … the rightness of the approach … Matthieu Ricard, “the world’s happiest person,” tells us that a happy life comes from being generous.

It’s more blessed to give than to receive.?Timeless wisdom.

So, you might conclude that being generous with your time, your knowledge, and your assistance not only works from a hard results standpoint, it also keeps you in a happy place, while giving the other person what he or she really needs.

Uh huh.?Exactly.

Here’s a real life case in point.

I recently did a complimentary session with a business owner, who was a perfect match for what I offer.?But she wasn’t quite ready to move forward.?She knew what she wanted, but she had some fear, doubt, and uncertainty, which left her feeling overwhelmed and less than laser focused.

I did my best to help her work through her challenges during the call, left her with some homework to do, and we scheduled a follow-up call.

But I kept thinking about her.?

And I realized she could benefit from my audio programs, Decide, Believe, Dream and The Power of Attraction that focus on developing a positive mindset for success. ?So, I gifted her with them.?No big deal.?It’s just what she needed and what I could provide.

She did the work of the programs and achieved a real shift in her mindset.?And you know what??She came back and hired me!

Now, I had no agenda when I sent her the programs and zero expectation that she’d come back to work with me.?

But when you’re generous, it brings gifts back to you.?Doesn’t matter that benefitting yourself was the furthest thing from your mind.?

Now, to be clear, the generosity has to come from the heart.?You give, because you want to.?It can’t be a tactic.?

And there’s one other important caveat.?There are quite a few practitioners who just want to help people.?It’s their only real motivation.?They would gladly not charge anything for their services if they could, and they’re often afraid to ask for paid work.

That is NOT what I’m talking about.?If you’re gonna be in business, you have to embrace the idea of exchanging value for value in the commercial realm and charge what you’re worth.

Doing pro bono work is fine, but it can’t all be pro bono.

That said, don’t hold back your knowledge and wisdom.?Be generous with your prospective clients and give without hesitation when you’re moved to give.

I promise you’ll love the feeling … and you’ll probably end up blessed yourself.

Best Wishes,

Denise

?If you'd like to subscribe to my newsletter,?CLICK HERE!

About the Author:?Denise Hedges?is a business development coach and speaker coach with over 30 years experience in sales and marketing.?Denise has helped?thousands?of women business owners, nationally and internationally, move past any uncertainty or fear they have about sales and marketing, so they can attract more clients and make more money!?

Sign-up for your FREE Speaker Success Kit:?“The Top 10 Mistakes Speakers Make”

Connect with me on:

The Web:?https://www.denisehedges.com/

LinkedIn:?https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/denisehedges

Book Denise?to speak for your group or event.

Watch my video:?