This year, while researching ideas for a possible future consultancy (pipedream, but you've got to start somewhere), I spoke to a few respected pro's for advice and a heads up on things I could, and should, look at.
You know, initial peer-to-peer advice and nudges in the right direction – NOT mentoring or coaching. Some people came back saying think about website domain first, others check relevant gov.uk sites, read this blog or consider savings before you start etc etc.
One particular marketing person, whom I respect a lot, came back saying "Yeah, I can help – that'll be £2k a day. Happy to help if you have budget..."
I was surprised and apologised if I missed something. I certainly did not have £2k lying around, and reiterated I only wanted utter top-line nudges or recommendations of where to look. They said they had to put a price to their time...
I was about to write "Needless to say, I have seen them in a different light", however, that isn't fair. This is a marketing (not comms) person, in a busy world, who – in their own words – paid people for this type of stuff when they started. They also told me to read their blog, which I do.
This saddens me in a way, that this person felt reluctant to give minimal sage advice for free, paying it forward and knowing (!) that karma has a way of coming back around (see kinda-related blog I did on this before).
I also understand the angle of 'Why would I help a potential competitor?' or 'Time is money' – true, yet some minimal advice before leaping to the £2k mark would have been appreciated.
I'm a member of both the CIPR and the IoIC, and feel both organisations are very open and symbiotic, even with possible competitors – sharing is caring and, in my opinion, the industry as a whole benefits from good souls!
I'd be really interested to see peoples' views on whether this was a shock, or understandable, or somewhere in between. Interesting for me as I am a huge proponent for giving others a helping hand and paying it forward.
Am I overreacting – is this something I should expect? Is this a situation others have come across, and all time should be charged? Or is this connecting with people for advice and support more relevant to the PR/internal comms world than marketing? Is there a limit to being kind for free?
Let me know your thoughts below...