Hey, I can pick your brain! Give up on giving away your ideas
Although your expertise might be a result of hours spent in your business, it doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t make use of it.
Let’s be clear, clients are allowed to ask questions once in a while. It’s fine for prospects to buy you coffee and request expert advice.
They expect you to give up your best ideas, or even a full-fledged strategy.
Find out how to spot people who want to pick your brain
The best defense against someone who wants to “pick your mind” is to be able to smell them from a distance.
These are the red flags to be aware of.
1. A BRAIN PICKER DON’T CARE ABOUT YOU TIME
Some brainpickers are notorious and will ask for five minutes of you time. Then they push the envelope for as long as it takes. They send inconspicuous e mail requests with a few “at your convenience” questions and then ping-pong the conversation until they’re done.
Your most valuable resource is time. You don’t have to waste your time if you have a business and personal affairs to take care of.
2. FLATTERY IS THE WAY TO WIN YOU OVER
Brain pickers use flattery to gain leverage, whether they realize it or not. You might hear them say “That website design that you created for X was incredible” or “We can see that your work for Y was great, would you like to share your thoughts about our approach?”
Let’s be clear, clients are allowed to ask questions once in a while. It’s fine for prospects to buy you coffee and request expert advice.
They expect you to give up your best ideas, or even a full-fledged strategy.
Find out how to spot people who want to pick your brain
The best defense against someone who wants to “pick your mind” is to be able to smell them from a distance.
These are the red flags to be aware of.
1. A BRAIN PICKER DON’T CARE ABOUT YOU TIME
Some brainpickers are notorious and will ask for five minutes of you time. Then they push the envelope as long to your heart’s content. They send inconspicuous e mail requests with a few “at your convenience” questions and then ping-pong the conversation until they’re done.
Your most valuable resource is time. You don’t have to waste your time if you have a business and personal affairs to take care of.
2. FLATTERY IS THE WAY TO WIN YOU OVER
Brain pickers use flattery to gain leverage, whether they realize it or not. You might hear them say “That website design that you created for X was incredible” or “We can see that your work for Y was great, would you like to share your thoughts about our approach?”
Why it’s tempting to let someone ‘pick your brain’
Brain-picking can happen for many reasons, even if small business owners know it is coming. This article will teach you how to convert these situations into sales, so that your ideas don’t get lost.
YOU’RE AFRAID OF LOSING A NEW BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY
Let’s say you get a call from potential clients who were referred to your work by a mutual friend. They are impressed by your portfolio and would like to talk about how they could benefit from you.
You are excited and offer to help them. It seems like a great chance to get a gig and market your services. It is! As the conversation progresses, you realize that they may be trying to give you information for free rather than hiring you.
What do you do then?
Your intuition tells you to stay put, but your instincts tell you to push on. However, the desire to prove that your work is worthwhile is too strong. You do everything to impress them by sharing the information you would normally be paid for. The offer is never made.
YOU DON’T WANT TO UPSET YOUR CLIENTS
Brain-picking can also happen with existing clients. There’s more pressure to maintain a good business relationship than when a client approaches you and asks for your brain.
Use this opportunity to upsell clients if they ask for work beyond their usual scope. Clients should understand the value that you bring to the table. Be open to discussing this point-blank.
TRY to please everyone
When you have established yourself as a leader in your field, other business owners will be impressed. They will appreciate your work and may even reach out to you for business advice.
Although being regarded as an expert in your field can be a positive thing, it can also result in unsolicited “can you pick my brain?” requests. Those requests will not pay your bills, despite professional courtesies.
YOU ENJOY TALKING ABOUT THE THING YOU LOVE DOING!
Unwittingly letting your ideas go is because you are passionate about your work. It can be exciting and engaging enough to share your thoughts with others.
These conversations can help you feel accomplished and smart. Grandstanding can be a fun thing. Afterwards, you realize that you were too caught up in the moment and you gave away valuable information and advice.
Use Brain-picking to Make a Profit
You need a plan to keep your cards closed if you find it difficult to hold on to your cards.
1. CREATE A POINT FOR REFERENCE
You can avoid brain-picking requests by creating reference materials that you are willing and able to send to potential clients.
These are some assets that you should keep in your possession:
- You can showcase a selection of your best work online with a solid portfolio
- Social proof samples such as testimonials or business reviews have been curated
- Check out our case studies to see the success of previous clients
- To back up your expertise, you can get free content (blog posts and Q&As), whitepapers and tutorials.
- A proposal template or estimate template that will outline your services, prices and costs
Use Brain-picking to Make a Profit
You need a plan to keep your cards closed if you find it difficult to keep your cards in your hands.
1. CREATE A POINT FOR REFERENCE
You can avoid brain-picking requests by creating reference materials that you are willing and able to send to potential clients.
These are some assets that you should keep in your possession:
- You can showcase a selection of your best work online with a solid portfolio
- Social proof samples such as testimonials or business reviews have been curated
- Check out our case studies to see the success of previous clients
- To back up your expertise, you can get free content (blog posts and Q&As), whitepapers, and tutorials
- A proposal template or estimate template that will outline your services, prices and costs
A prospect who agrees to a 15-minute call, but insists on more time when it’s over is a red flag. It’s likely that they won’t respect your time in the future.
Set non-extensionable limits for calls and meetings to see if potential clients keep their word. To test their commitment, make them follow your rules before you take the relationship further.
The bottom line is that awkward conversations are inevitable so learn to deal with them . If the situation becomes unbearable, be open to saying “no” and letting the prospect go.
Conclusion
Your ultimate goal as a business owner is to make money. You are distinguished by your experience and talents. You lose your ability to negotiate and leverage if you don’t give it up.
“Can you pick my brain?” Yes, but it will cost you.
