Give Them a Reason to Call You Back

You did it. You found a brilliant and successful marketing consultant, accountant, intellectual property lawyer, sales guru, or other highly sought after professional who you just happen to know personally through some bizarre coincidence or connection. Since hiring a professional of this caliber would normally use up your business’s entire operating budget in a matter of hours, you are darn lucky to have bumped into so-and-so, who just happened to take pitty on you and offer his/her services for free, out of the goodness of his/her heart.

Rare opportunities like this are heaven sent, and they can lend wings to a fledgling enterprise. But what do you do when that angel of mercy who promised you a couple of free hours turns out to be completely unreachable when you attempt to follow up? You’ve called twice, left 2 messages, and emailed thrice, with nothing to show for it. You’re desperate for the help, but you’re beginning to doubt your benefactor’s sincerity. You’re slightly annoyed that you can’t reach the person, but you know you have absolutely no right to be annoyed since they owe you squat, and you have enerything to gain from their vast professional wisdom.

Sound familiar? If it doesn’t, you’re either too unlucky to bump into the kind of people who can propel your business out of the dark ages with a sneeze, or you’re too egotistical to admit that anyone can hlep you. For the rest of us, there’s bribery. Yup. Good, old-fashioned bribery.

The simple truth is that professionals of this caliber fetch a hadsome fee for their time. They may honestly and sincerely wish to help you out, but when push comes to shove, it’s difficult for them to justify giving away their time when people are lining up to pay for it. The key is to turn the tables in your favor by acknowledging the value of their time. Offer them a token of your appreciation…a small gift of some sort that will help them justify spending their time to help you.

It really doesn’t matter what it is that you offer as long as it’s something of value to them. It’s important to be honest about what you’re doing. In fact, I advocate complete transparency:

“Bob, I know that you’re super busy right now, and I respect that your time is extremely valuable. I’d like very much to take you up on your offer to help me out with my business. How about if I buy you lunch on Tuesday and we can sit down and talk?”

or…

“Jane, thank you so much for your offer to help me out with my business. I’m so excited to talk with you. I know you’re very busy and your time is extremely valuable, so I bought you a box of chocolates to show my gratitude.”

or…

“Tom, I know you’re super busy right now and you have a ton on your plate. I got you tickets to a microbrew tour as a small token of my appreciation for helping me out. Call me back at your convenience and we can schedule a time to talk. I’ll bring your tickets.”

You get the picture. It’s not actually about the gift you give them. It’s about acknowledging their generosity and the value of their time. It’s about giving them the experience of being honored and respected, which makes it easier for them to justify helping you.

Try it and see.

Possibly related: