As a business owner, I don't give away my time for free. And neither should you. Time is the one thing that we can never get back.
I am not sure how I want to approach this topic, but I want to get it off my chest. I do get this odd calls, from strangers sometimes, asking for FREE consultation for services that is normally chargeable. And they get offended when I refused to waive the consulting fee, and they get angry, sometimes, when I asked them to sign for my phone support package.
Sometimes, the discussion can proceed to the level of the caller taking pains to justify that it is a simple question which needs only 1 minute to answer. Whether it is an easy-to-answer question, or something which requires more time, still, why should I answer the question when there is no monetary consideration to bind us together?
It sounds like all I care about is money. Yes, I don't apologise for it. Admit it, everybody is in it for the money. It's my right to earn a sale, and pursue a profit, as its' your right to get proper advice for your problems.
People are so used to getting free information on the Internet, that they think you owe them '5 minutes' of consulting time, for free. Don't they know that not all free things are good for them, and if you don't pay for advice, you may be given the wrong advice, and that the adviser is not accountable for that advice?
Someone also offered me a cup of coffee for my advisory time, in exchange for the fee which I quoted her. I politely told her that I don't drink coffee and I prefer the money, to pay for my office rent.
So, am I to be faulted for talking about monetary considerations all the time?
I am referring to the chargeable time, the period between 9 am to 6 pm, weekdays. Outside of this time scale, I may be inclined to give free advise, if I am not exercising my way to a healthy body, or spending time with the family.