Is This a Marketing Mistake?

Just finished reading an article by another copywriter who believes offering a free consultation shoots up a blazing red flag shouting “Incoming! Sales Pitch!”

Is it true?

Okay she was more subtle than that but my description offers a more precise idea of how I feel about “sales pitches”.

On my Havens Communications web page, as well as on some posts here, I offer a free consultation and I don’t use that as an excuse to “sell” anyone. How can I?

Lets say you downloaded my special report “Luring Prospects with a Bait Piece.” Maybe you like the idea but you are not sure it’s right for you so call me – do you really think I’m going to try to “close” you on the idea of writing up a special report for you on the spot? Heck no!

I don’t know anything about you or your business. It would be foolish of me to try to sell you anything. What I’m going to do is start asking some questions and listen carefully to what you have to say.

By the end of the call, I’ll likely be brimming with ideas about how to build your business. These will range from the starkly ordinary to the wildly exotic. I might make a suggestion or two or probe some more but in the end I am more prone to offer to call you back with an idea or two IF I think I can help. (If I don’t think my services are right for you, I may still offer to call back after I talk to a colleague or two who may be able to help.)

Or if you have a project in mind and want to know what it would cost to do it, I’d gather the information and offer to work up a quote. Then we would agree on when the quote would be delivered. Again, that is IF we decide I’m the right person for your project.

Almost everything I do is on a quotation basis. Before I even begin to work, you know what to expect and how much it will cost. And I never “sell” my quotes. I just don’t. You are always free to accept it or reject it. Of course we can always modify the terms if need be.

So what do you think? Am I missing something? Is there a better way? Feel free to comment below or privately if you prefer. I’d like to know if you are hesitant to take me up on a free consultation because you think you’ll get pitched instead. If you’d like to suggest an alternative, I’d be happy to hear from you.

Regards,

Andy

P.S. Comment below, call or fill out the handy form on the right. As always, my contact form “subscribes” you but there is no “mailing list”. It’s just a way for me to get your info.

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