Can I pick your brain?
Can I pick your brain?
One of the first and most crucial rules of business I learned in my 20s was to NEVER ask someone I’ve never met if I could “pick their brain.”
This golden rule of business is one that I constantly see being overlooked. I’m a firm believer that if anyone needs help or advice they should always always seek it out. God knows I couldn’t have built my business by myself. However, I never boldly assumed someone would give me their time or business advice for free. I can’t email Bob Iger or Anna Wintour seeing if they can “jump on a quick call” on Thursday at 10am so they can better my business.
So when reaching out, I encourage you to always ask the person you are reaching out to if advice is something they could offer to you, and if so at what price. Go on their website and see if they have service/cost information on there. Also see if they offer alternate resources like online courses, FREE classes, podcast episodes, and/or Masterclasses (wink wink I do all of the above). See who they are already working with, and make an honest assessment if you’d be a right fit.
From personal experience, I don’t know any business executive who has ever responded to a random “pick your brain” or “jump on a call” request unless money was involved from the start.
And here’s an additional tip, if you can’t afford the services right then and there, that’s okay. Now you’ve educated yourself on what it costs to get the information you need. Thank the person for their time and ask in the meantime if they offer any complimentary services. You’d be surprised how many consultants and strategists out there have resources to help those starting off. Then when the time is right and you can afford the service, you’ll be that much more ahead of the game.
