Who remembers when the internet was first widely available? There wasn’t much on it – it was all bulletin boards and companies trying to work out what should be on a webpage. Splash pages were a thing. They often had a little figure doing some painting with a sign saying ‘coming soon’ or ‘under construction’. If you actually found something that you wanted to buy, then you’d probably have to print off an order form and send a cheque.

Then we entered the days when you gave stuff away for free. Because that was how you were told to get customers in this exciting new world, long before the days of LinkedIn, Instagram and TikTok. If you gave it away for long enough, then eventually (hopefully) they’d start buying it.

I’ve been offering free discovery calls since I started Richer Solutions, but this is the year that I’m starting to charge for them. Not a huge amount. Much less than my usual hourly rate; a mere £25.

Now £25 doesn’t go far these days. It’ll barely cover a quick top-up shop at your local corner shop. For me, charging for service isn’t necessarily about the money.

The problem with not charging for something is that people don’t value it in the same way. Think about freebies given away at events. You’ll grab a handful, even if you have no immediate use for them. Then they’ll sit in your car or your office until you finally bin them.

Free events have a high percentage of no-shows compared to paid events. In some cases, it can exceed 50%. When you haven’t made any kind of financial commitment, it’s easy to justify cancelling. We’ve all signed up for free training and then not bothered to go because something else came up – or we just couldn’t be bothered.

Free is perceived to have less value. The reverse is true of my discovery calls. Even if we don’t continue to work together, there should be plenty of value in what we discuss. Working out the kind of support a business or individual needs is the best kind of fun. So I want to provide ideas and insights that will inspire you.

The thing is that £25 is affordable for a business. If you’ve never paid for business support before, then this is a way of dipping your toes in. The idea of paying for a mentor, coach or consultant can be a real block. There’s a feeling that you’ve got to be already successful to take such a step. In reality, working with someone can be valuable at any point. 

Value is one of my reasons for charging for discovery calls. It’s a reminder that I value my own time and skills. I want to focus on people who are really interested in working with me. Preparing for a call and having the other person not turn up is miserable. It’s also frustrating.

I’ve written about why asking for help is a sign of strength. Help can come from more than one source. You might have a network that you can draw on for support. That’s great. You might also choose to work with someone like me. If so, then how about starting with a discovery call? You can book below.