I get asked several times a day to meet for “picking my brain”. When I do have time (which is rare) and get to help someone, I get told “You should make this a service you offer!” I tweeted that out tongue in cheek today, and the response via DM and email to really make it a service was immediate.
So, you asked for it, you got it. As an experiment, I blocked out what free time I can to make this a service. If you are one of the people who has always wanted to take me to coffee or for a beer to pick my brain, now’s your chance (Skype calls only, though).
Update 3/29/2010: this short experiment is now an ongoing thing for as long as I can sustain it in my busy schedule – people really seem to like having access like this.
The Scoop:
“Let me take you out to [insert beverage type or meal] and pick your brain about something” has to be the thing I get asked the most.
I’m flattered to be considered pick-worthy, but one of the reasons you want to ask me questions is that I’m good at what I do and that takes time (and time is money, so to speak), which leaves little time for the simpler requests. So many people suggested I make the request into a service, I thought I’d take them up on it. At the moment this is a limited time experiment. We’ll see how it goes and if it makes actually doing my job more difficult, or if it is something we all enjoy. See below for cost.
Tell me a bit about you, and about why you want to Pick My Brain. Then schedule one of my available appointment times.
Legal stuff:
1) This is advice only. I can’t be held responsible for you deciding to use my advice for nefarious deeds and schemes. It’s intended to help you be better at what you need to be better at.
2) Sometimes I won’t be able to answer something if it falls under an NDA. Some of my clients require these little gems of legal silence. I’ll let you know that’s why if this happens and the genie will grant you another wish. Er, I mean, I’ll answer a different question.
3) I can’t create an entire strategy for your organization in an hour knowing not much about how you work as a whole, what your goals are, etc. That’s not what this is for. This is intended for questions I *can* answer in an hour. Think ahead to what matters most to you to know RIGHT NOW.
Cost
I did this experiment allowing people to pay what they wanted for several weeks. The firm cost was then chosen by taking an average of what people chose to pay during the “pay what you want” portion of the experiment.
For this: Make an appointment by clicking this: BOOK A TIME TO PICK MY BRAIN
(Make sure to give me your full contact info, including Skype name – preferred – or your phone number when you book. You’d be surprised how many people forget to include it.)
After the appointment, here’s where you pay.
I hope this helps you out and allows me to give some nice people the advice they need at a price they can afford and in a way that doesn’t eat my schedule alive.
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geechee_girl
