How to Handle "Let Me Pick Your Brain"​ Requests Like A Pro

There's been a lot of buzz lately about the question "Can I pick your brain?" as a (veiled) request for free consulting. I can relate; as a writer and researcher, my instinct is to answer questions and follow up with resources. However, I've come to realize that my most valuable resource is my time, and honoring these requests prevents me from building my business. I'm also giving away my knowledge for free!

As a result, I've been making a concerted effort to cut down on coffee and lunch dates, which manage to absorb 1-2 hours of my time. Instead, I've been opting in to a simple, yet surprisingly overlooked solution:

The Good Old-Fashioned, 15 minute phone call.

I've conducted two calls this week with people who have initiated the discussion with "pick your brain" (PYB) requests, and in each case, the call was complete in less than 15 minutes. For me, the secret to success is in adhering to the following guidelines:

• Only accepting PYB requests by email or LinkedIn mail, not by phone or by text. (Hint: Details about what you need go a long way to moving to the next step.)

• When I receive a PYB request, I do my best to schedule the phone call within a week from the time I'm contacted. If I am unable, I ask them to call me back on a specific date. This weeds out a lot of requests for my time.

• Asking the person to pose a specific question to me by email no later than the day prior to our call in order to give thought to their question and make the most of the time we have.

• Ten minutes into the call, I tell the caller that our time is nearing its end, and ask if they anticipate needing more of my time in a consulting capacity.

• I wrap up the call by letting the caller know specifically what I can do to help them, and ask if they would like to schedule another call to discuss scope and pricing.

I'm not going to lie: sticking to these guidelines is hard for me. But doing so has led to solid client leads and in one case, a writing project. Which leaves me feeling better about how I am spending my time.

If you would like to schedule time with me to discuss a writing or business management project, email me here on LinkedIn or directly at judi@judi411.com.