Comments on: Hell-oh!?! Can you be any ruder?

By: Melanie Kissell

Melanie Kissell — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 18:49:58 +0000

Shannon …

I’m delighted that you brought this issue up. Quite frankly, I’ve experienced this same type of rude behavior many times over.

Nothing like being used as a doormat, wouldn’t ya say??

I would maintain true professionalism and respond to “Sammie’s” email. I’d send a brief message explaining that you’re simply not able to meet her request. Wish her the very best of success … then get on with your day.

Write On!

~Melanie

By: Bridget

Bridget — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 16:26:54 +0000

I, too, would not give her anything extra, but send her a return email explaining to her how networking and creating business relationships is supposed to go. Say it firmly, but gentle and she should get the message.

By: Elizabeth Potts Weinstein

Elizabeth Potts Weinstein — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 14:05:34 +0000

I would not send her anything that you don’t already have — then you teach people that you do not do one-on-one work for free, you are worth too much for that — you already have a blog that gives TONS of free advice!

I would send an email w/ a link to your blog. If you have a post about affording marketing, or a category of do-it-yourself marketing or interns, then forward her that link.

Otherwise tell her that she could hire you for 30 minutes at $XX per hour (if you do that).

The whole idea of thinking that doing stuff for free will give you future work is flawed — typically that only gives you referrals to other people who want more free stuff. Every single time I’ve tried to “help” people for free, they’ve become my most problem child clients! (and they are not even paying me!!) :)

~ Elizabeth

By: John

John — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 10:15:47 +0000

Hi Shannon,

I’d be tempted to send a short email thanking Sammie for getting in touch again and pointing out the concept of trust/relationship in marketing, business and life in general. It’s very easy to get the tone of an electronic communique wrong and her email may just have been very clumsily worded.

You could then ask if she could send you a 1 page outline of the role/person spec that you could forward to any of your contacts that are relevant.

If she doesn’t have one, or just comes back with another demand for your address book, well you tried so drop her quietly and move on to more productive connections.

By: John

John — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 10:14:29 +0000

I think it rather depends on what those financial reasons were and what you said at the time.

If she’s being cheap then by all means ignore her, if on the other hand she genuinely can’t afford your services then why not help out, she might one day come back or refer others to you.

There is a danger of course that if you let her take now, she might just want to take more in future.