Dealing with a buyer who wants free advice rather than a supplier

4 days ago
3 min read

Updated: 2 days ago

Introduction

Every business that sells expertise encounters this. A conversation that began as an enquiry becomes a consultation, the questions get more detailed, and at some point it is clear the person intends to act on the answers themselves or take them to somebody cheaper. Giving too much away is a real cost and refusing to answer anything loses genuine buyers.

The difficulty is that the two look identical at the start. A serious buyer also asks detailed questions, also wants to understand their options, and would be put off by a supplier who treated a reasonable question as an attempt to extract something. The skill is recognising the difference partway through, and having a comfortable way to change the conversation when it becomes clear.

1. Dealing with a buyer who wants free advice starts with generosity

The correct default.

Answering questions well is how expertise is demonstrated, and most people asking them are genuine. Beginning from suspicion costs more enquiries than it saves hours. The occasional hour given away is cheaper than the enquiries lost to a guarded manner.

2. Know where your line is in advance

The preparation.

What you will explain freely and what constitutes doing the work. Deciding this beforehand means the conversation does not require an improvised judgement under social pressure. Write the line down once and apply it consistently.

3. Explain the what, not the how

The usual boundary.

What is involved, what the options are, what it should cost, what to look for in a supplier. The specific method, calculation or design is the work itself. This boundary is easy to explain and most people accept it immediately.

4. Notice the signals

The diagnostic.

Questions that get progressively more specific, no interest in timescales or price, requests for documentation, and no willingness to discuss engaging you. Two or three of these together is the pattern. One alone means very little.

5. Ask directly about their intention

The clarifying move.

"Are you looking for somebody to do this, or working out whether to do it yourself?" This is a fair question, it is not confrontational, and most people answer honestly. Either answer is useful to you.

6. Offer the paid version plainly

The conversion.

"I can spend an hour on this properly, and that would be a consultation." Stated matter-of-factly, this converts a proportion and ends the rest without any awkwardness.

7. Give the useful answer and stop

The graceful exit.

Where somebody is not going to engage you, one genuinely helpful answer and a polite close is better than either a lengthy free consultation or an abrupt refusal.

8. Publish the general answers

The structural fix.

Most of these questions are asked repeatedly. Answering them once publicly serves everybody, reduces the calls, and demonstrates expertise to people who are buying. It also gives you something to send instead of a long conversation.

9. Accept some of it as marketing

The realistic position.

A proportion of free advice returns as referrals and later work. Treating every question as a loss is as much an error as answering everything indefinitely.

Be careful about giving advice that somebody acts on without engaging you. Where the subject is technical, safety-related or regulated, informal guidance can carry real exposure, and it is worth being explicit that general information is not a substitute for a proper assessment.

Conclusion

Start generously, know your line, and ask directly when the pattern appears.

Decide in advance what you will explain freely and what constitutes doing the work, answer the what rather than the how, watch for questions that narrow with no interest in engaging you, ask plainly whether they are looking for a supplier, offer the paid version matter-of-factly, give one useful answer and close politely where they are not going to engage, publish the general answers so they serve everybody, and accept that some of this returns as referrals.