Free Stuff And Your Commitments
Let’s talk about online business, freebies and clients.
I saw a Reddit thread where a guy was complaining that he was offered a free logo, but the graphic designer never delivered.
Among the responses to this complaint:
- The designer was a scammer looking to steal your niche (LOL)
- The designer is just trying to get a potential client list as a bait-and-switch
- Maybe the designer is just busy
- It takes longer than the 10 days you’ve (the “client”) given him to design a logo
- You’re being a pain in the neck and you should leave him alone
- You aren’t a client until you’ve paid… free doesn’t count
- There’s no obligation to provide free stuff
So in short, we’ve got a full range of responses. They range from, “The designer is obviously a scammer” through to “the designer doesn’t owe you anything.”
How do I feel about this question?
Let’s find out.
When You Make An Offer, Follow Through
Here’s the most obvious thing about this whole scenario. You don’t have to even take a side to see that both parties here are, should their details become known, damaging their reputations.
Client guy has outed someone publicly and essentially aired dirty laundry.
Designer guy has turned into a ghost and let someone tarnish his reputation as someone who delivers.
Now, these things are both terrible. Your reputation is pretty important as a business person, and so you should seek to maintain it as far as you are able. This extends not only to providing a service or product, but also to buying a service and just generally to being a decent human.
Being a person of questionable moral character can annihilate your business. As can being a cheapskate or being known as difficult to work with.
So in a nutshell, that’s the first major takeaway. Let’s address the rest of this.
Are People Who Want Free Stuff Your Clients?
You are under no obligation to provide free stuff as a business person.
You can provide free stuff, but you don’t have to.
When it comes to writing anything, it’s very rare that I’ll do anything without payment.
Now I’ve started doing consultation and strategy work, I am more reluctant to give that out for free.
The reason is because when you give things for free, you’re entering into a contract that says, “I’ll provide value for no payment.”
That’s a key point in this argument.
You must think of your actions as a contract.
The most basic of contracts is your word. If you say you’re going to do something, then there’s an obligation to do it.
If you don’t want to give things away for free, then don’t offer them. If someone says, “But I’m not paying you” then you say, “Well you’re not getting anything.” That’s fair and your right.
But if you offer something for free – be it an opt-in, ebook or sample service – then you should follow through with doing that.
This means that you should not promise anything you can’t deliver, or are unprepared to deliver.
Here’s what’s helpful: Think of your free thing as a product offering. The price is $0, but you must still clearly define the terms of the agreement.
- What are you providing?
- What value does it have?
- Do you want the recipient to do anything or give anything in return?
The above answers are the contract.
To the extent that you’re entering that agreement with a recipient of your free thing, they are your client.
When “Clients” Go Too Far
So inevitably when you offer something free – or even when you don’t – you’re going to have people who want to push their luck.
This happens to everyone at some stage. I’ve had people who want stuff for free. I’ve said “no.” They consider this unfair.
It’s not… and I know it’s not because for everything, I have the set “contract” in my mind. X costs Y, A requires B and so on.
And that’s all you have to tell your “client.”
Now, when it comes to paid work, should what the client need and what you need be different, you enter a negotiation.
You obviously don’t do this with a free product or sample. The offer is the offer and it serves a purpose for both of you; take it or leave it.
Here’s a funny example: My friend Kyle has an email list where he gives away free PDF ebooks. These include things like checklists, 5 top tips and resources and the like.
He once got an email from a guy who said, “I don’t want to read a PDF. You need to convert it to Kindle, .Epub and .Mobi formats so I can read it!”
Now, if the books were paid products, then I can understand this. If people pay you money, then you should cater to them as well as you can. But for a free product? Absolutely ridiculous.
When you sign up, you get a free PDF. That’s the offer. Your “clients” aren’t entitled to make demands or take your time in that way; there’s no negotiation necessary.
Conclusion
This all comes down to basic business sense: With every interaction, you enter a contract – be it formal or informal.
With every contract, both parties have specific expectations and obligations.
If you say you’re going to do something, make it clear what you’re going to do and when. Then do it.
When it comes to giving things out for free, the above is the sum total of your obligation.
Your “client” also has an obligation: They accept the offer as it is, or they don’t.
If they accept the offer, then that is great. You deliver it to them, they get the value and that’s that.
If they don’t accept the offer, then that’s ok too. You are under no obligation to change the offer or help them beyond the point they reject the offer.
That’s my hot take on the situation.