Should You Have To Pay To Have Lunch With ME

Should You Have To Pay To Have Lunch With ME This post is going to sound overly arrogant. Significantly arrogant. After all, Im all about networking, right?  I talk about nurturing the relationship, right? start arrogance here Recently I got an email from someone saying they knew me through so-and-so and they wanted to have lunch with me.  It was more than a get to know you chat, it was a youve done this and that and I want to learn from you. I get this type of free lunch invitation regularly.  All the time. In the past I have taken the opportunity to do it.  I meet with the person, they buy me lunch, I get excited and share all kinds of ideas, and they walk away energized and thankful. And then I never hear from them again. For me, a lunch usually means three hours out of the office, IF you meet me at a restaurant close to my office. After those three hours I dont hear from you, ever.  Until the next time you want to buy me a free lunch. When I got one of the last requests I replied that Id be happy to meet with the person, for $250/hour. That is my hourly rate. Why did I do this?  Is it good networking? NOPE. It isnt good networking.  But Im running a business, and I have to manage my time. I could probably swing a free lunch every day for a month. I bet I could. Lets say that is 20 days.  I will get about $250 of free lunches.  To get that Ill spend 20 days * 3 hours = 60 hours, in ONE MONTH, on helping people. Thats nice helping people for 60 hours. But it is not sustainable.  It usually doesnt help my business.  I miss 60 hours of work.  And my shirt fits tighter around the waist :p Is it wrong for me to say give me $250 and Ill meet with you? Maybe it is for a lot of people.  But I have to do it. Peter Shankman, a guy who has had an amazingly successful career ( that is an understatement) wrote a similar post last year based on a tweet: I know this sounds grossly arrogant, but there is a real issue here.  It might be about respect.  It might be about valuing the information.  It might be about supply/demand (my time, your needs).  Im not sure what the issue is, but there is an issue. /end arrogance Maybe Im wrong. Maybe Im missing out on a lot of networking opportunities, and the chance to meet a lot of cool people. Ill take the loss, because I have a business Im running.  You wouldnt give your product, or service, or time, away, all the time, would you? I cant either. Should You Have To Pay To Have Lunch With ME This post is going to sound overly arrogant. Significantly arrogant. After all, Im all about networking, right?  I talk about nurturing the relationship, right? start arrogance here Recently I got an email from someone saying they knew me through so-and-so and they wanted to have lunch with me.  It was more than a get to know you chat, it was a youve done this and that and I want to learn from you. I get this type of free lunch invitation regularly.  All the time. In the past I have taken the opportunity to do it.  I meet with the person, they buy me lunch, I get excited and share all kinds of ideas, and they walk away energized and thankful. And then I never hear from them again. For me, a lunch usually means three hours out of the office, IF you meet me at a restaurant close to my office. After those three hours I dont hear from you, ever.  Until the next time you want to buy me a free lunch. When I got one of the last requests I replied that Id be happy to meet with the person, for $250/hour. That is my hourly rate. Why did I do this?  Is it good networking? NOPE. It isnt good networking.  But Im running a business, and I have to manage my time. I could probably swing a free lunch every day for a month. I bet I could. Lets say that is 20 days.  I will get about $250 of free lunches.  To get that Ill spend 20 days * 3 hours = 60 hours, in ONE MONTH, on helping people. Thats nice helping people for 60 hours. But it is not sustainable.  It usually doesnt help my business.  I miss 60 hours of work.  And my shirt fits tighter around the waist :p Is it wrong for me to say give me $250 and Ill meet with you? Maybe it is for a lot of people.  But I have to do it. Peter Shankman, a guy who has had an amazingly successful career ( that is an understatement) wrote a similar post last year based on a tweet: I know this sounds grossly arrogant, but there is a real issue here.  It might be about respect.  It might be about valuing the information.  It might be about supply/demand (my time, your needs).  Im not sure what the issue is, but there is an issue. /end arrogance Maybe Im wrong. Maybe Im missing out on a lot of networking opportunities, and the chance to meet a lot of cool people. Ill take the loss, because I have a business Im running.  You wouldnt give your product, or service, or time, away, all the time, would you? I cant either. Should You Have To Pay To Have Lunch With ME This post is going to sound overly arrogant. Significantly arrogant. After all, Im all about networking, right?  I talk about nurturing the relationship, right? start arrogance here Recently I got an email from someone saying they knew me through so-and-so and they wanted to have lunch with me.  It was more than a get to know you chat, it was a youve done this and that and I want to learn from you. I get this type of free lunch invitation regularly.  All the time. In the past I have taken the opportunity to do it.  I meet with the person, they buy me lunch, I get excited and share all kinds of ideas, and they walk away energized and thankful. And then I never hear from them again. For me, a lunch usually means three hours out of the office, IF you meet me at a restaurant close to my office. After those three hours I dont hear from you, ever.  Until the next time you want to buy me a free lunch. When I got one of the last requests I replied that Id be happy to meet with the person, for $250/hour. That is my hourly rate. Why did I do this?  Is it good networking? NOPE. It isnt good networking.  But Im running a business, and I have to manage my time. I could probably swing a free lunch every day for a month. I bet I could. Lets say that is 20 days.  I will get about $250 of free lunches.  To get that Ill spend 20 days * 3 hours = 60 hours, in ONE MONTH, on helping people. Thats nice helping people for 60 hours. But it is not sustainable.  It usually doesnt help my business.  I miss 60 hours of work.  And my shirt fits tighter around the waist :p Is it wrong for me to say give me $250 and Ill meet with you? Maybe it is for a lot of people.  But I have to do it. Peter Shankman, a guy who has had an amazingly successful career ( that is an understatement) wrote a similar post last year based on a tweet: I know this sounds grossly arrogant, but there is a real issue here.  It might be about respect.  It might be about valuing the information.  It might be about supply/demand (my time, your needs).  Im not sure what the issue is, but there is an issue. /end arrogance Maybe Im wrong. Maybe Im missing out on a lot of networking opportunities, and the chance to meet a lot of cool people. Ill take the loss, because I have a business Im running.  You wouldnt give your product, or service, or time, away, all the time, would you? I cant either.