$600,000 website proposal going out today. And that’s why I help others for free. I help others for a few reasons:
- Feels good
- There’s always a wildcard payout later
I talk a lot about helping others without expecting in return. But what does that mean?
Too many people, especially marketers, say they “help” people when really they bait and switch. Really they “help,” but with conditions. What I mean is helping without a desired outcome.
I never know what the financial/relationship/networking benefits will be that come from me speaking or helping others for free. And I never know if it will happen that day, a week later, a month, or years. But I do know it always comes around.
Earlier this May I was invited to speak at a local chamber event. It was an hour drive south, no pay, mid-day, and an hour drive back.
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- It feels good
- It helped support a friend
- The next wildcard seed gets planted
And that wildcard is today.
Was invited to partner and send a proposal for a $100,000 website RFP from someone I met speaking that day. National brand, big company. What they really need is way more than $100k though.
Taking our time over the last two weeks with the partner we’ve been building out the proposal, line iteming everything they truly need to continue success at their national scale, while adding hundreds of micro-sites.
We probably won’t get the bid, because we’re such a premium. But that also excites me. That’s also part of giving, and waiting.
They’ll probably go with someone cheaper, or at least closer to the $100,000. But 60 days in they’ll see how big of a disaster the budget approach was and remember they agency that was “crazy expensive” and realize it was probably for a reason.
That’s when they come back, are better customers, and are motivated to take the right approach at the right cost.
