Offering free initial advice or a free consultation is a marketing tactic many service-led businesses deploy. The idea is that giving a little something for free might entice the potential client to go on and buy. But is it a good marketing tactic or not? As with all marketing, there's no right or wrong answer, so here's a summary of the pros and cons:
Pros
✅ Giving some of your time or advice for free gives the client a no-risk opportunity to understand what value you bring. It also gives them a chance to get a feel for working with you. If they like what they see and you can solve their problem, they will be much more likely to instruct you than if they hadn't had this insight.
✅ The client is unlikely to gain all they need in a 30 or 60-minute consultation. Instead, they'll be left wanting more, and you'll be the obvious choice to give it to them.
✅ It's not always about the client! During your free session, you'll also be able to decide if the client is the right fit for your business. It's much easier to extricate yourself from a difficult client relationship before signing contracts and starting the work.
Cons
❌ If you charge for your time by giving it away for free, you're devaluing your worth.
❌ Providing your services free of charge might not attract the right fit client. Some potential customers may have no interest in working with you and just want to take advantage of getting something for nothing. These people will just waste your time that could be better spent elsewhere.
❌ Time spent on a free consultation could be spent doing work for fee-paying clients or developing your business.
So, as you can see, there's no right or wrong answer. The pros and cons roughly balance each other out, so it's a case of deciding whether it's right for your business. If you're a start-up, it's possibly more relevant as you don't have a track record supporting your marketing claims.
As for me, I don't advertise free initial advice. Instead, I always have an initial meeting with a potential client to find out what they're looking for and for them to find out a bit about me. That approach seems to work for my business.