“selling by giving”, or, “gift economics”

@gapingvoid you are gifted

Hugh, I do this all the time in spite of the fact that I’m unemployed. My hierarchy of values is: regard > results > money – and all my efforts are to build up the regard or reputation associated with my name. That gives me the opportunities to solve problems are create results that may one day lead to money.
As far as I know, it is not possible to do this the other way around – at least not for long.

I did this yesterday. I didn’t even know I was marketing. I sell some stock photos and a woman I met yesterday asked if she might have a few. I was happy to send them to her. She was friendly. She used one of the photos today in her blog. It made my day. That was payment enough.

Great blog post.

I definitely agree with @gapingvoid. We are living in this brave new world where “try before you buy” has become the norm and great free stuff has become a way to cultivate relationships.

I do also understand @Misere’s point about the problem of people expecting everything for free. Brian Clark makes an excellent point about managing expectations and letting people that you are not the village idiot who keeps giving everything away for free.

I think so long as you are open and honest about the fact that you have some items for free but are still for hire you will be able to exist very well in this brave new digital world.

@ — Good points Leslie. I write about this very concept very often on my own blog. I conduct my own marketing efforts using this model — I give away lots of free content — but I never give away my core services. These must be paid for.

I have to say that I get more satisfaction out of giving my services away than selling them. Now that doesn’t mean, that I don’t advertise my classes every chance I get. I have to always remember that wolf at my door named VW Credit… So I sell as well as give. But I’m also a firm believer that We’re All Here To Help Each Other, and that When We Help One Of Us, We Help All Of Us… So what I need to make ends meet – seems to arrive at the exact moment I need it… Serendipity just keeps on happening…

I love this! I love it for the marketers you’ve shouted out – Some known to me, others new discoveries.

But I really love it because this is becoming the talk more and more. Some people can’t understand why I put my comics on the net for free, but this is the model that’s emerging and I want to be at the front of it!

Hugh, Great post!

This is a question I have struggled with for a quite a long while and have finally decided to take the leap. And it is a leap of faith.

I have been afraid if I offered my best information (I thought my product was information) for free, then why would anyone pay me for it?

My faith says, “Lots of people!”

Why? Because it’s not just the information I am offering, which they might be able to find elsewhere on the internet, already free, but my own unique way of saying it, drawing it, sculpting it, painting it, wrapping it, packaging it, my own unique way of TRANSFERRING THE FEELING OF IT, giving you an EXPERIENCE you can’t get anywhere else.

No one says things quite the way Seth Godin does. No one ever drew cartoons the way you do. And no one conveys the things I teach in quite the way I do.

At least, that’s what I have come to believe. I’ll check back when I’ve got my website up and running.

The problem in practice with all this open source, free mentatlity is that it gets exploited. Especially with aggregators: Facebook, istockphoto, Amazon, eBay, Twitter etc. etc. If you look closely at these sites, there is, at core, a small, closed group of individuals seeking nothing more than profit. That said, I totally understand your point that before you get loyal customers, it’s better to give them something for free. It’s the law of reciprocity.

Just checked out your site, Oli — very nice images. Reminds of the girls on the back of the old Tennents Lager Cans!

There’s no reason to give away anything for free. You can always ask for something small in return. “Here… have a free bag of muffins, all we ask is that if you like them, you tell your friends about us!” or “I understand you can’t afford/find the ideal music for your podcast. Sure you can use my song as the intro… just put me in the credits and link me on your site.” Even the creative commons license or GPL is set up this way such that “the community” will get something in return when a “public” work is used.

I don’t like freebies because it attracts people who expect more of the same. But when you attach modest conditions to the “freebie”, you haven’t just given away a freebie, you’ve come to an honest “negotiated” agreement. And if you can be flexible and creative and modest in your demands, you will be respected as a professional for not giving your stuff away, and also appreciated as a reasonable person to do business with in the future.

I never expect freebies. However I often approach people with success in other areas than I and pitch them with an offer: Here’s what I need and you can provide it. Here’s what I can give you if you’re interested. In these agreements, it costs neither party a penny. And yes, I usually think I’m getting the better deal, but oftentimes, they think that they are. It’s a freebie-plus for both parties. And it’s a nice way to start a business relationship.

I am about to donate an original work of art to a fund raiser, it serves several purposes to me. 1. It is raising money for a good cause. 2. It is placing my art in someone`s home who never heard of me and they get to enjoy my art where before, they wouldn`t have discovered me. 3. Lots of other parties will have a chance to see my art and take my card to contact me if they lost out on the silent bid. 4. I get to feel good that I gave to the community.

My brother-in-law is originally from Mexico and still struggles to speak clear English. His ESL teacher suggested that he watch American television exhibits to pick up on idioms which have been commonly utilized. He loves to Get Free Diablo 2 Items Online. so, every chance he gets, he borrows our laptop to accomplish just that. My husband and I desire to see him succeed in this goal so we are considering purchasing him a laptop for his birthday. He would demand to buy World wide web access, but I imagine they can afford that on their monthly budget. I haven’t addressed this with my sister yet, but hope to this weekend.