Written by: Vickie Sullivan  |  November 07, 2024

2 Warning Signs Paid Advisors Aren’t Helping Enough

When you need help with your business, there’s no shortage of free help. Between your friends, colleagues, and pro bono advisors, it’s easy to find no-cost options. When the free assistance no longer suffices, you may be compelled to seek help from professional, paid advisors, assuming they are better than pro bono help. That’s not necessarily true.

I’ve noticed that many people offering pro bono help are phoning it in. Their paid advice is like what your colleagues provide for free. When that happens, you must call it out immediately and ask for more.

How do you know paid advisors are doing that? I have two warning signs to watch for when working with them. 

2 Warning Signs Paid Advisors Aren’t Doing Enough for You

When you pay for a service, your natural inclination is to trust and believe what the person tells you. After all, they’re a professional. But you need to watch out for signs that paid advisors aren’t doing their job. Here are two to keep your eyes open for:

• The advisor asks you to do their work for them. Many marketing and branding “experts” ask their clients to do their jobs for them. Example: An advisor tells you to get two-word descriptions of you from your clients and colleagues. Sure, the advisor isn’t going to have that information, but they can quickly look at your testimonials and case studies to discern your impact. Asking you to do this type of work for you is lazy.

• The advisor gives you common or general advice. To determine if they are doing this, conduct the happy hour test. Invite your smartest friends over for drinks and snacks, and brainstorm ideas — book titles, presentation topics, etc. If those ideas are just as good as the ones the advisor gave you, then you’re paying for something you can get for free. The advisor’s advice must be more in-depth and strategic than what your smart friends provide.

Paid advisors should know your market well enough to give you informed advice based on your unique situation. These ideas must be based on current market dynamics, not what worked five years ago. If they can’t give you that, go the free advice route. Save your money so you can get more targeted, strategic help later.

Listen: The Type of Help You Can Expect from Free Online Communities 

Now Read This:

• Get the Best Help: Are Those Offers Right for You?
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