Many service business owners these days are “giving away” their business services – and then wonder why people aren’t hiring them in droves. In the name of “marketing,” business owners are providing way too much information for free.

Some shifts in thinking are necessary if these business owners expect to be in business years from now. Even trained coaches, I believe, do too much pro-bono work. Why? They say that they need to practice, but the bottom line is that they don’t value their gifts.

Marketing consultant, speaker and author Marcia Yudkin,gives this advice in her book, Marketing Minute (www.yudkin.com/marksynd.htm): “You can head off a good portion of that from paying clients by setting down in writing what your fees cover and do not cover. While you don’t want to come off as some sort of dictator with a stringent rulebook, it helps to set forth guidelines for a productive relationship.

For folks who are not yet clients, feel free to copy what I do. If I can answer a question in five minutes or less, I generally just go ahead and do so. If a question is more complicated than that, I reply, ‘I couldn’t do justice to your question without a consultation. My consulting rates are ...’ Prevent future problems by making expectations explicit!”

Remember, as a service business owner, part of what you “offer” clients and what they value from you is your knowledge and expertise. It’s as much a part of your “services” as any tangible materials you produce. So make sure to treat it as such, and get compensated fairly! When you value your services, others will, too.

(Editor’s Note: Maria Marsala is a Poulsbo-Based business coach. Reach her at maria@coachmaria.com.).