July 18, 2011 180 Comments

Selling Information

It’s amazing how some people get all upset when someone puts something up for sale on the web. I released a Google+ for Business LIVE webinar (that goes on Wednesday, by the way), and a few people complained that I had the audacity to charge money to educate people for two hours at the cost of $47. This kind of thing used to bug me. I’d feel really insecure if someone complained that I was putting a product up for sale, or if I were promoting something. But it doesn’t bother me any more and here’s why.

People Buy Knowledge All the Time

We buy knowledge every day. I pay a mechanic to service my car, even though that information is freely available in tons of books at the library. I pay someone to manage my website technology, even though I can do most of it myself. I pay for books. I pay for audio programs. I buy webinars and seminars. I pay to attend conferences (Okay, I don’t often pay for conferences any more, but when I do, they’re worth it!).

But for some reason, sometimes people get tweaked about it. There are lots of people who get upset when one sells something. They call you a sell-out, a shill, a grubber, and all kinds of other words.

Selling Isn’t Evil

Selling isn’t evil. Selling crap might be evil. Selling something someone doesn’t need might be evil. Selling something someone didn’t ask to buy might be evil. But selling isn’t evil.

Selling is what one does when one has something of value that someone else might want or need. I don’t consider my grocery store evil. I don’t think Amazon is evil. We buy from people every day, even if it’s not money that’s exchanged. I buy information with my attention every day. I read great blogs and watch interesting videos every single day. Don’t you?

A New Place to Learn About Building Business

I’m introducing my new project (part of Human Business Works) that addresses this. It’s called The Owner’s Mind. The premise of this project is to create a private communication channel for aspiring web entrepreneurs to learn how to build their businesses and grow their future. I’m putting into this project all my learnings (plus interviews with all kinds of people who know tons more than me.

And we’ll talk about failure, too, because failure is an oft-overlooked part of learning how to build successful web businesses. You and I? We’ll cover that. Want to get involved? Just click below to read more, and then sign up for the free weekly email. I look forward to working more with you.

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http://www.care2.com/causes/trailblazers/ Sue Anne Reed

I remember a few months ago when you launched Blog Topics and the number of people that were upset over you making money on that project. People like this fall in to a handful of categories, in my opinion. a) There’s the people that think all information on the Internet should be free. They want to get the information, and even possibly use it to build up their own business, but they don’t want to have to pay for it. b) There are those who kick themselves for not thinking of it first and/or not having the motivation / time / impetus to put it together. c) Then, there are the people that are just cranky and going to find fault with others no matter what.

Keep doing what you do and good luck with the webinar. :)

http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

Thanks, Sue Anne. I appreciate that. Knowing that you work in the nonprofit sector makes me happy, too. : )

http://jimsmarketingblog.com Jim Connolly

Dear Mr. Brogan.

I was so disgruntled at the thought of you charging for your time that I immediately shared and endorsed your seminar with the couple of thousand people who connect with me on Google+.

Who do you think you are? A business owner monetizing your services or something?

This will have to stop!

Just invest half your life giving to people, most of whom seldom even say thanks. That’s where the smart money is. I can’t believe you thnk you can get away with all this “practising what you preach” nonsense.

Yours,

Disgruntled Troll (Live from his mom’s basement)

http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

You’re a treasure, Jim .
Colin Cronin

It seems that the demographic of “Disgruntled Troll” appears most prominent when searching by the criteria “people who b**ch about stuff because they have too much time but are too lazy to do anything for themselves.”

Should go great in the next census.

And Chris’ your information is fantastic as always.

http://www.successfulblogging.com/ Annabel Candy

It’s that kind of reaction that stops many bloggers making money and chains them to a life of endlessly updating their blogs in return for zip.
http://www.successfulblogging.com/ Annabel Candy

It’s that kind of reaction that stops many bloggers making money and
chains them to a life of poverty endlessly updating their blogs in return for
zip!

Takes a while to get over but once you get used to the idea that it’s okay to charge for your services things improve.

You’re already providing huge value through your free blog posts so it seems a bit unreasonable to complain if you want to charge for live or recorded events. After all, no one has to pay unless they want to do they?

http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

I’m with you, Annabel, but then, you knew I would be. : )

paul martin

… other useful Yorkshire expressions (besides my earlier post to another of your clients on another media channel “you don’t get owt for nowt”) – ebahgum …….. useful with cryptic crossword fans as it’s MUGABE backwards, (2) I can peel an orange in me pocket (3) you will have already had your tea. To be fair the latter was imported from a central belt town in Scotland. And finally (in case any bonnie Yorkshire lasses are reading this) Hull, Hell and Halifax
Patrick Albanese

I do believe this is a product of the vast amounts of free information that is available thanks to the internet. And while that may be true… What is one’s time worth??

For me, if someone can cull through all the clutter and bad information, and distill it down into a 2 hour webinar, that will save me dozens of hours of work and wild goose chases. At a modest hourly rate, I would save hundreds of dollars.

One of the attitudes the internet has created is that people think ALL information should be free. I sell cars and there is no shortage of websites that tell consumers just how much money I, and my dealership, should be happy to make. Conveniently, none of those websites are in the business of selling cars. Yet they tell people what they want to hear, so they thrive.

The same thing happens with information marketing. We have been told it should be free, so we expect it.

God forbid someone should make a living at what they’ve devoted their lives to doing.

Why, it’s almost unheard of……

http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

Patrick – you’re so right, especially with your dealership example. I’m not the expert in such matters, so I tend to try and find a human in the business and ask them. Meaning, sometimes, all the free site-based information in the world won’t be trusted by me. : )

http://cashwithatrueconscience.com/rbblog Ryan Biddulph

Hi Chris,

People who lack the courage to sell things – or charge what they feel the product is worth – criticize those who know their true worth. Pick your negative emotion – jealousy, envy, fear of criticism – and you the person, suffers it.

Losers, or cheap people, condemn those who sell stuff. They want freebies, not knowing the person who is charging money most likely gave freebies away for years – like you did – before charging money.

Either you know your worth, or you don’t. Those who do, charge. Those who don’t, either give freely and keep their mouths shut, waiting to get their courage up, or blabber about someone else making money.

Thanks for sharing your insight with us Chris.

Ryan
http://twitter.com/rossclennett Ross Clennett

Chris, these complaints are laughable. I bet they are from people who don’t make money from selling their expertise as an independent business owner. Here’s the thing – if people don’t believe the $47 represents value for them then DON”T REGISTER! It’s a free country. They can go surf the Internet for 2 hours if they think that’s a better use of their time.

It’s like people complaining about your keynote speaking fee; you think Chris’s fee is too much? THEN DON’T BOOK HIM.

Given how much valuable stuff you give away for free it’s astounding that people have the hide to bitch and carp when you do decide to have a paid event.

Keep up the good fight.
http://rickmanelius.com Rick Manelius

Would I rather spend $47 and quickly catch up to the most effective ways to use google+?

Or would I rather spend 1 week trying to figure it all out myself?

Unless my salary is less than $1/hour, it’s more affordable to pay and find all the cool short cuts versus waste a week’s worth of billable time.

http://rickmanelius.com Rick Manelius

More succinctly: those unwilling to pay in dollars will pay in hours.

http://eco-officegals.com/ Eco-Office Gals

I don’t understand why people have such an “issue” with paying for services online. I run into this with a few services I charge my 1 hour minimum for, like WP updates. I have heard too many times “Well, you’re just pushing a few buttons so it won’t be the full hour, right?” You know what? Most of the time, they’re right. If they don’t have some funky plug in, or who knows what else that will crash their site, it might take 10 min or less. In the rare case, I have worked days to restore a site that SHOULD have taken 10 min. So, that 1 hour is a gamble that the client and I both take. If they are not good with that, then they can click a few buttons themselves, right? Or “family discounts” family is the worst, they want you to build their site, host it, maintain it and everything else for almost nothing, I ask myself “do they not feel I am worth my time?” People shouldn’t complain about paying for your knowledge, Chris! They could probably find all the information for “free” only taking hours and days of their time researching instead of being handed to them in a neat little package for a small fee, by you. That’s their choice, no need to complain!
http://www.suzemuse.com/ Susan Murphy

Jealousy is a funny beast, isn’t it. Makes people say all sorts of crazy things. My students are asking a lot about G + these days because they want to understand it. Like you, I spend a lot of time figuring out how people can make the most of these tools, so I can be prepared to teach others. It’s my job, and like you, the more people I teach, the more money I make. I make no apologies for that. Ever.

Being paid to help people learn is one of the (other!) oldest professions. And by no means does it make you or me or anyone else a shill or a huckster or anything else.

Keep doing what you do…you’re helping a lot of people.
http://www.jonstow.com/blog Jon Stow

Chris, I sell my knowledge all the time. That’s what I do. It pays the mortgage and feeds us. Of course I give away free stuff. You give away free stuff. That is how people know that our stuff is worth having and that it is worth paying for more.

Just carry on doing what you are doing, Chris, because it works, and I like it.
http://www.jonstow.com/blog Jon Stow

Chris, I sell my knowledge all the time. That’s what I do. It pays the mortgage and feeds us. Of course I give away free stuff. You give away free stuff. That is how people know that our stuff is worth having and that it is worth paying for more.

Just carry on doing what you are doing, Chris, because it works, and I like it.
Vince Robisch

Chris,

I’m not even going to touch the ridiculous idea that people are upset at being charged for information. I am curious how The Owner’s Mind differs from Kitchen Table Companies though. Maybe you could point out who would be the best fit for both offerings.

Thanks,

Vince
http://www.tinnitustreatmentsblog.com Raluca

Today any information is valuable. With it we can build a successful business that produces a huge amount of money. Many would agree paying $ 100 from their own pocket knowing that in the future they will get tenfold. But there will allways be people to quarell. The question is: if they will have valuable information, would they give it for free?
Ed

Summary:
Go ask Chris Selland for 2 hours of start up advice at $23/hr.
Go ask Dustin Diaz for 2 hours of .js advice at $23/hr
They’d never notice your voice again.

Real entrepreneurs respect their own time,
and others.

Chris, don’t listen to jealous idiots. They’re trying to poach naïve entrants, because they don’t have their own gig own track.

Full version:
Anyone who will not spend money for information from a highly trusted pro, does not value their own time. Worse, they perpetuate myths that delay progress for other people, often to lure them away to their deal.
NO ONE can research, run trial & error, talk to deep contacts, and filter everything new.
You have a proven track record and thousands of hours of experience with exactly this stuff.

(Every time someone has flamed you, there was an ugly ulterior motive. I’ve been watching the dynamic closely for over 1000 days).

It’s actually cool. It’s survival of the fittest. Let those who won’t part with a buck, or those who will wait 3 months, or those buying from the haters, be the last to benefit. It’s nature. It’s cool.
Teri Lizakowski

This is a lesson I’ve had to learn myself. Thanks for validating my experience!
http://mattreport.com Matt Medeiros

Two words: Self Employed.

One word: Taxes.

Combine either of the examples – it’s why he charges people. Cmon it’s 2011!
http://www.toddejones.net/ tejones

I got hated in on in a Linkedin group for mentioning Lewis Howes and Chris McKinney resources to a recent college graduate in Sports Marketing. It was because all of their info wasn’t free. I was taken aback. There is a place to give out free info, and there is a place to sell what you have. Neither is bad, but some people act like either is the worst thing on earth. I usually defer to the extremely successful (ie. Lewis Howes, Chris McKinney, and Chris Brogan and countless others!).

http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

Nuts, right?

http://www.toddejones.net/ tejones

yup, nuts indeed

http://www.toddejones.net/ tejones

I got hated in on in a Linkedin group for mentioning Lewis Howes and Chris McKinney resources to a recent college graduate in Sports Marketing. It was because all of their info wasn’t free. I was taken aback. There is a place to give out free info, and there is a place to sell what you have. Neither is bad, but some people act like either is the worst thing on earth. I usually defer to the extremely successful (ie. Lewis Howes, Chris McKinney, and Chris Brogan and countless others!).
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http://www.alanweinkrantz.com Alan Weinkrantz

Real Easy: when I get a call asking for “my advise,” I say the following

Doctors do blood work before they advise.
Lawyers do discovery before they advise.
Accountants do audit work before they advise.
I do communication audits and discovery before I advise.
Depending on the scope and your budget, am glad to discuss your needs.

The conversation either continues if they are willing to pay for a consultation (as you would do with a doctor, lawyer, accountant, or Indian Chief) or it does not because they don’t want to pay and I wish them well.

If they invite to lunch, “just to visit” I let them know that I will pay for lunch, but the fee doubles in price.

http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

Very clever, Alan. : )

http://twitter.com/AliciaSanera Alicia Arenas

Chris, I think the people who complain are insecure about their own value and worth. I might live in a strange little bubble, so correct me if you’ve seen something different. Many of the new entrepreneurs I meet, who happen to be kind-hearted, generous people, have a hard time putting “it’s better to give than to receive” in a business context. If we give everything away, we will have nothing to give.

BTW, you are one of the most generous people I’ve met. And everything I have ever paid for from you has been worth what you’ve charged and more.

Good luck on your new project. Wish I could attend the training, but I’m booked solid that day.
http://www.mkronline.com/ Michael Robinson

I think there’s a strong intersection between the set of people who complain about selling and the set of people who chide you for not getting a traditional 9-5. The “I didn’t do it, don’t think I can do it, and you shouldn’t either” crowd. It’s a caustic mix of “why didn’t I think of that” and “why should you be making money from that?”

There are a lot of people in my neighbrhood who could make a ton just renting their riding lawnmower out. They spend thousands on this amazing machine and use it 4-10 times a month at the most. They could charge $10 per use to neighbors and be covered for gas and maintenence, and they’d get to meet a lot of potential clients and associates if they decided to expand into a larger business.

http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

Interesting, Michael. I think that people who want us to work 9-5 is a thing, isn’t it? I haven’t really thought much about that, but you’re probably right. People hoping to hold us back.

http://www.mkronline.com/ Michael Robinson

It’s something I bump into a lot more on writing and art blogs than IM and business blogs. Writing has this stigma of being a thing you can’t make money from unless you’re Stephen King or Rowling. Most people aren’t aware of all the business writing around them, like those founder stories on packaged goods.

It’s probably not as transparent in fields that are more obviously profitable (like business consulting), but I think it underlies a lot of the criticism.

http://www.margieclayman.com Marjorie Clayman

Hi Michael (and Chris),

This particular part of this thread caught my attention because I think it is dangerous. This is the kind of talk that really can cause a rift in the world (or perhaps the word would be “expand” depending on your perspective).

Saying that “people who work 9-5 jobs are the kind of people who hold you back” can really be misinterpreted and can almost seem like those who don’t work 9-5 jobs are looking at the other half askance. That would be sad and silly.

I work, actually, a 24/7 job but I happen to be in a traditional office setting for 8 of those hours. I have only ever worked to build other people up. To support. Does it make me cranky sometimes when I see tweet after tweet about what fun it is to take a nap in the middle of the day? Sure. Do I wonder how people who do nothing but check into Starbucks (how on earth do you make Starbucks plural??) get any work done? Yeah. Sometimes. If I really want a frap. But I don’t view folks in new work environments as the enemy.

There are people who are jealous of Chris. There are probably people who are jealous of everyone here. As humans, we are programmed to want what we cannot have and ignore all that we do. But to say that a whole group of people whom you talk disparagingly of is to blame…there lies a path to darkness, my friends.

Piggy-backing on what @Tinu:disqus said, I think the initial concern was that there isn’t really enough information out there to say what Google+ can do for “business.” For an online (exclusively) business, sure. But for, say, a manufacturer? I have no real clue how the informal nature of Google+ could help them out. I’m keeping an open mind on that, but phew, I don’t see it.

People got ugly and went off on vendetta-like tangents in responding, which is frustrating and wrong, but I think a good conversation could come of this whole incident if *all* sides were willing to be civil and professional about it.

I’m really disappointed to see some of the snark here. Sometimes, when you toss out broad statements, you end up hitting people who just might be on your side.

http://www.mkronline.com/ Michael Robinson

That was definitely not my intention. I’ll work on ways to communicate that point without sounding like I’m talking down to others. Thanks for pointing that out. :)

Jack Lynady

For some, they don’t realize the hours put in to aquire specialized knowledge on something. You point out doctors, lawyers, machineists. I am a chiropractor. I charge $50 to make an adjustment that takes 30 seconds to perform. I don’t bill insurance. I make them bill it themselves. I learned a long time ago that they were not paying for the 30 second adjustment. They were paying me for knowing where and how to push. Love what u bring Chris.

http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

Exactly, Jack. The old plumbers story.

http://socialposer.com/ Collin

Money talks. If people dislike what you are doing or don’t find value in what you’re selling, they won’t buy from you, you won’t make any money, and your offering will fail. I have no doubt that you’ll have many people attend the webinar, because $47 for two hours of your time is a bargain.
http://freetraffictip.com Tinu

I’m a capitalist at heart. I have ZERO problem with anyone selling information, I say charge what the market will bear.

I have a tiny circle in comparison to yours, definitely. But in that circle – of professionals – what we’re commenting on is that you’re selling expertise on something that no one can truly be an expert on yet. Google+ hasn’t come out of Beta yet. There’s not a strong use case for it yet.

If you’d said it was a how-to, I’d be less concerned… no, scratch that, basically it wouldn’t have hit my radar because only the “don’t charge for info” people would be talking and I don’t care what they think.

But the notice I saw said it was on how to use Google+ for business. Google+ isn’t finished yet, and Google hasn’t released the version of the platform they want businesses to use yet. What if you end up teaching all those people something that Google is actually going to discourage people from doing?

On top of that, lately, Chris, what you’re doing on your blog is a Huge turnaround from what you used to advise and preach here, without a substantial change in the accompanying philosophy. It’s confusing for someone who has been following you as long as I have, to see you do something that it appears as if you used to be against, whether that’s actually the case or not.

So you see, what perplexes me the most is reconciling what I used to read directly from you, and how that ties to what you’re doing now. As a former customer – and someone who intended to be a future customer – it reads as inconsistent to me at best.

http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

If you think you need a business page to use Google+ for business, that might be more of a concern.

As for what my huge turnaround is, I’m not sure how far back you’re going. But I dunno. I gave away a whole lot of free information last week, the week before, and several years before.

I’m not getting the inconsistency part. I’ve sold *and* given away for free for years.
http://www.joshcanhelp.com joshcanhelp

“But the notice I saw said it was on how to use Google+ for business.
Google+ isn’t finished yet, and Google hasn’t released the version of
the platform they want businesses to use yet. What if you end up
teaching all those people something that Google is actually going to
discourage people from doing?”

No, it isn’t finished yet, it is still in beta, but you can actually use it for business, that’s the point here. Chris is saying he has a strong use case and he’s willing to share it. That you don’t see the value is irrelevant; others do. And that’s a point he’s made here many times: not all tools are for all uses/people/groups. Pick what works and use it well.

http://twitter.com/cryswashington Crystal Washington

I also have no issue with your charging. I think the issue is that some people have become accustomed to so much free information via the Internet, that they don’t understand paying for value and/or systems. Almost all information can be found on the Internet, for free. However, when an expert creates a webinar, book, etc. people are not just paying for the information, they are paying for the time that they save in not having to compile it from multiple sources. Is spending one hour on a webinar versus five hours researching worth $47? You bet your life it is!

http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

Plenty of free stuff out there for sure. : )

http://www.facebook.com/carolelynnesanek Carole Sanek

Chris I just cannot attend and I so need to will there be a second offering or can I pay and receive the taped presentation with slides? I am teaching a FB security class that morning live that ends at noon and yes people pay me for my knowledge thanks

http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

Absolutely. You can actually sign up to this one and get that.

http://www.wiredadvisor.com/about Stephanie Sammons

Chris, I think it’s about conditioning your audience and you’re really doing a good job of that. You’re offering various programs at attractive price points in addition to delivering value-added free insights as you always have. I’d much rather invest $47 with you, someone I’ve come to trust in this space, to learn about a topic than spend 250 hours researching it myself! That would be much more costly due to the value of my time.
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http://jeffhurtblog.com Anonymous

What’s interesting to me is that the naysayers are not here engaging in conversations with you about their disagreements. They are just +1 and sharing their negative reactions with their followers. They don’t really want to have a conversation about it. They just want to point fingers and discredit you.

That’s really beneficial to all of us…right? Instead of offering constructive criticism, let’s create social media rage. I say, “They can get help for that. Put that negative energy into something constructive!’

You’ve spent hours learning Google+ and other networks. You’re thinking ahead and how it’s beneficial for business. Seems to me that’s worth paying someone for, regardless how upset the social media naysayers get!

http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

I have lots of naysayers who just like to go “Yeah! Bad Chris!” without a lot of detail. It doesn’t matter to me.

Anonymous

I think given your post yesterday we all know this statement is not true. Since you did not have the courage to open comments there, you will receive mine here:

The fact that Google has asked the business community to wait says volumes. The fact that you will not wait in order to make a quick buck speaks louder than one can hear. You can justify yourself until the end of time, but these two facts will always be the ones that you will be analyzed about and judged ethically.

I have been a big fan of yours in the past. I am open to being one in the future, but the current path of selling something new every week is not the Chris Brogan I admire, nor is he the one I can recommend to my network. Further, when you cross the line like this, I feel compelled to warn my network off, Chris. That’s life doing business publicly.

I wish you well. That is sincere. I still think you have great capacity to do do fantastic things.

http://spinsucks.com Gini Dietrich

I’ll voice my reason here. I absolutely think Chris (and anyone else) can and should make money teaching people how to use tools. That’s not the issue (at least not for me). The issue is Google+ is 24 days old. It’s still in beta. It’s not open to everyone. And businesses can’t be on there yet. Let’s let the dust settle, figure out its value, and THEN charge people to learn the shortcuts we’ve spent our time curating.

http://www.mkronline.com/ Michael Robinson

Tell that to a corporate social media person being hounded by management to figure out G+ and set up a presence on it. They’re probably the target market for this, not folks who have been on it long enough to not need this.

http://spinsucks.com Gini Dietrich

You know, that’s a good point. If it were me, I’d tell my bosses it’d been less than a month and to chill out. But then again, that’s why I own my own business. I’d probably be fired for saying that.
http://spinsucks.com Gini Dietrich

You know, that’s a good point. If it were me, I’d tell my bosses it’d been less than a month and to chill out. But then again, that’s why I own my own business. I’d probably be fired for saying that.

http://twitter.com/blogworld BlogWorld Expo

So exactly what is the proper time period before someone should offer any paid instruction for Google + or any other social service Gini?

2 months? 6 months? The day you decide?

10 million people are already in this network. In limited Beta! It took me over a week just to freaking get in despite invites from dozens of people.

I am sorry but you are way off base. Although there are many who claim to be thought leaders very few actually are when it comes to social media. Chris is one of those thought leaders. I remember when Chris told me Twitter was going to be a very big deal. It took me about a year to agree with him. Guy Kawasaki told me it took him 6 months to figure Twitter out. Chris was there long before people like John Battelle and Tim O’reilly.

Excluding me that’s a pretty damn impressive group of very big brains that Chris was way ahead of.

I remember when Chris said “putting your logo instead of your face on your twitter avatar is dumb”, it took me another 6 months to see it the same way. You will notice my face is in the avatar along with our logo now. Something that may have never happened without Chris’ wisdom.

Don’t you think it would have been more fair to actually view the webinar and then judge it on the actual content vs. your preconceived notion of the correct time line to start charging for education?

Within the next month or so dozens of people will be charging for Google + education. The fact that Chris is there first is another indication of his thought leadership and his business sense.

I certainly believe the content will be worth every penny simply because Chris has built a reputation of giving away tons of free valuable wisdom before he ever charges anyone for anything. Why would I suspect him of changing who he was and that he had suddenly become a snake oil salesman?

Until that day comes, which if you knew Chris at all you would know is about as likely as a snowball surviving in hell he has my trust. He has earned it.
http://dannybrown.me Danny Brown

Damn, and there was me thinking people were still entitled to opinions…
http://twitter.com/blogworld BlogWorld Expo

Who said anyone isn’t entitled to an opinion? You are entitled to your wrong opinions 24 hours a day 8).
http://dannybrown.me Danny Brown

Great point. My opinion on conferences was different three months ago, so yes, shows how wrong you can be…
http://spinsucks.com Gini Dietrich

Hey Rick! Thanks for the thoughtful comment! At no time have I said Chris doesn’t know what he’s talking about or that he shouldn’t be making money from the things he’s learned, in order to help educate people. I agree he’s been a thought leader in many ways and there are many, many people who respect his opinion a ton.

My only qualm is that it’s now been 26 days of Google+ and it feels very opportunistic to ask people to pay for a seminar that teaches them how to use it when no one, not even Google knows what it’s going to do. In the past two days, people’s comments have opened my mind to the idea that people just need help learning how to create their circles – something I hadn’t considered when I wrote the blog post.

That said, I still think it’s too early for anyone, incluing Chris, Scoble, Kawasaki, or Rubel to say what Google+ is going to do or if it’s going to have a bigger application for business strategy. Personally, I think Google finally got it right, but until my clients can get in there with their customers and prospects, it’s too early to tell.

We clearly have differing opinions about more than just this topic, but that’s the beauty of being Americans. We can also have differing political and religious views and still respect one another.
http://twitter.com/blogworld BlogWorld Expo

I think without having any knowledge of the actual content, you are being unfair by casting doubt on another person’s ethics. At the very least it is poor analysis.

And I would still like to have that phone call with you Gini 8).
Anonymous

Howard: I think your comments are misguided, and frankly, biased given that Chris was just your keynote speaker. The truth here is until Chris has any knowledge about what Google+ is going to offer from a business perspective, he is being unfair to those he selling this webinar to because at least half of it will need to be tossed in less than a few months.

Also, BlogWorld can stand for some more editorial discretion in its content and remarks. It already has a reputation for being an insider’s conference, and this kind of commenting doesn’t help.
http://rizzn.com Mark ‘Rizzn’ Hopkins

Or perhaps the reasons he gave in his response are the same ones he chose for having Brogan as a keynoter.
Anonymous

Either way, I still wouldn’t waste my time.
http://rizzn.com Mark ‘Rizzn’ Hopkins

I’m not clear on what your response means. What would you not waste your time with? Chris Brogan or Blog World Expo?
Anonymous

I know your comment is 4 months old but I just wanted to say that I honestly believe there is nothing wrong at all with being opportunistic in business, especially with Chris’ track record/reputation.
Some people may not agree with it but does that mean he shouldn’t have grabbed the opportunity to sell his knowledge to the right people even in limited beta? No it doesn’t.

http://dbthomas.com/blog David B. Thomas

This is absolutely the core point of this entire argument. For a busy corporate social media practitioner who is fielding questions today about Google+ and doesn’t have the time to spend figuring it out, $47 for a two-hour overview is a bargain, both in terms of time and money. I have been that person in two companies and “I don’t know anything yet, let’s wait and see” is not a comfortable answer to give to senior management.

http://www.joshcanhelp.com joshcanhelp

That’s funny because when I read that I thought “wow, $47 for 2 hours of Chris Brogan… not a bad deal”
Anonymous

I just had a reader of mine criticize me for charging $17 for a teleseminar. His angst was based on his impression that I was a “Christian”. And thus I guess that means I should be broke and miserable like many who claim that title. If I had a car dealership I should give cars away or if I owned a restaurant I should display my faith by giving away food. It seems people who resist paying for information have a strong sense of entitlement in many other areas as well. Someone “owes” them everything they desire.

http://twitter.com/affiliatetip Shawn Collins

I need to earn a salary so I can give at church!
http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

What would you tithe? Like Shawn said.

Anonymous

My wife and I discarded the legalistic idea of a tithe years ago. Our giving far exceeds 10% of our income and we don’t care if the need addressed is under the umbrella of a “non-profit” or not. Thus, if a young single mom needs a car and we provide one, or if we help a friend make the rent payment this month, those are not going to be “tax-deductible” donations. Big freakin deal. We’re not trying to impress the IRS; we’re trying to share liberally with our blessings. And selling books, live events, teleseminars and coaching allow us to give to those on their way up. And the “selling” allows our customers to have some skin in the game that motivates them to act on the knowledge received.

http://josephratliff.com/blog JosephRatliff

Heaven forbid you want to sell a bit of information that could provide some valuable insight worth WAY more than $47 right Chris? :)

If you saved someone just an hour of their life trying to figure something out, and they value their time at all, that in and of itself is worth paying for IMO.

The internet is a big sea of information, and yes most is free (although we won’t even get into the fact some free information is totally useless), but if you are curating that information (or providing your own expertise)…it’s the same as going to a chiropractor to relieve a pain in your neck.
http://twitter.com/cstineman Christine Stineman

$47 for 2 hour webinar with an expert is a steal. To the critics, if you are not willing to pay, then how about you just not pay and go on merrily about your business.

Anonymous

were you aware that the webinar seats 1,000 people? yes, Mr Brogans haul off of this stands to be $47,000 for an hour or two of his time (fyi)….lots of personal attention you are gonna get on this puppy!

http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

You’re so good at math, Mark. I applaud your teachers.
http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

You’re so good at math, Mark. I applaud your teachers.
Lisa

That doesn’t mean 1000 will sign up for it. Maybe only one will.
Anonymous

Um, who cares? I smell more sour grapes than principles.
http://rizzn.com Mark ‘Rizzn’ Hopkins

Mark, I would have thought you’d be less opportunistic than this. I’ve been following you for years, and I haven’t seen you this vociferously opposing anyone, let alone Brogan. Is Chris personally affronting you somehow? Judging from your Twitter stream, you’d think he killed your dog.

ConfessionsofaMom

That’s a mighty fine lemonade stand pic featuring my kids. Love your article too! I have trouble with any type of sales or asking people for money. I place a very high value on time and knowledge and have no trouble paying people for their expertise that will save me time (and likely money) in the long run.

http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

No way! Those are your iids? totally cool. : )

David Siteman Garland

Congrats, Chris on the launch.

I think you summed it up best…”Selling isn’t evil. Selling crap might be evil.”

And I might add to that: Selling crap in an evil way is extra evil. And selling good stuff in evil an evil way is also pretty evil.

You of course, do none of that. And that is why you are awesomeness.
Darko L

Congrats, Chris
Al Pittampalli

Nothing happens in our economy, until something is sold. We should thank our lucky stars for selling, it’s what keeps the wheels turning!
Al Pittampalli

Nothing happens in our economy, until something is sold. We should thank our lucky stars for selling, it’s what keeps the wheels turning!
http://uber.la jmacofearth

Of course you can. Whatever on the “oh my gosh, it’s only 24 days old” worriers. If you know social media, and you do, what you have to share for an hour about what you’ve learned on Google+ in the last 24 days, might be of value to many folks. And if you can get $47 from 1,000 people for two hours work, well… Hats of to you. Just because you are a First Mover in this new G+ Training world, it doesn’t mean your evil, or an expert, it just means your engaged. Kudos.

http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

I won’t tell people THERE, but I will tell them on my Owner’s Mind newsletter. : )

http://uber.la jmacofearth

And there you will find me.

http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

I won’t tell people THERE, but I will tell them on my Owner’s Mind newsletter. : )

http://uber.la jmacofearth

Oh, and one more thing, on that other, free network, will you tell us how many tickets you actually sold on Wednesday. I gotta know. Thanks.
http://www.danieldecker.net Daniel Decker

I work with several authors / speakers who struggle with this very thing. They end up leaving a LOT of money and opportunity on the table because they let the minority voice echo too loudly when it comes to their complaints about charging.

Sadly, these “complainers” are the very same people who are almost always the people who will gladly receive but rarely give. They love the free newsletter or blog updates or webinars or whatever else that takes our time to create but have they contributed at all by investing as much as $13 in a book or even some other way? 9 our of 10 times, nope.

We all need to earn a living and when we are in the primary game of information, sharing ours with them, then we have to charge at some point or we’re not practicing the business knowledge that we speak.
http://owengreaves.com/ owengreaves

I’m no where near as popular or accredited as you Chris, but I can tell you that I get killed by your experience everyday. What’s worse, I do it to myself, I teach & preach the Open & Free Business Model here on the West Coast, as you can imagine, people are shocked when I charge for workshops or public speaking. I do plenty, OK more free than I ever get paid for, my wife reminds me of this daily. Go figure.

If charging for products, services and information is suddenly a problem, the entire economic framework that the world operates on, it would simply collapse and we would all starve to death.

Keep on truckin my friend. Owen

http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

Thanks, Owen. I know that it’s a tricky thing. It’s just the reason I’m voicing this in this post. People have some strange opinions about it.

JaniceM

The first thing I thought when I saw $47 was, “OMG, I can get a piece of Chris Brogan’s mind for $47″ and have it to refer back to over and over – where do I sign up? I am not a social media superstar by any means, but I love Twitter. When I started my virtual assistant business, I attended an online webinar (which I paid to attend) and heard Scott Stratten speak about “social currency” and Twitter. That was in 2009. I started to follow him — @Unmarketing — on Twitter. Then I followed those he re-tweeted and commented on, including @ChrisBrogan. When it comes to the “know, like and trust” factor – they had it. I have felt over the last two years that most of what I have learned about engaging with people came from Chris and Scott and from reading their blogs. Their advice has worked for me — I have received several of my best clients from engaging on Twitter. And while they wouldn’t know me from Adam, I look at them at mentors. Actually, I have purchased both of their books, so their willingness to share with me has hopefully paid off for them, too! Keep up the good work, Chris. With this new Google+ site, I’ve missed your ever-presence on Twitter. But I know you’re still there – I found this post, right? :-)

http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

Well thanks. : ) Glad you’re here, Janice.

http://slimviews.blogspot.com Slim Fairview

Two girls in Georgia had their lemonade stand shut down because they didn’t have the necessary licenses and permits.

Here is an opportunity for Chris Brogan to leverage his position and help children at the same time. Help the two sisters sell their story and their Lemonade Recipe on-line.

Now let’s see those officious little bureaucrats try to meddle.

Regards,

Slim
http://220volt.com.ua/Elektromontazhnij-instrument.htm электромонтажный инструмент

I like the new information I got from you.
http://www.willmarlow.com Will Marlow

I’ll chime in on the side of the majority opinion: Chris, you’re doing great work, and you deserve to get paid for it. You give away tons of value for free in this space. I think the issue is solved by setting expectations properly, which you do very well. You make it very clear that you are blogging for business, you aren’t blogging as a hobbyist. Many people get into trouble with customers by promising the world without setting the right expectations for payment, and once payment is brought up, the customer gets bitter…

http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

Thanks, Will.

It’s not like I don’t want people to disagree. I just think they’re usually being quite disingenuous with what and how they’re saying it.

http://raulcolon.net Raul Colon

I will be watching the webinar on Wednesday and I also signed up for the Newsletter being the Brogan Groupie I am..

I think I have to start selling more and giving less for free. Giving to much for free when you have bills to pay that can be poison.

Selling Information

People Buy Knowledge All the Time

Selling Isn’t Evil

A New Place to Learn About Building Business

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