There are vampires in our midst, and creatives, we must learn how to recognize and sort them out. We average more than our fair share of their requests each week. If we had a nickel for each one, we wouldn’t have need of jobs.
Using words and phrases like “review,” “take a look,” “see what you think,” “get your thoughts,” “help me see,” etc., etc., these vampires want to suck our blood, marrow, and expertise. These requests are usually very flattering—”I value your opinion, know you are an expert . . . ” Nice try. At this point, consider that they don’t value anything.
But before you break out your garlic necklace and crucifix, let me remind you of six powerful little words that can ward them off. Without these words, they will haunt you time and again . . . until you realize you’ve just completed a job for free. So here are six words you use in response:
What is your budget and timeline?
Some will immediately realize what they have asked of you, and agree to continue the discussion. These are the ones who do, in fact, value your expertise; they are ones worthy of a continuing conversation. Others, however, will scoff at the very notion, of course they wouldn’t want you to ‘invest’ that sort of time (don’t believe it), and act almost offended that you’d want to be paid for such a tiny favor (don’t buy their offense for a second).
You have no way of knowing if you’ve been haunted by a vampire or not until you use those six little words. Without them, you are vulnerable; with them, you are immediately establishing that this is a business transaction. Do not be afraid to use them—your life and your business depend on it.
Anne Onimus wants to know: How do you ward off vampires?
The Outsource Resource 
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