Selling Advice Online
photo credit: Joshua Rappeneker
More and more people are offering their skills online by providing expert advice or performing specific tasks for a fee. The WSJ has more about this interesting new idea and trend:
Teresa Estes, a licensed mental-health counselor, watched as business at her private practice dwindled last year. Then the single mother turned to her keyboard to boost her income.
Ms. Estes applied to become an “expert” on (this language is not supported, see … for more info), a Web site where clients pay for online chat time with professionals and advisers of all stripes. For $1.89 a minute — a rate she set — the 39-year-old from Marianna, Fla., dispenses advice to clients around the globe. She spends about four hours a day logged on to the service, often at night, when her daughter has gone to bed.
Jaclyn on March 6th, 2009 12:46 pm
That sounds like a very interesting business. however, i don’t know if too many people would be too thrilled about paying that price per minute. to me that seem’s a little steep. i mean…a lot of public organization’s offer free advice, or a half hour or more consultation for a lower price then what that $1.89 would add up to had the person talked for a half hour.
Cassy on March 7th, 2009 5:35 am
paying someone just to get advices or point of view is not reasonable. We can always talk to someone whom we know if we seek for a great advice and you can have it for free. To pay someone just to seek advice is somewhat like wasting your money and time.
Dawn on March 7th, 2009 8:00 am
how do you report your earnings — W-2 ?
this is a serious “Q” as I am starting a business and I am not sure I believe my CPA
Innocent on March 9th, 2009 6:29 am
make me a marketer
Ste_G on May 1st, 2009 7:28 am
Something by way of a initial first 30mins free, type of consultalncy presumably would be prefferable for both parties to establish that they are suitable to each other, otherwise it could be a blind leap of faith for the customer even if qulaifications were claimed to be held by the consultant.
I myself am writing a self help plan based on my own successful experiences with the medical condition ‘Rosacea’ and I’m wondering if I could reasonably ask a fee? Or maybe a donation but I’m curious about what sort of fee is fair? Or if the information could also be resold by others if I don’t copyrigt properly (I’m hoping to raise funds to start up a forum on a semi-professional basis). Which is why i’m interested in the area of selling expertise online.
Leave a Reply