Expertise
Most people seeking specialist assistance do so because they value expertise and what comes with it. Expertise offers many benefits and folks who’ve often invested decades into their craft, can deliver knowledge and insight simply unavailable elsewhere.
Get the best advice you can find from Mike, and please, stop quoting forum posts as authorities. Only the guys who actually work, live and breathe this stuff really know what they are doing. Trust them, not random strangers, shills and … biased (sometimes blind) owners. Else you can end up with some very expensive mistakes that … Mike can save you from.
Jon S
Expectation
Expertise is invaluable, but reasonable people don’t front up to doctors and lawyers expecting free time with them. I don’t expect or receive free consultations with my accountant or doctor of over 20 years, so why people expect them from me is a mystery.
Service providers sell a specialist’s time to deliver knowledge and expertise of some kind. Unlike retailers, forums and other non-specialist sources, our advice is informed, independent and free from conflicts of interest, bringing many benefits to those seeking a higher calibre of assistance.
Those expecting my time for free often fail to understand that they’re not the only ones with questions or that these ‘quick questions’ become 15 – 30-minute conversations, dozens of times a week. It’s not possible to sustain such a loss of valuable time from a business perspective, nor would we want to.
Examples
Example 1: ‘G’ sought technical assistance with his valuable Sansui amplifier. He enjoyed my free articles and some advice but when I suggested he purchase time to properly address his follow-up questions, G exploded:
F**k you, I’m not going to pay you for a simple question, that speaks to how miserable you are.
G
I suspect the irony was lost on G.
Example 2: ‘K’ wanted KD-600 turntable advice on top of our free KD-600 articles and several long phone conversations. When I suggested he purchase some discussion time, K threatened that he knew “Someone in the Australian Tax Office”, guaranteeing he’d not receive our help again. In a truly karmic twist and proving how hard it is to find expert advice, K did contact me again wanting help, hoping I’d forgotten. I haven’t!
Example 3: ‘M’ purchased a 30-minute consult he described as “very helpful”, leading to an Accuphase amplifier purchase from Japan. I answered his post-consult questions but they kept coming, so I noted that more consult time would be needed. M flipped saying he’d “paid for 60 minutes”, “only received 20” and that my phone records would prove this.
It’s a shame M didn’t think to check his records because I always give customers more than they pay for and time every call to ensure it. I politely corrected him with proof of his 30-minute purchase and a screenshot of our 34-minute call, plus he’d received 15 extra minutes by email. This was a lesson in integrity and professionalism for M who neither acknowledged fault nor apologised. It shouldn’t have been needed.
The Solution
The entitlement in these examples is a problem, but our redesigned, pre-paid advisory service helps minimise its impact on me. By fairly charging for the time needed to assist people, we minimise time/energy/goodwill-sapping interactions and foster positive, mutually beneficial exchanges with reasonable people, for the most part.
Advice seekers pre-purchase blocks of time tailored to their specific needs, reducing cost and minimising wastage, core values here at Liquid Audio. I assist people who value the information they receive and my time and energy, which makes me happy. Everyone wins!
Your videos and articles are a terrific resource for people who love hi-fi, but don’t know what is good and what is over-hyped and over-priced. I encourage people to support Mike and his business with a small donation as I have. He is truly independent and calls it as he sees it, which is difficult to find these days. Hi-fi magazines are full of glowing reviews, from brands that also advertise with the magazine…
Tony O
