Questions

Writing in the "Answers" section may actually reduce the number of consulting calls we get – meaning myself, other experts, and by extension Clarity.fm. The reason is simple: We take time to answer people's questions for free; therefore they often have no incentive to pay for expert advice.

I do think the "Answers" section is a good idea, but it does detract somewhat from the conversion rate. Arguably this section allows experts to introduce themselves and win over callers, but I'm sure many people who post questions here are not really going to pay anybody for a consultation.

My recommendation would be this:

Let Clarity.fm charge people for posting questions in the "Answers" section. Clarity.fm would then hold that payment as a credit toward a consulting call. Even something small such as $10 would filter out people who aren't serious about remunerating experts.

The person would still have that $10 to use toward some call. They might choose 1 of the experts who answered their question. Then again, they might book an appointment with a different expert who didn't answer their question. Maybe somebody in a completely different field with no reference to the question asked. Maybe months later. That's all fine.

This would give experts a better incentive to answer questions. It would also motivate people who ask questions to become real Clarity.fm customers who really book appointments.

$10 is a very small amount, well worth paying for advice – especially considering that multiple experts often respond ... as many as a dozen sometimes.

Clarity.fm might be concerned that charging a fee would deter people from asking questions. Here's an antidote. Sell these "Question Credits" at a discounted rate in bulk – perhaps 5 questions for $25 instead of 1 question for $10. That way, a person who's thinking of asking 1 question once may purchase extra credits and return to ask more questions later. People do like to return to sites to use up their prepaid services, after all. Having these sincere customers – those who actually pay Clarity.fm as opposed to those who never do – asking more of the questions ... that's a good thing.

And if they can't think of extra questions to ask themselves, I'm sure their acquaintances have questions. So allowing credits to be gifted between accounts would also help spread Clarity.fm through people's social circles.

You're welcome.


Answered 8 years ago

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