Ok, gripe time. Maybe it will help some folks.

No real gratitude. And seriously, you want me to carve out even more of my time just for you?

I'll get back to that in a minute. Or two.

The lack of social graces these days is appalling. A seller from ebay, whom I bought something from, emailed me and told me to leave him positive feedback. I told him that I liked the product and I would be glad to give him good feedback, but I wanted him to give me feedback first. I was the customer, after all. He said, "No, I don't leave feedback first. You have to." I said, "Whatever happened to the days when the seller thanked the customer for doing business with them?" He never replied. He never left me feedback. Neither did I. This has happened not once, not twice, but multiple times with different sellers.

Or, even more common, you buy a product and they ship it to your house. Maybe you get a packing slip. More often than not, for me anyway, there is absolutely no indication that they appreciate the fact that you gave them some business. I guess they figure we shouldn't gripe too much if the product made it to my house in one piece, despite being drop-kicked by the UPS or Fed Ex guys, and if it worked as advertised. Well, give you a brownie point!

Too many sellers and marketers nowadays think they are doing us a favor and we are privileged to buy their product.

There are those of you who don't care about such things one way or the other. You just accept that people are like that sometimes and you move on. Good for you. I'm moving on also. After I get through.

Far too many marketers simply want to make money. They spend a lifetime and a boat load of money learning everything they can about copywriting and psychology and networking and technology just to learn how to most efficiently squeeze every dime out of their list, or their "target market" or their customers, or whatever they want to call them. I tell you what... express a little heart-felt gratitude and you will gain, and keep, more customers. It does not take split testing or a working knowledge of the 5 greatest copywriting books of all time to know that.

Now that I've rabbit-trailed a little, here's my soup du jour issue: A warrior got in touch with me and wanted some free consult time. She has made quite a lot of posts, the vast majority of which are questions that she asks. Many warriors have stepped up to help her. She never actually helps anybody else. That's ok, though. I am not complaining about that, per se. I've often asked for help myself.

But then she wanted to schedule some telephone time so I could give her some additional consulting advice. One-on-one. She spent the entire paragraph talking about herself, what she does, where she wants to go, the kind of business she wants to run. Maybe I am selfish, but I don't care! I don't care what you used to do for a living. I don't care what you want to do in the future. I don't care that you cannot make up your mind about which direction to go, or why you don't follow the advice that a hundred other warriors have already given you.

Eternity is not my free line limit.

I am not a lonely man. I am not waiting by the phone just for someone like you to give my life meaning. I have a life. And a wife. And grandchildren. And a business. Don't try to push my free line like a two-year-old throwing a tantrum. I have helped you plenty already and without any show of appreciation. Time is money. $500 per hour (you pay up front) and THEN we'll talk. I will then feel appreciated. I will then feel like my advice actually means anything. We'll talk as long as you want.

I write this for the benefit of those who might be inclined to try to take advantage of those of us who are willing to help others: Don't take it for granted. At some point we close the doors. Start by showing some appreciation for what you already get, especially considering that we owe you nothing anyway.

So, boys and girls, if you want somebody to help you, here or anywhere else, do ask, but then be grateful. If you are a warrior and you like their comment or advice, hit the thanks button. I promise it won't take much out of you. Way less than one calorie and minimal effort. A neuron or two is all it takes. And it does mean something to most people. And then, don't try to track them down to squeeze even more help out of them without offering something to them in return. Don't be a parasite.

Ron