Brevity is the Soul of Wit

We recently had a conversation with a Maven who had received an invitation to participate in a Telephone Consultation. The invitation included a few questions that the Client had asked in order to help qualify potential participants before scheduling any calls. This is very common and an important capability that most Maven Clients take advantage of.

The Maven who received the invitation wanted our advice on how best to answer the questions. She was concerned that it might take a long time to write out answers without any guarantee that a Consultation would actually be scheduled. This is a very reasonable concern, so we provided the Maven with the following tips:

1. Answer the question! This should seem obvious, but you’d be surprised how many people write detailed responses to questions without ever answering the question itself. For example, if you are asked “How many times in the last year have you performed maintenance on a Rolls Royce RB211 engine?” and you have done so 11 times, your answer should be “11.” A full technical description of the engine is not necessary.
2. “NA” is not an answer. We can almost guarantee that if you write “NA” as the answer to a question then you will NOT be selected for the Consultation. In fact, if the answer is truly “NA”- i.e. you have no experience with the topic at hand- perhaps you should decline the Consultation or refer someone else instead! If for no other reason, show the Client some courtesy by providing a real answer like “I am not familiar with this” or “I have no recent interaction with this.”
3. Brevity is the Soul of Wit. We are constantly amazed at the quality of the answers Mavens provide to our Clients’ questions. At the same time, we are equally amazed at the size of some answers. We don’t limit the length of your answers, but at the same time nobody expects you to write a book. 1 or 2 short sentences is almost always sufficient to provide the Client with a snapshot of your knowledge and your ability to dive deeper into the topic on a paid Telephone Consultation. Generally speaking, you should spend no more than 1-2 minutes answering each question, and usually much less (15-30 seconds per question is very reasonable).

To summarize, provide short, direct answers to the questions asked. Don’t waste a lot of time going into inordinate detail, as you will be able to do so (and get paid for it!) over the phone with the Client. Your goal should be to use your answers to give a quick snapshot of your knowledge and perspective so that the Client can then decide if you meet their needs.

Oh, and by the way… The Maven who contacted us followed our advice, was selected for the Consultation, and got paid!