What do you say when people ask you for a free reading?

I would post this in Professional Tarot, but alas, I don't have the money to subscribe to that forum.

I am in the process of building a business website to advertise my tarot and rune reading services. In my website I am going to add a category titled "free tarot card readings" and in it, have an article saying why they shouldn't get free tarot readings and why they should pay for them instead. I need to know what exactly to say in the article to get my point across without necessarily sounding rude.

I ask this because I do tarot card readings and rune stone readings for a living. It helps me to pay my bills. This applies to the cheapskate customers who always want something for nothing. Yes they are out there, I know. I just need ideas.

This does not apply to those of you who give free tarot card readings. That is your choice. I choose, however, not to give free tarot card readings because my tarot card and rune stone readings help pay my bills and are my only source of income besides child support.

Please no flaming and please no justifications of "no legit psychic would charge for readings" (I have actually heard that phrase before).

Thanks in Advance!

If it's a friend that is one thing. But if it's from a stranger....I do get notes from strangers sometimes just telling me their question and presuming that I will read for them for free

I just refer them to my web site.

I say that I would be happy to read for them and I would love to have the chance to help them with whatever they would like me to read for them on. But that I do charge for my readings. Then I give them the link to my web site which desribes how it all works.

I have once or twice actually done the reading for free, when I felt really touched by their story and I knew they truly needed me. And I just felt I was meant to. But usually I do as described aboce.

Babs

That's an interesting strategy: someone says 'Will you read for me [for free]?" and you respond warmly, "Here's my website. Click on the tab that says 'Free Readings'" only to lead them straight to a page explaining why you don't do free readings.

If I had decided to use this strategy, I would write this:

Tarot and rune readings are a service like any other and, like other services, can benefit from the effort and experience of a professional. Just as your accountant uses their experience to work on your taxes and a restaurant chef applies his or her skill to provide you with a good meal, you can expect that if you purchase a reading with me, I will expend all the effort, attention, and care necessary to help you work through the problems or questions you bring to the cards or the runes.

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To write more would be needless justification for what is a professional service. People defending their choice to charge for a professional service they provide only makes them appear less than professional.

To that end, personally, I wouldn't even put the above, but you seem to be in search of a non-confrontational way to let people know that they have to pay up if they want a reading, and directing them to a page on your site seems to fit that bill.


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Not a professional reader, but I would consider dealing with the emails asking for free readings as they come, rather than having a blanket statement on your webpage. I don't doubt that there are tons of people out there wanting something for nothing, but having a page about not doing free readings somehow feels off-putting to me. Have you considered drafting a response to those who email you asking for free readings, vs. having a page devoted to it?

Yes, I kind of had the same reaction as Chiriku -- why would you say anything at all about free readings, if you aren't going to offer them? Like... why would it get a special section on your site?

Refer them to your website with your prices, or give them the name of someone who will do it for free. That's how you establish respect and boundaries for yourself with other people and stay focused on your purpose -- to make money.

I want to put a post called "free tarot card reading" because I looked it up in the keyword suggestion tool and its searched for ALOT (like over 4000 times!)

I figured if I post something about it I may actually get thru to someone. It may actually have a customer pay rather than want something for nothing.

jgolden83 said:

I want to put a post called "free tarot card reading" because I looked it up in the keyword suggestion tool and its searched for ALOT (like over 4000 times!)

I figured if I post something about it I may actually get thru to someone. It may actually have a customer pay rather than want something for nothing.

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I agree with you that readings have value and there's nothing wrong with you wanting to be paid for your time and expertise. But people being people, there are always going to be those who want something for nothing. I'm just not sure that having that post on your website will convince the "something for nothing" folks to start paying for quality readings. But it does have the potential to scare off potential customers. Of course, if you're okay with that or if you disagree that it might be off-putting to customers, then that's certainly your choice!

It's kind of like going into a cute boutique that has signs up about how the store is monitored by camera, so shoplifters beware! Or the big signs that inform the customer of the store's policy of "You break it, you buy it." I have no intention of ever shoplifting and I certainly would pay for merchandise if I damaged it, but seeing those signs all over a store makes me feel uneasy and unwelcome. Like I'm an inconvenience and a source of suspicion, lol.

Why address the issue at all? If you're making a business website, just make a list of your prices and let it go at that. If you don't offer free readings, the site will be self-explanatory because you don't give--or even mention---free readings anywhere on the site. If anyone is still audacious enough to request a free reading, just ignore the request or, if you prefer, then give them your written piece why you won't give free readings. I don't see why you should go to the trouble of dealing with something you don't do and that your website won't be even indicating that you might do.

If I were a potential customer who came to your site, saw the title "free readings" and then went there only to see a lecture on why I shouldn't have even thought of a free reading, I think it wouldn't set well with me. You know that anyone is going to click on "free readings" even if they had meant to buy a reading. It's just human nature. To then find that you don't offer free readings after all, when the page title suggested that you do, would just sit wrong with customers, I think. Kind of a bait and switch sort of thing that doesn't smack of straightforward business dealing, you know? Just don't even mention it.

ETA: Oh, and in regard to the question "what do you say when people ask you for a free reading?" my answer is, I usually say yes. Especially if they're a first-time client. I can understand a person wanting a "sample". I also probably would do it if they just couldn't afford to pay. I wouldn't do it, though, for someone who made a habit of asking for free readings who could pay if they wanted to. I've never had anyone try to take advantage of me except when I worked for one of the internet chat lines. The people who request readings at my website sometimes even pay when I've given them a first reading "free", bless them.

I do understand your position, so as I said in the first part of my post, I think the way to make the best impression on your website is just to eliminate any mention of free readings. If it's not there, then you're not likely to get asked, in my experience.

Just personally, if I was browsing a website that had a link for "free readings" which led me to a lecture, I would find it so irritating - and insulting - that I wouldn't ask for a reading at all. Not everyone can afford to pay for readings, counselling, therapies, etc, and to those people this set up would slap them in the face.

I really feel you'd be shooting yourself in the foot by doing this. I agree with the others - just leave it out.

Dawn

As others have said, to see a link up there that says free readings it could certainly be off putting.

I was on a free tarot reading page for a while but got off because, though I had many great customers and respected my guidelines, I had a few that kept coming back a month later asking the same exact question. The irony was that they disregarded my insights the first time around. For circumstances like this, I don't offer free readings or if I do now for practice it's either on here or anonymously with a mentor.

Now what I have seen other successful professionals do that I see as a good thing is to make a blog post about your views on the matter. They could very well find it when they search free readings and then get the idea that it is most ethical to pay for this service just as you do any service and they key reason is: You take it seriously when you pay.