The pandemic and lock-down ruins business which needs social contact and close human relationship. For training, coaching and consulting, social contact is essential to business success. During lock-down social contact is impossible and therefor hurt badly. In order to survive during lock-down, consultant provides free business consulting for client hopes that they could get contract after the free service, but found themselves in awkward situation.
Consulting business begins with problem that client face, and the problem might be delegated to consultant only if trust relationship is built between client and consultant. Because of arduous and intense competition, if client shows willingness of contracting, consultant will do whatever to win the potential contract, and even take the risk of free charge service.
Consultant should always be caution about providing free business, without budget and resource, free of charge consulting service puts consultant at dilemma. One problem of free charge consulting is that without investigation, consultant cannot design tailored solution and makes client satisfy. Consultant depends upon social contact and scientific research methodology discover the root course of clients’ problem, without budget and social contact, consultant makes themselves work the way as fortune-teller and damages reliance and credit. Other problem of free service, without contract, there is no way to protect consultant and guarantee the cross-sale contract. If free consulting service solve the problem, client have no obligation to compensate consultant; and if the free service is of no value that damage the reputation and evaluated the service. No matter how hard consultant work on the free work, the results be destined to upset and puzzled both client and consultant.
The dilemma of free charge consulting lies on the nature of the business consulting which is highly customized and must be tailored to client situation. Although difficulty remains during pandemic and lock-down, consultant should devise method and use digital technology to interact with client and find new to run business consulting project during pandemic and lock-down to earn money and help client.