If I had a dollar for every time someone asked to pick my brain, I would be RICH! Early on in my career I spent countless hours meeting people at Starbucks for them to “pick my brain.” I didn’t want to be rude and it was flattering that they saw me as the expert in marketing. But I would sit and spend 2 hours giving free advice for what? Now, I don’t mind if it was a friend or someone who had helped me out before or even a student getting ready to graduate that was looking for some advice. But everyday people who own businesses want to “pick my brain.” Ok, I’ll just give you 20 years worth of my experience with the right answers for FREE so you can go about your business? Would a primary care physician ever meet with you so you could “pick his or her brain?” No, they would tell you to schedule a consultation and charge you for an office visit.   Learn four things you can do the next time someone says, "Can I pick your brain?"