3 Tips For Handling Unsolicited Advice

That suggestion from your buddy/neighbor/relative can be a catalyst; the key is knowing how to plug it in.

I’ve put together three suggestions for handling those suggestions.

1. Hear Them Out

   There’s no reason to shut someone down immediately. By listening to your new advisor, you’re opening your mind to another voice. Outside advice has a ton of potential; the concept of the novice expert has been around for ages because novices don’t carry the burden of experience. You, on the other hand, do.

   Many business owners will have coffee with friends or acquaintences who have no experience in the owners’ field. In this way, they’re actively soliciting advice from people who have no preconceived notions. When I first started in business ownership, my dad would check in periodically just to ask how things were going. Dad’s career path wasn’t the same as mine, and no ad agency accounts were on his resume. But he did spend his working life owning a business and was aware of the pitfalls and triumphs. His check-ins and periodic advice were important, priceless.

2. Ignore it

   You are going to get advice from people who are completely crazy. Picture the craziest person you know, then picture them giving you tips on running things. Sure, everyone has opinions. Some are just not worth listening to. You don’t have to tell them no or the many reasons why it won’t work. There are times when you have to trust your experience and your knowledge of what your business needs. Just thank them and then carry them out of the room.

   My fellow podcaster and business partner (and spouse) Jodie encountered some very ignorable advice while working in radio news in the time before the Internet. The station manager wanted traffic reports—but didn’t want to pay for a police scanner. Imagine Jodie’s…ummmm…surprise when he suggested she fabricate those reports! To her credit, she did NOT follow through with his idea.

   Here’s hoping that most of the ideas you hear won’t be quite so ludicrous.

3. Use What Works

   There will be times when unsolicited advice opens unexpected doors.

   Here’s an example: When my recording studio was still a thing, a friend came up with an idea to use time we hadn’t booked for teaching people how to be an audio engineer. His idea revolved around offering packaged courses for a hands-on learning experience. While that didn’t happen, it encouraged me to look beyond what I was doing toward different use of my resources; it also reinforced my credo to look for creative ideas everywhere.

   There are many nuances to your business that an outsider isn’t privy to. But if you start hearing the same advice from several people, it might be something to look into.

   There’s freedom in unsolicited advice, like business ownership itself. You’re free to do with it what you will.