I'm basically a sales veteran, and what you write is totally true. However, it's ignoring that this conversation didn't start as a sales call. These were acquai

I'm basically a sales veteran, and what you write is totally true. However, it's ignoring that this conversation didn't start as a sales call. These were acquaintances, and the business guy thought he was asking a favor of a 'friend' (however foolishly). If a friend asked me why his car is making a funny noise, I don't quite him my rates.. even though Im also very skilled as a mechanic. If he asked me if I could help him in person change his timing belt, I'd consider. If he asked me to change it at my house while he was off doing other stuff, well.. he better be a good friend and the other stuff better helping his family member deal with cancer. The real question is, was the asker under the impression this is really a 2-3 hour favor, or were they really expecting a weeks worth of help for free? (I've never helped anyone with a task that took 40 hours in my life, and I'm a super helpful person)