Is Instant Expert worth it? Straight answers to six common doubts

Instant Expert is worth it when you can name the experience you need and the decision a conversation should help you make. It finds people and lets you offer to pay them for a call or a reply, and you pay only if someone books or answers. Here are the doubts people raise before trying it.

Are there enough experts on the network?

Your search is not limited to the network: it can also cover people who have not signed up. We find each person's work email and send them your note and the offer, and they decide whether to accept. They don't need an account to book a call or answer.

Describe the experience. "Someone who managed a warehouse software rollout" gives you a more useful search than "a supply-chain expert." You can also bring your own list.

A profile is someone to consider inviting. It does not guarantee we can contact that person or that they will agree to talk.

Doesn't paying attract people who just want the money?

It can, and nothing fixes that completely. Someone can also have useful experience and still want to be paid for their time. (Most people with jobs fit that description.)

Searches start from the profile you describe, so the people you invite are chosen for what they have done, not because they signed up to take paid calls. Check what each person personally did, how recently and at what kind of company, and name that experience in your invitation. On the call, ask them to walk through a real example instead of asking whether they like your idea.

Pay for their time, never for a positive answer. GOV.UK's participant guidance treats incentives as a normal part of research, while recognizing that recruitment affects who takes part.

If you book sales meetings this way, the same applies, with one more limit: nobody can guarantee that a person you pay to talk wants to buy. Treat paid meetings as one go-to-market channel alongside the others. Half an hour with someone who fits your ideal customer is still useful when they are not in the market, because they can tell you what they use now and why they would not switch.

What if some conversations aren't useful?

Some won't be, even with relevant people, so start with a few calls before committing a large budget.

Here is a made-up budget. You spend $5,000 on twenty calls and fifteen help you make a decision. That is about $333 per useful conversation, which could be worth it if it helps you avoid building something nobody needs. It is an example, not a package or a promised result.

An answer you disagree with still counts. Someone explaining why they would not buy your product may save you more time than someone who likes it.

Can I upload people I already want to contact?

Yes. Import contacts accepts a CSV with a name and company, email address or LinkedIn URL for each person. You can also paste email addresses or LinkedIn URLs.

Do I have to schedule a call?

No. You can request a call or an asynchronous reply, and for a reply the recipient chooses text or voice. Calls can be 15, 30, 45 or 60 minutes.

Choose a call for follow-up questions. Choose a reply for one focused answer.

Each request shows its price and its payment and cancellation terms. The terms of service explain the conditions.

What does it cost, and when am I charged?

You set what each person receives, and our fee (20% of what you pay) is added on top: a $100 offer costs you $125, and the person gets the full $100. Everyone comes with a suggested price; you can offer more, or go below it only within a floor tied to it, and never under $5.

Sending places a hold on your card for the priciest person's price, fee included. Each person is charged when they book a call or send their answer, so the most a request can cost is everyone saying yes. Declines and invitations nobody accepts within 7 days cost nothing, and the hold is released. If someone books and doesn't join the call, you get a full refund, our fee included. The how it works page has the rest of the call and refund rules.

Will the people I invite feel spammed?

Every request is a paid invitation that you approve before it goes out, not bulk cold email. Each person gets up to two reminders over the 7 days, and every invitation has a link to stop request emails. Anyone who unsubscribes isn't emailed again, and you can add your own do-not-contact list. We don't return the private email addresses we find.

Is there a reputation system?

Not a comprehensive one, so check each person's relevant experience before inviting them.

For your first request, pick one question and a few people who seem well placed to answer it. Find someone to ask and explain what you would like to discuss.