a business and life you love, and this is Q&A Tuesday. Yes it is. Today's question comes

from Jessica and Jessica writes:

"Hi, Marie. What are your thoughts about being approached by the competition? I want to be

supportive of other people in my industry but I also get the sense that they're fishing

for info on ways to copy me. I find myself doing things like liking their Facebook page

or sending them a client that might be a better match for them than me with zero reciprocity.

Other times I find myself feeling very cautious about how I answer questions. When I do what

comes naturally, which is to openly share, I end up feeling like I've been had. If I

do what I think I should do as a business person, I end up feeling competitive and guilty.

How do I protect myself while still supporting others in my industry?"

Great question, Jessica. I know I can be tough trying to be figure out who you can really

share things with and who you really need to keep a safe distance from. You're going

to have to use your intuition here and make decisions on a case by case basis, but I will

say from experience there are going to be awesome people in your industry that you can

share your whole life with and all of your business secrets, and then others, not so

much.

Here are three smart ways to deal with your curious competitors, especially when you don't

feel comfortable showing them your goodies.

#1 -- Create a public FAQ.

If you start to get a bunch of the same questions over and over, you should create an FAQ page

on your website that you can direct your competitors to. For example, fashion bloggers do this

all the time and it's really effective. Those guys get bombarded with the same questions

like "what camera do you use and what software do you use to create those cute little collages?"

If you want to be really sassy, you can end the page with something like "if I haven't

answered your question on this page, it's because it's part of my secret business sauce

which I'm sure you can understand."

#2 -- Just say "no."

Most of us forget this fact. We can say "no." If some stranger walks up to you and asks

you for your phone number, you don't have to give it to them. Similarly, if you're out

and about, even if it's an acquaintance and they ask you for your e-mail, you are not

obliged to hand it over. Same thing goes for your business. If someone asks you about sensitive

business information and you do not want to give it to them, pull a Nancy Reagan; just

say "no." Of course you don't have to literally say "no," but you can something like this:

"I actually don't share that information. It's a part of our business that's taken me

a long time and a lot of resources to build."

#3 -- Quid Pro Quo or "This for That"

Ain't nothing wrong with a little exchange of value; you have something they want and

you can trade it for something that you want. Not everything has to be a giveaway. Remember,

it is a business. If you're not sure about how to say it, try this:

"You know, I don't give away that information because it's taken me a long time and a lot

of resources to figure it out -- but if you want to set up a consulting session, my fees

start at X per hour."

One final thing, Jessica. You mentioned that you often do things for competitors and see

zero reciprocity. I want you to remember this and yes, it's a tweetable:

"When helping others, don't look for a reward. If you're looking for a reward, don't help

others."

That was my A to your Q, Jessica. I hope it helps you keep what you know in your kimono.

Now I'd love to hear from you. How do you deal with your curious competitors? Give me

little peek inside your kimono in the comments below.

As always, the best discussions happen after the episode over at MarieForleo.com so go

there and leave a comment now.

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Stay on your game and keep going for your dreams because the world needs that special

gift that only you have. Thank you so much for watching and I'll catch you next time

on MarieTV.