I like the second pair, but I think I'm partial to black.

Okay, so I just got an unsolicted email from some company saying that they have a client who is trying to get a handle on how universities evaluate their recruitment efforts, and they want my expertise to talk with their client. How do I politely say "what's in it for me?"

How do I politely say "what's in it for me?"

Say you'd love to help and your consulting rate is XXX?

You want it in black, Nora? I think I'd go with the black footbed. So, #2.

I think I'd go with the black footbed. So, #2.

Yes, this. The black footbed also won't show the black imprint of your foot like the brown footbed will.

your consulting rate is XXX?

Vortex charges in porn, pass it on.

Do a longer soft-sell version of:

"I would be more than pleased to help you with that. My hourly rate is ___, with a ___ hour minimum. "

My instinct is not to attach any qualifications or resume/CV. They contacted you: if they want to know more about my feeling is they should ask. But people with more sales experience than I have can refine this.

If you are not sure it is something you want to do even for money, it could be more along the lines of:

"Can you tell me more about your problem? If I decide your problem is an appropriate one for me to help you with, my hourly rates is ______."

Yeah, me too. Which is why I am perplexed as to why I can't pull the trigger on one or the other

the one with the black footbed has two straps at the toe, whereas the one with the brown footbed has only one. I tend to go with a darker footbed because my sweaty feet always make shoes look dirty.

sj - some of us are still waiting for your Eddie Izzard report.

I'm sorry! I over did it walking around Providence that night, and then I completely spaced about posting. The show was great! Eddie Izzard had more energy than anyone I have ever seen. He kept jumping up and down on the stage like a little kid. He made fun of my tiny little home state quite a bit. He read a bunch of things to us from Wikipedia from his iPhone. He said, "You're going to go home and tell people that I read from my iPhone all night."

The disappointments of the night were that he was dressed very Doug Rich and not Dressed to Killl, and I got a little sick of the "God doesn't exist" thing he kept going back to all night. But that's mostly my own bias.

He mocked himself on the fact that the place wasn't sold out, and he kept jumping on this little metal thing at the front of the stage that he couldn't figure out what it was. I think it used to store electric outlets, but he would stop what he was doing in the middle of a sentence to go back and jump up and down on it some more. It was hysterical just trying to follow him from one subject to the other.

He talked for nearly 2 hours straight and then came out for a little encore minute or two. I was amazed that anyone could talk that fast for that long.

Oh, and at 9:40 he said that anyone that has a Neilson box should go home right away and turn on "The Riches". He then repeated that for the rest of the night every few minutes.

the one with the black footbed has two straps at the toe, whereas the one with the brown footbed has only one.

You're right! I can see the difference, now, though I couldn't before. And I like the straps of #1 better.

I am, as usual, no help at all.