How Not to ask for professional services

A conversation (I use the term loosely) via myspace.

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Some Girl out of the blue emails me- "listen i need to have myself from drinking and ciggs, the other guy said thats possible so where are you located?
Thanks
Becky" (copied as printed, all mis-spellings, etc... are the girl's)

Me - "Yes I'm in Stockbridge. Who are you and what are you talking about?"

SG - "are you a hypnosis person...im becky im looking for someone in this area"

Me - "Yes Becky, I do hypnosis."

SG - "how much do you cost and are there any clients that i can speak to ?"

Me - "Becky,

I'm afraid I'm not taking on any new clients at the moment. My very pregnant wife is due this week and things are very hectic.

I highly recommend Dr. Wesley Anderson at http://www. trance-formations. com/

Best of luck,
Ian"

SG - "oh and you were very rude and very unprofessional see ya"

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Recommendations for anyone seeking professional help from myself or anyone else.

1) Learn to write. Sure, you and your high school friend all text each other 20 times a day but if you can't create a coherent sentence when seeking information from a stranger then you're likely going to be SOL.

2) Don't assume emotion in email. There's no method for truly grasping tone, body language and all the myriad nuances that go into face-to-face communication.

3) If you ask someone for professional services and they recommend another pro, you should probably listen.

Keep Playing,
Ian