How to Be Helpful Even When You're Not Selling

Good Morning. If you've ever sat in a meeting where someone talked about "synergizing cross-functional deliverables to actualize a renewed level of coherence" and thought "this is complete nonsense," good news… You were right. A new Cornell study found that people who are impressed by corporate jargon are actually worse at their jobs and make worse business decisions than everyone else. So the next time someone on your team uses five buzzwords in one sentence, just know they're probably not as smart as they think they are. Now, let's get into today's Follow Up. (:

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You can probably think of someone right now who just seems to know everyone.

They have a connection at every company. Clients refer them business without being asked. And former customers reach out when they switch companies.

This makes them great salespeople. No question.

They have the same CRM, same quota, same territory as you. Yet they have a different result.

The thing that sets them apart is that they're genuinely useful to people, even when there's no deal on the table.

And there's real data to back it up.

Adam Grant, a Wharton professor, studied givers, takers, and matchers across industries and found that salespeople who led with generosity averaged 50% more annual revenue than takers and matchers.

Here's how you can be helpful in ways that actually matter.

The easiest way to be helpful outside of your product is to connect people.

If your prospect mentions they're hiring for a role they can't fill and you know someone who'd be a good fit, make the intro.

If a client is trying to break into a new market, and you have a customer in that space who might be a good fit, send the email.

None of this has anything to do with your quota. But it builds trust, and makes you look like a friend instead of a a sleezyy salesperson.

The data also backs it up. 92% of consumers trust recommendations from people they know more than any other form of advertising.

Keep a running list of what your prospects and clients are working on outside of your deal. This could be things like hiring plans, vendor searches, events they're planning, or even personal things like birthdays, vacations, or sports their kids play.

When you spot a way to be helpful or check in about something they care about, take five minutes and make it happen. It costs you almost nothing, and compounds like crazy.

You talk to dozens of companies every week and see patterns your prospects don't.

Let’s say a competitor just launched a new feature, or an industry trend is shifting, or a company in their space just raised a round. Share that intel freely with them.

Your prospects want to know how similar companies are solving specific problems right now, and you can be the one who tells them.

Cialdini's reciprocity research explains why this will help you sell more.

When someone receives an unexpected, personalized gesture, they feel a pull to return the favor. In his studies, a waiter who brought an extra mint with the check and said, "this is just for you," saw tips increase 23%.

When you do a ‘favor’ for someone, they’ll feel the need to return it.

Being helpful only works if you don't keep score.

The moment your prospect feels like your favor comes with strings attached, the trust is gone. If you help because it's the right thing to do, the deals will follow.

Referred leads close at 25% compared to 9% for cold calls. Referred customers are 24% more profitable and have 16% higher lifetime value.

The reps who earn those referrals are the ones who were helpful six months ago when there was nothing in it for them.

Today’s newsletter was written by Nic Conley