Yesterday I got some free advice from my electrician. We were missing some parts, so he was unable to finish. Since I'm technically inclined, he asked if I preferred to finish the job myself. When I said yes, he outlined the steps.
From a sales perspective, it could be argued that he was giving away business. If I remained ignorant, I'd have to hire him to come back. So why did he share his trade secrets with me instead?
To put it simply, he understood that when it comes to getting business as it tradesperson, the best policy is relationship building. In this case, it was better for the relationship to empower me to help myself. He chose to put the relationship first.
B2B marketers should follow this example. Free advice, appropriately given, is a highly effective relationship builder. If you help people try something on their own, you immediately enter into the trusted advisor role - the valued position that companies work so hard to attain.
Of course, care needs to be taken that you don't over-advise. Had the electrician's advice been beyond my capabilities, I might have gotten frustrated and blamed the messenger. I suppose there could be liability issues as well.
As marketers, however, we can choose the areas where we give advice. We can also, with the help of web technology, determine the kind of advice our prospects are seeking.
Buyers have to determine whether or not they need us. If we recognize this need and help them help themselves in an honest way, they will come to their own natural conclusion. If they are happy with our advice, it will be equally natural for them to engage us when they are ready.
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