Stylish manBeing helpful is attractive – why do you think people find heros like Superman and James Bond attractive?  It’s because they’re helpful (ok…maybe that’s not the only reason), but you see where I’m going here.  In part 1 of this article, we discussed how it pays to be helpful in business, and discussed a few simple ways to appear helpful to prospects; but there are many more ways to show your supportive and caring side.

Make life easy for prospects

Here are a few more tactics to try:

Teach them – If you’re like most kitchen and bath dealers and remodelers, you’ve probably come across your fair share of prospects who have absolutely no idea what is involved in a remodel, or whose perceptions are way off due to reality TV shows.  Be a helpful knowledge leader and make it easy for them to learn.  If your company isn’t blogging and offering free educational content to prospects, you’re not excelling in the helpful category.  Not only will blogging and providing informational online resources naturally increase your searchability on the web, but it will also help your prospects learn about the process, materials available, and what to expect.  If they find helpful content on your website, they’ll think you’re pretty awesome.

Go above and beyond – Going above and beyond doesn’t mean stalking your prospects, or being overbearing, but it does mean taking extra steps and thinking outside of the box.  If a prospect downloads a resource from your website, give them some time to review it, and then call to see that they received their resource.  Don’t try to sell them right then and there, but rather, get your helpful foot in the door by answering initial questions they may have.  If a prospect walks into the showroom who isn’t quite ready to get started, offer them a link to your blog and provide them with information that will help them get started.

Be a humanitarian – People like people who do good things; but don’t do this one just to get noticed…do it because you genuinely care and you truly are helpful.  Find a cause that you believe in, and make a difference by helping those who can’t help themselves.

Take steps to spiff up your business in the helpful department, and you’ll shine as a company who really cares about their clients and their community.