When it comes to sharing knowledge or advice, I often hear people say “I don’t want to give away too much information. I’m jeopardising my sale”. But actually the reverse is true. There is so much information available at your fingertips now, that if you don’t share knowledge, people will just go elsewhere to find it.
An example is the Hello Fresh company that deliver meals in a box, ready measured, ready to cook. The ultimate in convenience, but not ‘convenience food’ – it’s proper, home-cooked food. Having discussed it with some friends who had tried it and raved about it, I went to have a look at the website, expecting it to be limited to some vague ideas of the type of meals you can expect … until you signed up and paid for the service.
But no! There was full disclosure, with recipes and ingredients laid out for all to see. “Wow” I thought. “This is easy – I can just do it myself.” But of course, that takes a bit more effort, and you then realise that you don’t actually have the required spice or herb, or pinch of that special ingredient that brings the dish to life.
So in actual fact, ‘giving away’ their trade secrets helps you see the benefits of signing up to the service. Being open and transparent does the following:
- It can help to build trust
- People can see that you know your stuff
- You start to be seen as a reliable source of information
Done right, you can use sharing to prove that what you offer is worth having.