Being helpful is an outcome. Intentions don't matter.

Being helpful is not a state of mind for a seller.

It’s an outcome.

You don’t get credit for thinking you’re helpful.

Or trying to be helpful.

Your buyer thinks either you’re helpful or you’re not.

Intentions don’t matter.

It’s binary. Helpful or unhelpful.

If your efforts actually helped them make progress toward making their decision, then you were helpful.

If you actually try to help them, but don’t, you weren’t being helpful.

Intentions don’t matter.

It’s pretty black and white.

If you waste the buyer’s time with pitches, questions and content that don’t actually help them, then you’re being unhelpful.

It doesn’t matter what your intention is. It’s all about the outcome.

It’s the same with responsiveness in sales.

Being responsive in sales doesn’t mean to quickly respond.

If a buyer asks you a question and you get back to them quickly but without a helpful answer, then you weren’t responsive to their questions.

In this situation, you were unresponsive. Speed notwithstanding.

Having good intentions is not enough.

As the aphorism goes, “The road to Hell is paved with good intentions.”