Best practices for Assists

The Foundation of Successful Assists

Great Assists share common characteristics: they're specific enough to be actionable, valuable enough to motivate participation, and structured enough to produce consistent results. This guide covers the principles and tactics that separate high-performing Assists from those that struggle to gain traction.

Core Principles

1. Clarity Over Cleverness

The best Assists are boring and specific.

❌ Vague: "Help us grow our network" ✅ Clear: "Introduce us to IT Directors at 500+ employee manufacturing companies"

❌ Clever: "Become our talent scout extraordinaire" ✅ Clear: "Refer qualified candidates for our Senior Developer role"

2. Outcome-Focused Rewards

Points should heavily favor results over activity.

❌ Activity-focused: +50 for intro sent, +60 for meeting booked ✅ Outcome-focused: +5 for intro sent, +80 for meeting booked

This alignment ensures teammates focus on quality contributions that drive business results.

3. AI as Assistant, Not Replacement

AI drafts the first version; humans add the personal touch.

The AI message should be:

• Good enough to send if someone's in a hurry
• Easy to personalize with specific details
• Brand-consistent with your company voice

4. Reviewer Quality Control

Use human judgment where it matters most.

• Auto-approve participation: Recording the attempt to help
• Review outcomes: Verifying business results before bonus points
• Manual approval for sensitive content: Brand-critical messaging

Function-Specific Best Practices

Sales Assists

Most Effective Types:

• Warm Intro: Personal introductions to target prospects
• Account Intel: Research on target companies and contacts

Sales Assist Essentials:

Target Profile Specificity: `` ❌ Generic: "Potential customers in tech" ✅ Specific: "IT Directors at 500-2000 employee SaaS companies who manage cloud infrastructure and report to the CTO" ``

Value Proposition Clarity: `` ❌ Feature-focused: "We have the best cloud optimization tool" ✅ Outcome-focused: "We help companies like [similar customer] reduce cloud costs by 30% without impacting performance" ``

Context for Success:

• Include ideal customer examples: "Companies like Slack, Zoom, or Datadog"
• Specify decision-maker level: "VP level or above with budget authority"
• Mention current customers: Social proof builds credibility
• Set conversation goal: "Permission to send a brief overview" vs. "immediate demo request"

Point Structure Best Practices: ``` Conservative Scale: • +5 points: Introduction sent • +30 points: Meeting booked • +80 points: Sales made

Aggressive Scale (high-value deals): • +10 points: Introduction sent • +60 points: Qualified response • +150 points: Meeting booked • +500 points: Deal closed (quarterly bonus) ```

Marketing Assists

Most Effective Types:

• Post Share: Amplifying company content
• Campaign Ideas: Crowdsourcing creative concepts

Marketing Assist Essentials:

Content Brief Structure: `` Campaign: Product Launch for [Product Name] Audience: Mid-market CTOs and engineering leaders Key Message: [Product] reduces deployment time by 70% CTA: Visit our launch page for early access Hashtags: #DevTools #CloudNative #ProductLaunch Avoid: Specific pricing, unverified claims, competitor mentions ``

Platform-Specific Optimization:

• LinkedIn: Professional tone, industry insights, thought leadership
• Twitter/X: Casual tone, trending hashtags, conversational
• Facebook: Personal perspective, visual content, community focus

AI Message Guidelines:

• Brand voice consistency: Define tone (professional, casual, technical)
• Required elements: Disclaimers, hashtags, handles to mention
• Prohibited content: Competitors, unverified claims, sensitive topics
• Character limits: Platform-specific length optimization

Point Structure Best Practices: ``` Engagement-Based: • +5 points: Post shared • +15 points: 30 link clicks

HR Assists

Most Effective Types:

• Talent Referral: Finding candidates for open roles
• Onboarding Buddy: Getting people to sign up for talent onboarding

HR Assist Essentials:

Role Profile Specificity: `` ❌ Generic: "Looking for developers" ✅ Specific: "Senior Full-Stack Developer with 5+ years React/Node.js experience, ideally at B2B SaaS companies with 50-200 employees, comfortable with startup pace" ``

Candidate Sourcing Guidance:

• Where to look: Specific companies, communities, events
• What to avoid: Poaching from direct competitors, candidates in notice periods
• How to approach: Professional introduction vs. casual mention
• What information to gather: Experience level, availability, salary expectations

Point Structure Best Practices: ``` Pipeline-Focused: • +10 points: Candidate referred • +40 points: Candidate applies • +80 points: Candidate passes phone screen • +200 points: Candidate hired

Quality-Focused: • +20 points: Pre-qualified referral (meets basic criteria) • +60 points: Candidate advances to final round • +300 points: Candidate hired and stays 90+ days ```

Ongoing Management

Maintain momentum without overwhelming:

• One active Assist per function to maintain focus
• 2-week minimum duration to allow full participation
• Monthly refresh with new Assists to prevent fatigue
• Seasonal pauses during holidays or busy periods

Business Impact Metrics:

• Outcome conversion rate: Contributions leading to desired results
• Business value generated: Revenue, hires, engagement achieved
• Cost per outcome: Total program cost divided by results
• ROI calculation: Business value vs. total investment

The key to Assist success is starting with clear, specific asks, using AI to reduce friction, and continuously optimizing based on real results. Most successful programs see meaningful business outcomes within their first month of focused execution.