Have you ever bought anything from someone you didn’t trust? Likely not. Trust is an important issue when it comes to selling. It doesn’t matter what you sell or to whom—business-to-consumer, B2B, or retail sales. Trust is the foundation of virtually every sale.
Despite the importance of trust, many salespeople will stretch the truth, mislead the customer, misrepresent their company, product, or service, and even deliberately lie in order to capture a sale. While dishonesty may work once or twice, you can’t fool all of the people all of the time. You may get one sale, but no single sale is worth sacrificing a reputation for honesty. So how can you earn a person’s trust? Here are three core concepts to try.
1.Do what you say you will do, when you say you will do it. Many salespeople forget this basic fundamental. If you make a promise to a client, keep it. If you say you will do something, make sure you follow through. This, more than anything else, will demonstrate that you are trustworthy and someone they can count on. And in business, that goes a long way.
2. Be on time for your appointments. Regardless of how long you have worked with a particular customer, make sure you show up on time for your meeting. If for some unforeseen reason you are going to be late, call. Your clients are busy—show them that you respect their time.
3.Be yourself. How you behave and interact with your clients and customers should not be “an act.”
These sound like pretty simple concepts. However, I can guarantee that many of your competitors are not executing them on a regular basis, which means that you can gain a competitive edge by using them.
Ultimately, everything you do influences the level of trust you develop with your customers and prospects. Let’s look at a few more examples:
‚Ä¢ Treat clients’ employees, including receptionists and mailroom staff with respect. Many salespeople are rude and treat non-management employees with disdain because they are not involved in the decision-making process. However, behaviour like this seldom goes unnoticed. Regardless of whom you interact with, you should treat them with respect and dignity.
‚Ä¢ The speed with which you respond to clients and prospects is important. If you delay in answering a prospect’s request or question you lose the opportunity to gain their trust. I have experienced this in my own business countless times when I have contacted a company for information and they have been slow in responding. In my mind, if you don’t respond quickly before I am a customer, what will happen once you get my business?
‚Ä¢ Don’t make outlandish claims about your product or service. Even when they know better, many sales people exaggerate the capabilities of their products. In most cases, their intent is completely harmless. However, if your product or service fails to meet your customer’s expectations, anything you tell them in the future will be questioned and they may perceive you as someone who will say anything to capture a sale.
‚Ä¢ Dont push unwanted services. While I’m a believer in capitalizing on every sales opportunity, I believe that it is unethical to try and sell a person something that he or she doesn’t need or want. This approach shows your customer that you are concerned only with getting as many sales as possible. While you may end up selling more, you will also harm your reputation.
‚Ä¢ Listen carefully to your customer. Everyone wants to be heard and one of the easiest ways to earn your customers’ trust is to listen to them. Make eye contact, use body language such as nodding, and summarize what they tell you to ensure understanding.
Trust is as important now as it was two or three decades ago. In fact, it may be even more critical given today’s highly-competitive business world. I recall a sales coach once saying, “The only thing you have is your reputation.” It doesn’t matter what you sell or to whom, if you tarnish your reputation, you will not be as successful as you could be. I also remember hearing someone else say, “If you always tell the truth, you never have to remember what you said.”
Lastly, it’s not always what you say. Actions speak louder than words and people will often judge your trustworthiness by what you do and how you do it. What are you doing to create a high level of trust with your customers and prospects?
