Trust is a cornerstone on which happy marriages are established. Trust flourishes best when both words and actions converge.
Trust is the critical factor in any business transaction, regardless of whether you order a hamburger at a diner or are selling a multi-million-dollar consultancy service. Zig Ziglar the acclaimed American motivational speaker once said, “If people like, you, they will listen to you, but if they trust you, they will buy from you …”
Commercial relationships based on reciprocal mutual trust last for longer and yield more added value for all parties.
The most valuable aspect of winning your customer’s trust is to first listen to the needs, concerns, and aspirations of the individual customer.
Even though today’s prospects are very knowledgeable, there are many uncertainties and strain when it comes to important, especially when it comes to the purchasing of costly intangible (such as consultancy services) commercial choices.
Through looking with a customer-centric perspective and by focusing your communication and offer on that, trust will grow. Be transparent and don’t be afraid, to be honest, and to openly evaluate your offer against those of your competition so that you can provide the prospect with information about your USP’s without having to tear them down.
Not that long ago, marketers were convinced that B2B clients preferred to do business with the industry leaders. Nowadays, it really doesn’t matter any more how many years your company exists or how tall your office towers are in the financial district of the metropolis. The only exciting thing for the customer is how well your product or service can contribute to resolving their concerns and challenges.
Each client asks two main questions from the very first contact with a possible vendor:
- Can I trust this company and its executive?
- Do I respect the company and the sales representative?
That’s why I’m giving you some tips:
- Listen to what the customer has to say and also to what he has not said.
- Make the discussion more personal without becoming familial.
- Be clear and transparent on your service or product.
- Be consistent.
- Demonstrate your professional expertise, but don’t brag about it.
- Be authentic.
- Don’t skip steps to score fast, try to discover the real drives of the customer.
- Understand that you are not always the customer’s top priority.
- Do as you promise.
- Don’t lose your self-respect! Research has shown that in 65% of all cases, prospects only start sitting down with a salesperson after the decision to buy has been made.
