We live in a day and age where trust, honesty and respect are more important than ever in a B2B or B2C environment. In a competitive selling environment, converting prospects into actual buyers revolves around trust. If people trust you, they will buy from you. Conversely, if they don’t have confidence in your ability to offer them reliable services or products, they might turn to one of your competitors.
Making your Prospects Happy
Nothing compares to a happy customers eager to buy from you. However, in order to get there from here, you need to establish a personal relationship with your prospects and show them that they can trust you and your company. Once your prospects see that they can trust you, they won’t hesitate to buy from you, because they have confidence that what you have to offer is best for them. The problem is that most people do not like salespeople because the latter either have no respect for the customer or they just want to sell their stuff without creating bridges and connections between them and their prospects. Even though trying to break through this barrier that has already been created between salespersons and potential clients seem like a daunting task, the truth is that you can increase the trust between you and your prospects using certain tips and techniques.
Once the deal is sealed, everyone is happy - you have sold your services or products, and your prospects are now part of your professional team, either as one-time buyers or as lifelong consumers.
Tips on Getting your Prospects Trust you
Here are 6 surefire ways to build trust in your industry:
Even though it seems contrary to your purpose, being totally focused on selling your service will not help you become trustworthy in the eyes of your prospects. On the contrary, it will make them shy away from you. When you meet with a new client, you need to promote your services indirectly. For starters, get to know him in order to establish a personal connection or a bridge with your prospect. People tend to have more confidence in people they know. No one wants to buy a completely new service from a stranger, but one will more than likely acquire a service promoted by a relative or a close friend.
Once you find out what your prospect’s needs and desires are, tell him that you have a solution for him. This solution is one of your company’s services or products. In order to buy from you, your prospect needs to be assured that you care about his needs, and that your offer is going to help him and solve his problem.
According to a survey conducted by Sales.Linkedin.Com (https://sales.linkedin.com/blog/how-b2b-buyers-perceive-sales-professionals/), 59% of prospects reject cold salespeople. In other words, salespersons who are unable to smile and to look happy are less likely to make any sales. Additionally, over 89% of buyers turn away from salespeople who do not have enough insights about their company. If you want to be successful in your B2B sales, you need to be friendly and know all your products and services.
When it comes to B2C sales, salespeople need to spike the interest of their prospects by offering unique products and services that solve the needs of the customer. However, the salesperson still needs to have a positive attitude and to smile frequently.
In order to thrive in your industry and become a successful salesperson, it is imperative to be more than just a salesman in your prospectors’ eyes. Your potential buyers need to see that your interests include helping him and helping your company. Display interest in your prospect’s needs and discuss important details about the market you’re in. For instance, if you sell car parts, talk to your B2B or B2C prospect about the vehicle industry and come up with real statistics that can help you complete the sale. Being a team player is more about interactions and gaining knowledge than by offering advice, so make sure you listen to your prospects and learn from them.
There is no doubt that keeping secrets or hiding certain aspects of your company will undermine your clients’ trust. Hiding things can only damage your brand’s reputation, especially if some of your prospects are knowledgeable enough to know more than they look like. You need to be open with your prospects and present them both the positive aspects and the drawbacks of your company. Of course, you should emphasize the positive aspects. Honesty is the foundation of every strong relationship and the basis of every successful sale.
You need to establish yourself as an authority in your industry. Given that the selling environment is highly competitive, salespeople who know the highest amount of information have an edge over their competition. In addition to knowing a lot of information in your niche, you need to have a complete profile which includes your credentials, testimonials from previous clients, list of previous projects and accomplishments. If you have written articles in your niche or even an eBook, do not forget to briefly mention that at the beginning of the meeting. If your customers realize that they are dealing with an expert, their trust in you will skyrocket.
Lastly, it is imperative to maintain your promises and follow through with your clients. Stay true to your offer and let them enjoy all the benefits you’ve promised. This is a crucial step if you want to build trust. Let’s say that you do not give your customers all the benefits promised, or you simply forget about these promises. If that client that was mistreated by you writes a review in a famous magazine or starts spreading the word about your services, it will be practically impossible to sell anything again to people who come in contact with that unhappy customer. Always follow through with your prospects and help them realize that you are a man of character that keeps his word.