Channel Coach: Building Trust and Building Sales

We recently prepared and presented an advanced sales seminar which focused on trust-based selling. In selecting materials for this seminar, we highlighted results from a survey conducted by Miller Heiman that singled out lack of trust as the No. 1 reason prospects do not buy from a vendor. In fact, lack of trust was cited by more than 50 percent of respondents as the reason buyers turned down a vendor. In contrast, the second reason given for not selecting a vendor, no need for the service, accounted for only 13 percent of the responses. To extrapolate from these two responses, if a prospect has a need, they will not buy from you if they do not trust you. So how do you gain the trust of prospects, clients, employees and others with whom you do business?

The best way to build trust is to always deliver on promises and commitments. When you tell a client you will follow up on a problem — take ownership and do just that. Communicate status regularly and inform them of the progress you have made on their behalf.

Another way to build trust is to establish ongoing relationships with your clients and prospects. Do not just try to sell your products or services, but take the time to ask about their business. Asking open-ended probing questions such as — what are the challenges they are facing, what are the dynamics of their markets, what would be an ideal solution to help solve their problems — will get the client or prospect to open up and share information and insights that you can use. Then, stop and listen to their answers. Use the 80/20 rule and listen to the client for 80 percent of your call and speak for only 20 percent. Initially that may be hard to do, but you will learn more and let the client know you value what they have to say.

Keep your client in mind — all the time — and let them know you are thinking about them. If you read a blog, online article or newspaper story that may be of interest to a client, prospect or industry group, clip the article or forward the link with a short note about how the information may interest or impact them, whether positively or negatively. This little extra is particularly effective in demonstrating that you are keeping their interests in mind, all of the time. You may even come across a story or an article that will enable you to use a third-party endorsement to support an idea, product or service you already have proposed to the client and they will be more receptive to considering it if you have a history of keeping in touch with them.