Have you ever received a cold call from someone trying to sell you something?
Which of these actions characterized your response?
You found an excuse to hang up
You used short words or sentences in response to leading questions
You used delay tactics or told the salesperson you’d call them down the road
You were excited about the call and took proactive steps to learn more
If you are like most people, you probably lean toward a quick disconnect. That’s because behaviors 1-3 are basically kneejerk reactions that display a lack of trust.
Easing Past Apprehension
Sales can be scary – for everyone involved.
When you begin by recognizing this, you gain an immediate advantage. If you want to influence how a person thinks or responds, first you must guide them out of the calm sea of apathy and into riskier waters of decision.
And that requires trust.
So how do you get there? Especially if you’re wooing prospects you might never see face-to-face? Here are three helpful options:
1. Become More Transparent
Transparency simply means making something accessible.
There’s been a shift in marketing, especially as content marketing has gained traction, and your clients expect answers at their fingertips, without a middleman or any layers of hidden information.
Want to get things out in the open?
List prices on your website
(rather than hiding them behind a phone call)
Address uncomfortable or controversial questions upfront
(instead of waiting for prospects to ask)
Invite people into your world
(show prospects the faces and voices of your team: a group of actual humans who have lives and families and who are working hard every day to make your business thrive)
2. Stop Trying to Praise Yourself
Claiming you’re the best or tooting your own horn can make you seem unrelatable.
Instead, do everything you can to provide social proof from previous or current customers, such as
Sending surveys with every order
Using follow-up calls to get feedback on your service
Advertising where and how people can place a review
Creating case studies or testimonial examples around frequently-ordered products
And remember, reviews mean nothing unless you use them! Add them to your sell sheets and brochures. Paste them at the bottom of emails or sales letters. Create an arsenal of testimonials for your marketing team to pull from, and categorize them around pain points or specific buyer personas so they can be used at just the right moment.
3. Provide Assurances
Want to tip people toward a decision?
There are several little things you can do to bolster trust. Here are just three areas you can tweak:
Email Sign-Ups
What’s the biggest reason prospects avoid offering their email address?
Fear of spam. Assure your leads with phrases like, “We hate spam and promise not to spam you.” Or let people know up front how often you intend to communicate.
Account Registration
Doubt or uneasiness can creep in when people are asked to create an account on your website.
To alleviate this, provide assurances about how people can cancel or the benefits they will receive by moving forward.
Affirmation
Sometimes people need a little validation to boost their confidence.
You can do this by adding encouragements to your sign-up or order forms, like: “Thanks for choosing Acme Associates. You’re in good hands!” or, “Over ___ subscriptions filled each week!”
Customers Buy from People They Trust
The economy doesn’t run on money – it runs on trust, and so does your business.
When you’re selling, first focus on building trust with buyers. Then you’ll find people will not only listen to your advice, but they’ll be more willing to take it and to move forward with you.