How to build trust with a potential client

A lot of articles will tell you that you need to “build trust” with your customer base as a good lead generation strategy. And you should, to ensure their loyalty to your brand and a guaranteed sale. But how can you build this trust when they are a brand new prospect and you are just another salesperson to them? These tips should help…

1 – Don’t force your solution on a customer

Sometimes your product or business just doesn’t work for a customer AT THAT TIME. Instead of pushing it, be upfront about what your business could offer them now. If they are not interested, ask if there are any adjustments to your product that would make them reconsider using your services. You never know where your business is going to expand in the future, so ask if you can keep them up to date and watch your brand relationship start to grow.

In fact, if you know your solution is not right for them you could recommend an alternative (albeit a less profitable) solution. They will then start to see you as someone they can turn to for expert advice. Which leads us to our next point…

2 – Be an expert in your industry

Consumers now only enter into business relationships with people they consider experts in their industry. It’s not simply enough knowing your product inside and out, you need to know what is happening in your industry. By explaining what is happening and how you differentiate from others, AS WELL AS the benefits they will get from using your business, you start to build up your credibility with the client, which goes hand in hand with trust.

We recommend using content marketing as part of your strategy, this way you can communicate the what where and who through your campaigns at the point of lead nurture.

3 – Share experiences

Sharing an experience bonds a salesperson and prospect together in a way nothing else does. Perhaps you’ve both gone to the same business event, joined the same professional group or you even connect over a demo of your product. Shared experiences allow you to see how the other one works, what their thought processes are and gives you a fundamental way to see if you can work together. After all, consumers now want to feel like their transactions are partnerships in the broadest sense.

4 – Connect on a personal level

Often, business managers will tell you not to talk about personal things. In fact, the weather is about as far as you can stretch. However, you can break the rules here. If you know that creating a personal connection with your prospect is more likely to build up trust then go for it. In fact, you’ll find that the more human and honest you are, the more likely your prospect is to like you.

5 – Be their advisor

If they ask you “what should I do?”, then you’ve won their trust. Now the important part comes in keeping their trust. Make sure that they know exactly what they are signing up for, you can keep all of the promises you made in your sales pitch and that there are no hidden fees or factors they’ll find out later down the line. Then you’ve got a customer for life.