I was thinking about yesterday’s post and it struck me that the same rules apply to get referral as it does to gain trust. That’s because just like a sales, you can’t have a referral if the client does ot trust you. Let’s look at developing trust in more detail.
A lack of trust of the sales person by the prospect is one reason why sales don’t close. If prospect does not trust you, they will not buy from you. Period. Knowing that, how do we build trust?
Remember 3 things every time you talk to people: 1) Trust is developed through rapport 2) Trust is built with consistent behavior over time and 3) Trust is an emotional response to some the prospect perceives you are doing – or not doing.
What is rapport? Rapport is simply defined as a feeling of likeness between 2 people. “Do you like me?” and “Do I like you?” If the answer is yes to both questions, we have rapport. If the answer is no, we don’t(and if that is the case, I doubt you are even reading this e-lesson!)
Rapport is a sense of positive feelings towards another person. There is no such thing as negative rapport. You either have it, or you don’t. And because rapport is the one thing you need to have first, before trust, we need to figure out how to get it, and keep it!
Getting and keeping rapport is central to my number 1 imperative for sales success “Be Nice”. You can read more details about this at in our article archive or in the “Secrets of the Top 10%“(tm) e-book offered at WEBLINK in the Engage store. Below is a 10 point summary. Things you can do everyday to consistently show your prospect and client base that you can be trusted.
1) Do what you said you were going to do…every time
2) Complete all tasks fully
3) Show up on time…every time
4) Be gracious, say please and thank you.
5) Smile, even if you don’t feel like it
6) Look people square in the eye when they are talking to you
7) Don’t talk about yourself
8) Give first and give value first
9) Accept responsibility for all your actions, and even some of other people’s actions
10) Be honest
To build a trusting relationship you must be prepared to act consistently in the manner summarized above. Clients and prospects don’t like surprises. They want to count on you for consistently great results. Sure they have high standards. Their work, and often their jobs are at stake for the decisions they make about you and your products. We can’t afford to disappoint.
Remember also that only in high trust relationships 100% of clients reorder without shopping around first. Repeat orders help to decrease transaction time and increase profits. Repeat orders only happen in high trust relationships.
Dedicated to increasing your sales,
Colleen Francis
Toll Free at 1-877-364-2438