Build Trust, Be Transparent [video]

 

Have you ever bought something from someone you didn’t trust? Have you ever felt like you were tricked into buying something, or felt like they hadn’t been honest?

I bet you have. So have I. It sucks. But is it THEIR fault? Or is there more going on?

It’s good to know this: you may feel tricked, but that doesn’t always mean they are intentionally trying to trick you. AT ALL. Something else might be at play here:

1: You may have certain rules or values when it comes to ‘selling’ you stuff, but the other person might have different values. What if they simply don’t know your rules?

2: Cultural or industry differences can have impact on the process.

If you aren’t aware of these differences, you might unintentionally feel offended by someone who wants to serve you, but doesn’t do it ‘your way’ OR you might offend others by unknowingly breaking their rules when YOU try to sell them something.

In essence, we all want our customers feel good with our brand. By making them feel safe, excited, connected, at home, however you wanna call it. They want to feel that they can trust you. Preferably like you as well ;-).

This means you need to create a sales process that embodies this trust. You want to make customers feel you have their best interest at heart – which you do if you’re a genuine entrepreneur with a valuable product. And knowing that you’re sincere, means you NEVER have to doubt yourself when it comes to sales. You might simply want to learn from others to improve it.

Here’s some valuable tips that may help you:

• Know your own values well, and please realize that these are YOUR rules – not necessarily other people’s rules.
• Be aware of the cultural differences and get to know the country you’re doing business with.
• Values or words you use, such as ‘transparency’ or ‘reliability,’ might have different meanings to everyone. Give clear, concrete examples of how you PROVE these values in your actions.
• Make sure the offer you’re giving them is clear: what are they signing up for? What are they getting? Think of sharing details that might be relevant in their decision making. Materials, sizes, event dates, and so on.
• Share the value and results they may book when implementing your product. I always like to emphasize this is a process; you cannot expect results straight away. I manage expectations this way.
• State the price if that’s custom to your industry and country. Personally, I state the price on my salespage, at my event, and I voice the price clearly and confidently during phone calls or during the sales talks. This can be scary, but if you have a few standard prices, please learn how to voice them directly.
• De-personalize the price to avoid discussion. Standardizing prices on a price list or developing packages is a way to avoid discussion. This takes away the ambiguity and increases trust that you’re not bullshitting them.

“Trust is on the rise, because transparency is on the rise.” – Gary Vaynerchuk.

Transparency is key. Your customers deserve clarity. Give it to them and you’ll have customers for life.

 

xx Michelle