The Importance of Trust – 4 Ways to Earn It

When you are in Sales or Marketing, you’ll need to earn the trust of your prospective customers. So whether you’re trying to do lead generation marketing or sales lead generation, you’ll need to build trust.

So how do you do it? How can you earn trust to make your lead generation programs work better and fill sales with quality sales leads?

Here are four tips for you.

1. A Promise Made is a Promise Kept
   This is one of my favorites. If I say I’ll call you at 4pm on Tuesday, I call at 4:00pm on Tuesday. It amazes me how many people miss this. Dependability is key.
2. Prompt response
   The data shows that a quick response. Here’s a quote from a blog article at BuyerZone.
   “After analyzing several million leads we found that speed-to-call was the single largest driver of lead conversion in the first 2 minutes after the lead was generated. Companies who were responding to their leads within one minute of receipt were able to achieve 391% improvement! Now of course achieving this extremely quick contact rate on a consistent basis could be a daunting task if not equipped with the right tools, but even if you miss the critical “2 minute window,” your chances of conversion increase by an average of 62% if called within 30 minutes, and 36% if called within the first hour. “
3. Listen more than you talk
   Trust is earned by being a good listener. So ask good open-ended questions and then shut up and listen. Here are some good questions to give your prospect a chance to open up.
   “What do you mean?”
   “Let me make sure I understand you.”
   “You said X and Y are important. How do those help ensure your success?”
4. Differentiate yourself
   Differentiation is found not just in what you deliver your product or service but in how you deliver. Here are some steps you can take to differentiate yourself and your solution:

• Create a customized value proposition based on your prospect’s specific needs and priorities.
• Do a competitive analysis so you are familiar with your competitor’s product or service, and their strengths and weaknesses.
• Set yourself apart from the competition by building relationships with your prospects, even those that aren’t ready to buy yet.
• Be a business advisor, not an order taker. Bring value to the table.
• Present your solutions in person instead of simply faxing or emailing your quote and waiting for a response.

We hope these four tips help you have a more successful year in 2011.

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