Why is it with your level of education and valuable experience giving you the capability to deal with some very challenging problems, you still don’t receive the same level of respect they do ?
The advice from these trusted suppliers is certainly not always right, nor is it any more superior than your own which is blindingly obvious when you see the cases of miss diagnosis by doctors, and flunked legal cases. It’s just not fair!
What’s Causing The Trust Gap
Here are some statistics from the guide: “14 Secrets of Sales and Marketing Integration that Maximise Business Development“.
In a survey conducted by the CCB Fast MAP, a panel of 1,287 people whose demographics mirror those of the UK population, where asked to give their views on those in different types of profession.
Almost a third found salespeople slightly more irritating (31 per cent) than marketers (27 per cent), while 17 per cent felt marketers were the more boring of the two (sales people, 15 per cent).
Unfortunately, untrustworthiness was considered to be the second strongest trait in both groups – salespeople 28 per cent, marketers 21 per cent.
None of the seven professions researched scored highly for being “entertaining”; marketers topped the bill with a miserable 6 per cent, trailed by salespeople at 4 per cent – all the rest scored zero.
When panels were asked what the top 10 most hated professions were telemarketers or telesales people and PR professionals appeared most often in the top 10.
Development Dimensions International in their 2007-2008 Global Sales Perceptions Report found that;
- “Snake oil” stereotype persisted. 46% of buyers would not be proud to call themselves a salesperson.
- Increasingly high expectations—which were not being met. 40 per cent said they had higher expectations, and one in five felt that sales expertise has gotten worse.
- Trusted business advisor or just order-taker? Just 54 per cent of buyers said they view their sales contacts as business partners. Only 31 per cent said that “Relationship Building” is a top quality they value in salespeople.
- Who gets the customer during a divorce? Just 43 per cent of buyers feel more loyal to the salesperson than the company.
How Do You Bridge The Trust Gap
This divide can be bridge when you realise that buyers and the trusted sources they turn too don’t know each other any better than you and your market, it’s just that the perception is different.
If you’re still wondering why you don’t command the same level of respect, it’s simple. You’re just not on their “trusted source” radar. The medical and legal professions know a few things about establishing themselves as “go to” sources (even though many of them are charlatans) while the rest of us follow the pied piper down the same old worn path that everybody else is treading.
It should be no surprise to you then that if you’re walking this line, things will not be changing for the better any time soon.
A customer that sees you as the trusted source for helping them with that specific problem will be more likely to buy from you than anybody else. The sooner they find you during that search the more authoritative you appear.
If you’re going to be leading with a sales approach which involves you in cold calling you must change your mind set, so that your approach repositions you as a potentially trustworthy and authoritative source.
On the other hand if you’re leading with marketing and your constantly pitching and promoting or throwing catalogues and brochures at customers then be prepared to be ignored.
Learn to use sales and marketing to build trust.
