“Trust me, I’m in Sales…”
By Jordan Manalili
We’re sharing the recipe for building a brand that, in turn, builds trust.
.png?w=2400&format=jpg&quality=80)
We’ve all heard the saying: “People buy from those they know, like, and trust.” I find this interesting and thought-provoking because:
- “Trust” is positioned last.
- At the end of the day, it all comes back to your brand.
Trust is at the…end?
Traditionally, businesses use this flow of “know, like, and trust” to bring their prospective buyers from lead to MQL to SQL. In the typical sales cycle you create brand awareness to get them to know you, brand affinity to get them to like you, and then rely on the sales team to get them to trust, and, ultimately buy from you.
With this flow, trust is at the end (red flag!), but is typically the hardest part for sellers to accomplish, as the title “salesperson” doesn’t exactly invoke feelings of trust or happiness. And, in our world of long sales cycles, multiple stakeholders, and reputations being on the line, trust isn’t just the last hurdle, it’s also the biggest one.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. If you want to improve your sales process, or if you want your team to perform better, then I challenge you to move away from the idea of “know, like, and trust” and move towards the notion of creating an experience for your buyer.
Ask yourself this: Am I giving my sales team the ability to create trust-building experiences for their prospects? If you’re thinking, “Yes! They have killer white papers, a great sales deck, and an awesome cold calling script!” then you’re missing the point. Those are tools. Tools alone will not make someone trust you…
The experiences you give them will. And experiences begin and end with trust.
Brand = Trust
Your brand is the crux of the sales experience. Each and every interaction with your brand—online and offline, internal and external, from start to finish—is an essential opportunity to communicate your brand and build the trust experience. And, yes, it’s a massive undertaking to do it right. Here’s Moncur’s recipe for giving your prospects a great branded experience:
- Have a brand that they can trust. Define a core purpose of what, how, and why that resonates with your target audience and sales team on an emotional level. If your sales team doesn’t believe in what you do, how you do it, or why you do it, then they won’t be able to sell it in a way that evokes trust, because it will never matter enough to them!
- Communicate in a way that is trustworthy/credible. This starts with your brand personality, brand voice, and strategic messaging. Clearly define and describe your products/services in a way that is informative or generates value. Speak to your target audience in a way that showcases your expertise or makes them feel like they could turn to you to learn more.
- Create branded experiences that generate and facilitate trust. Make sure your expertise is evident through your website or digital experience. Look at it objectively and ask yourself: Do you look like a company that they can trust, or do you appear outdated, small, run down? Are they able to easily get a hold of you, ask questions, or speak to the right parties when they are thinking of purchasing? And go beyond digital to consider more traditional communications tools, too. Is your trade show booth an exceptional experience? Do the sales materials that your team uses to tie back to your core purpose? Does your sales cycle make them feel like a human being, and not another number in your team’s quota?
If the foundation of your brand is built on trust and experience, then you won’t have to wait till the end of your sales cycle to start making meaningful connections with your prospects. Instead, trust will be felt throughout their experience with your company, and you’ll create new, raving brand ambassadors in every encounter you have with the business partners, referrals, and my personal favorite, friends you make along the way.
So, what questions do you have on this 3-step “recipe,” and how can I help bring clarity to them?