Crossing The Threshold of Trust

Working with a prospective new client who lacks trust based on past experience can be one of the most difficult tasks we tackle in sales. It can be like walking on thin ice. You tread carefully, knowing that any misstep could be the one to crack the surface. The constant tension and caution can make progress slow and fraught with anxiety.

Conversely, engaging with a client where there is mutual trust feels like singing a duet in perfect harmony. Each step in the process aligns seamlessly with the next, creating a positive experience that resonates with both you and your new client. There's a sense of ease and understanding that allows both parties to openly communicate and collaborate, knowing they are in sync.

That bond seems to make everything flow more easily, it feels unforced and more natural rewarding you both with a sense of appreciation and accomplishment.

Those are the moments we seek out every day in our profession.

Whether speaking to an audience, business owners or individual salespeople questions about the most effective way to grow sales volume, revenue and retention are usually the most often asked. My answer for all of these questions is always the same...Learn to build quick trust and everything becomes easier, more efficient and certainly far more profitable.

When clients know that we are here to serve them in the capacity of being their most trusted resource, retention skyrockets. Real, actual people need know they are investing their time, money and other highly-valued resources with an expert who is committed to helping them make the best purchase decision possible for them. That is when they're willing cross over what I call The Threshold of Trust© and feel so confident in us that they never want to do business with anyone or anywhere else.

The next question I normally hear sounds something like, "That makes total sense! What is the best way to accomplish that quickly?"

It will always begin with your philosophy as it relates to our role as a Selling Professional and a deep understanding of the single biggest fear any buyer has in a sales scenario.

"The most pressing concern or flat-out fear any buyer has is making a bad decision or a mistake."

Let's break it all down further. That can come in the form of selecting the wrong product, paying too much, investing in a less expensive option even though it won't satisfy their needs. All of these are real and are at the forefront of a prospect's mind when making a purchase decision in either a B2C or a B2B scenario.

If our guiding principle is to serve our clients, then humility, curiosity and communication skills play an important role. So does transparency and expertise in terms of conversation, collaboration and negotiation. An example of how to tie this all together in a simple statement of intent and purpose with every prospective client, it would sound like this...

"We have a really simple 3-step process designed to gather and share all the information we'll need to help you make the best decision possible...for you! It'll eliminate wasted time, the possibility of buying the wrong product and give you a number of different options to consider in terms of your investment. Let's get started together by going over a few questions."

Those 3 sentences represent transparency, respect for our prospect's time and a smart and efficient plan to serve them. All of that immediately begins to create closure in the gap between us and our clients that I refer to as The Threshold of Trust©.

"People are desperately searching for an expert that is polished, professional and ethical to help them make big, tough, critical and often expensive decisions with them. They are not looking for canned word tracks, manipulative practices or obfuscation when it comes to discussing facts and figures."

Real, actual people just want someone that they can truly trust. Commit to a benevolent philosophy of serving people we become more attractive to prospects. Sharpening our mindset and skillset to be in sync with our prospect's needs, wants, fears and concerns, allows us to more quickly and effectively cross over the Threshold of Trust© and create a client list of loyal advocates who actively tell others about us!

Sandy Cerami is a nationally-recognized Business Development Expert and Speaker. He is the creator of 3STEP SMART SELLING™ & THE 7PILLARS OF KILLER BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT™, the most relatable, people-driven B2C and B2B revenue growth system and strategy in business today. He speaks, teaches and writes about topics ranging from Business Development and Leadership to Recruiting & Retaining Top Talent and Organizational Culture. For more information or to contact Sandy to speak at your next event or on-site with your team, click here for more information!