Trust.
One word.
One very powerful word that can increase both first time and repeat sales to an unlimited degree.
Trust.
What is it? Why is it so important? How do you get it?
Confidence in you from your cutomers, builds relationships and as a result, more sales, and through excellent customer service.
That's the short and sweet of it.
Now, how about a little more meat to it.
What is trust and why is it so important?
Definition: confidence in a person or thing because of the qualities one perceives or seems to perceive in him or it. (Webster's)
The confidence that any visitor or potential customer has about your business, service or product is the foundation of present and future success.
Before any potential customer even enters your site for the first time, there's this underlying feeling of distrust. It's automatic.
Either they're new to the Internet, received a poor product or service from a competitor or have already been scammed a few times.
Your first contact is either in some ad you placed in an ezine, classified, message board, banner, search engine description or some other form of advertising. Was it full of hype or were you honest in what your product or service delivers?
Once that customer enters your site and they don't see what was stated in your ad...........
goodbye, you just lost a sale and probably a lifetime customer.
If you can't be honest in your ad, then you're pobably not going to be with your product or service. So, why should that visitor stick around only to be disappointed or scammed again? Would you?
Do you know what happens when that visitor leaves your site? They email an ezine editor, friend, or leave a nasty little post on a message board about their not so wonderful experience with you, and you're credibility is gone.
How do you build that trust?
Believe it or not, it's not that hard. It does take effort and it's an ongoing process, not something you do once and forget about it.
Be Honest.
The importance of building trust really shows through here. Honesty should be at the front of your mind when you write up your ads and web site copy. Especially when that advertisement includes something free. Don't use free just to get visitors, your trust and credibility takes a hard nose dive when the "freebie" is junk.
Only write exactly what your product or service delivers and leave the hype and exageration out.
Don't Hype
I always skip over the ads that actually promise truckloads of money with little or no effort. Come on.
BIG BOLD HEADLINES are a sure sign of hype to nth degree. Promises that are impossible, like the truckloads of cash, are always a big giveaway. If your product doesn't have it or do it, then don't promise it.
Follow Up
If you've done everything right so far and you are making sales, don't forget about the customer. Follow up with a thank you letter. Add a special bonus that they didn't know about. Ask them if they like your product or service. Ask if there is anything else you can help them with.
Bottom line is, build a relationship without trying to always sell them something. Talk to them, not at them or down to them. Be their friend and actually help them out when they need it, if you can.
Use Testimonials on your site.
When you followed up with your customers and asked if they liked your product, then ask if you can use their comments on your site. Of course, you'll also include their name, email and website address.
Testimonials build enormous instant credibility. If a visitor to your site sees that there are already satisified customers, then you deliver what you say you will and you've kept in touch with that customer. Plus the name and email also keeps the visitor comfortable as they know that they can get in touch with that person to verify what they had to say was, in fact, true.
As you can see, building trust isn't all that hard.
Just be sincere. Be personable. Be available.
If you follow these few rules to help you gain trust and credibility among both your site's visitors and your peers, then you'll gain both lifetime customers of your product and lifetime relationships with some really good people.
About The Author
Randy Lever is the owner of the "Complete Internet Marketing Package", Marketing Profit. Learn the ins and outs of a successful ad campaign. http://www.glimmersmarketing.com/marketingpr ofit
Another key reason why companies suffer from 80/20 performance is... Read More
Many people today simply prefer the convenience of paying by... Read More
I just got off the phone with Susan. She is... Read More
If your letter writing and phone calls have all failed... Read More
Maximizing account penetration is one of the most critical functions... Read More
As you are reading this sales article, read very carefully.... Read More
Do you need help overcoming sales objections? Do you sell... Read More
Microsoft has used this online sales secret to become a... Read More
Increasing Sales by using Coupons. Will it help your business?... Read More
I was in the depths of a major depression. As... Read More
So everyone thought you were crazy when you announced 6... Read More
Last week I got a call from Jose, who was... Read More
This is a quandary not unlike the chicken or the... Read More
Exactly what is CRMThe idea itself is nothing new; its... Read More
Money is the only thing that motivates a salesperson, right?... Read More
Workplace ConflictConflict is an inevitable part of business life and... Read More
In part two we will discuss overcoming objections, which credit... Read More
Are you dog tired because of the way you manage... Read More
As a group of sales trainees took a break from... Read More
If you have a small business and you are looking... Read More
"We're in the relationship business?...airplanes are what we use to... Read More
I recall a heated discussion with a sales director some... Read More
A Highly Conscious Approach To Business Management. For more on... Read More
The old adage in selling has always been, "Find out... Read More
The objective of an incentive is to incite action within... Read More
An effective way to increase your profits and sales is... Read More
The Cash to Cash Cycle Part Three of SeriesWe're sprinting... Read More
I remember moving my family to Argentina as Vice President... Read More
Selling. Cold calls, introductions, interviews, appointments, proposals, referrals, call cycles,... Read More
In the 30-plus years I spent working in advertising and... Read More
This week's article is my response to a question by... Read More
A number of sales "Gurus" have promoted the theory that... Read More
Many sales meetings are boring and a waste of salespeople's... Read More
Are you dog tired because of the way you manage... Read More
How high is your sales trust factor?Is it higher than... Read More
In part two we will discuss overcoming objections, which credit... Read More
One of the most asked questions I get is how... Read More
We all agree one of the most important parts of... Read More
Is lack of sales results, more sales training costs, months... Read More
You're a small company with a good product. You are... Read More
Recently I stumbled across some notes that I had kept... Read More
Many sales meetings are boring and a waste of salespeople's... Read More
A recent study of 2,663 sales organizations by Think Training,... Read More
Question: What do the following have in common?- I spend... Read More
As a group of sales trainees took a break from... Read More
Targeting is the process of selecting high potential customer accounts... Read More
Although I never met the man, I imagine Lou Boudreau... Read More
There are four primary activities that successful salespeople engage in... Read More
About 2 years ago, I participated in a training program... Read More
The objective of an incentive is to incite action within... Read More
Few businesses keep tabs on competitors, yet such knowledge can... Read More
There are really only two types of competitor:1. Obvious2. HiddenThe... Read More
What are you and your company's services and products worth... Read More
I just got off the phone with Susan. She is... Read More
Workplace ConflictConflict is an inevitable part of business life and... Read More
Do you need help overcoming sales objections? Do you sell... Read More
I was in the depths of a major depression. As... Read More
If you really want to secure government contacts at the... Read More
Business executives and sales managers frequently bemoan "80/20" performance on... Read More
Everybody thinks that the businesses will slow down a bit... Read More
Microsoft has used this online sales secret to become a... Read More
Remember in the last message we talked about your directional... Read More
Where is our success? Although there have been improvements, over... Read More
What does it mean to be an "effective executive"? Well... Read More
Your sales are down and leads are rare. The phone's... Read More
In a classic business-to-business print ad from the late 50's... Read More
Sales Management |