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The Uncommon Truth About Trust in Business

Guest post by: Les Garnas

Article Overview: Trust based selling differentiates you from other sales people selling similar products and services. It often results in larger orders versus competitors who simply get their repeat orders and move on to the next customer. And it gives you added insight into the customer's business and problems. Longer-term, these same customers should become very loyal-especially when asked to switch from your products and services to your competitor's.

The Uncommon Truth About Trust in Business



Achieving high trust selling relationships is more complex than you might think

It used to be that a salesman's timely service, and accurate, on-time order delivery was a good measure of customer relationship value. For many years, this success formula has been enough to build strong relationships and trust. Then, everything changed. Today, consistently good ordering and delivery performance is a basic expectation and not as highly valued by customers as in the past. Computerized ordering and processing, from real-time inventory management, to order input to warehouse delivery, eliminates mistakes and delivery bottle necks-creating accurate, on-time delivery expectations as the new normal.

Over the past fifteen years I have been collecting customer-salesman research studies from around the world and among highly diverse industries about what customers value most from those who sell them products and services. In their businesses accurate, on-time order delivery remain basic expectations, while identifying that customers need additional help from sales people who call on them. What today's customers need most are what I would call salesmen's "challenge attributes" like-"understands my business", "understands my business problems, my perspective, my needs", "cares about my success, and is a creative problem-solver, is pragmatic and insightful". Interestingly, when research respondents were asked how often they receive this kind of involved attention from their sales people-the answer was---"not often".

My interpretation of what this customer-salesman research is saying is this: I need help with my business. It moves too fast for me to do it all alone, and I'm looking for good people to help me who are smart, who have insight and who I can trust to help me stay ahead of my own business and my competitors. The research implies that people whom you may call on every day want you to be able to "go the extra mile" and strive for a high trust selling experience.

Trust based selling differentiates you from other sales people selling similar products and services. It often results in larger orders versus competitors who simply get their repeat orders and move on to the next customer. And it gives you added insight into the customer's business and problems. Longer-term, these same customers should become very loyal-especially when asked to switch from your products and services to your competitor's.

Take a close look at how your own company's high producers operate. They have already achieved a trust based selling relationship with their customers and among some customers high producers have a high trust relationship. These special trust based relationships usually produce larger orders and strong loyalties because of the way they approach customer relationships-perhaps in the very same way the research outlines.

Over a period of several articles, I will share insight with you about what you need to do well to develop the kind of relationship trust that people need and value, and that can differentiate you from your competitors. There are seven (not so simple) principles that help cement trusting relationships. The first one we will discuss next time will be: "To become industry-centered". Although you may have industry connections under your belt already, becoming an industry expert in a field of importance to customers is somewhat different in terms of knowledge and its application. I expect you will learn how to expand what you do now, for a more satisfying result with a bigger payoff.

Stay tuned---

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Article Tags: relationships, sales, trust in in business



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