How To Build Trust In Sales

When you see sales reps retaining the same clients for years and continue to conduct repeat business with them, it’s because of one important thing. They mastered how to build trust in sales.

Sales are built on relationships. The better the relationship, the more likely the prospect is to do business with you. And we’ve all heard this one before: “people buy from those they trust.”

Building trust should be one of the first steps in any sales process. It’s essential to build a long-lasting relationship with a customer.

At the same time, building trust with customers is the key reason for some sales reps to have a brand new client and fast forward that relationship as if they’ve worked together for years.

It’s a skill that, when mastered, will take your sales and business to the next level.

What Is Trust In Sales?

Trust in sales is the customer’s ability to rely on their sales rep, knowing that their best interest is at heart.

When a customer truly believes their sales rep is not selling them something strickly for a commission and their benefit comes first over anything else, that’s when trust is truly formed.

This allows customers to put their guard down and let the sales rep (the professional) do their job.

With that being said, let’s move on and explore the eight essential steps to build trust in sales so you can create long-lasting relationships with your customers.

Eight Ways To Build Trust In Sales

It can be difficult to accurately measure and define, but there are certain behaviors and actions that will almost always create trust. The ability to build trust separates the top sales reps from the mediocre ones.

1) Building rapport with customers.  Just as in any successful relationship, it first begins by simply building rapport with that person. The same concept applies. To build trust with a customer, you first have to create a connection.

2) Get to know your customers. This may seem like an obvious one, but taking the time to learn about your customers is everything in taking your relationship to the next level.

One way of doing this is by Talking less and listening more.  The reason behind this is that your customer believes you’ll act in their best interest if they understand you know what they want.

Take an interest in them as a person and not simply a client. Get to know them on a personal level. Ask how many children/grandchildren they have. Find out their hobbies, favorite sports teams, etc. Anything that will help you connect with them on a personal level.

The more you know about them as a person, the greater chance you have of building trust and a solid relationship.

3) Turn down commissions over their benefit. This is a big one. When you can pass up an easy commission to do what’s best for the customer, they will see that you genuinely have their best interest.

Understand that customers can smell when someone is only trying to make a quick sale, and it’ll work against everything you’re trying to accomplish.

4) Embrace “bad news.” When a bad situation arises, tell your customers immediately. When you boldly jump in front of a terrible situation and tell your customers the problem, they will respect you for it.

Unfortunately, many sales reps are scared to give bad news, but this is the only way for your client to see how you will act and help fix any problems that will come up in the future.

5) Be honest about everything. This goes without saying, but being honest about everything is critical in building trust with customers. From the start of the sale to the very end, you must be honest about everything.

This means being upfront about pricing, product features, and delivery times. If a customer feels like they’re getting the runaround or being lied to, it will damage any chance of trust and a solid relationship.

6) Admit when you’re wrong. This is a hard one for most people, but it’s critical if you want to build trust with customers. If a customer feels like you’re never wrong, they will start to question everything you say.

On the flip side, admitting when you’re wrong will show your customer that you’re human and not some untouchable sales rep that knows everything.

They will appreciate your honesty, and it’ll go a long way in building trust.

7) Value their time. In today’s fast-paced world, time is everything. If you value your customer’s time, they will certainly value yours. This means being punctual for all meetings and appointments, returning phone calls and emails promptly, and not keeping them waiting.

8) Be transparent in everything you do. This is a big one and ties into being honest. Customers want to see what you’re doing and how you’re doing it.

Keep them updated on the progress of their purchase and be available to answer any questions they may have.

Benefits Of Building Trust In Sales

Building trust with your customers is one of the most important things you can do in sales. It will make your job easier, but it’ll also lead to more closed deals and bigger commissions.

Some of the benefits of building trust in sales are:

• High client retention rate
• Repeat business
• Referrals
• Loyalty
• Bigger commissions
• Higher closing rate
• Easier sales process
• Long-term relationships
• Respected by clients
• Building a sustainable business

Disadvantages Of Not Building Trust In Sales

Just as there are many benefits to building trust in sales, there are also many disadvantages to not building trust.

Some of the disadvantages of not building trust in sales are:

• Clients will leave you for someone they can trust
• Low closing rate
• High customer churn
• Missed opportunities
• Loss of business
• High-stress levels
• Harder sales process
• Ongoing struggles

Conclusion

Building trust with customers in sales is the best path to creating a sustainable business, closing more deals, and making sizeable commissions. By sticking with these basic principles, you’ll notice your sales go to the next level.