Trust-Based Selling – An Abbreviated Book Report for At-Work Entrepreneurs
Preface: Trust-based selling is far beyond common processes and laws of selling; it is in a fundamental fashion, the human spirit of selling. Trust-based selling is a people process; it’s about living and working [selling] with a set of core beliefs, values, and principles, gilding trusted behavior.
Trust-Based Selling – Segment II
Why should buyers easily trust sellers? Sellers objectives have one purpose often — to get a sale. Therefore, sellers most often do not have the buyers interest at heart. Trust-based selling is built on a foundation of true customer focus, collaboration, transparency, and a far sighted perspective. You cannot use trust as selling tactic, solely. Your customers are smart; they can see rather quickly whether sellers are wearing self-centered shades in the conversation, and they know intuitively, even if they can’t point to what’s wrong – that a seller usually cannot be trusted.
Trust is no easy matter because it based on beliefs and principles, not on techniques or processes. Trusted based selling is behavioral selling. Trust-based selling is matter of living your beliefs, values, and principles to behave in trustworthy manner. This requires consistent principled behavior, not a fabricated façade. [The behavioral selling principle rests well with certain groups of sellers, e.g. Amish business owners intuitively approach selling while living their personal beliefs, values and gilding principles – each day {authors report note}.]
Collaborative approaches to selling are necessary to be successful with trusted based selling. Trusted seller need to pick-up the phone and ask what the buyer wants, and how you can help the buyer. Some sellers fear collaboration, they have too much ego, and can’t share the pie; or they fear lack of knowledge; fear collaboration will help competitors, or result in lower prices. These fears are only in the sellers mind, and not objective marketplace conditions.
A far-sighted perspective makes you willing to make certain investment in relationships, and obtain better data for a higher return on investment. Fear that there will not be an opportunity tomorrow or next year; or that they [the seller] could be taken advantage, i.e. how will I benefit; or fear of not getting the reward right here, right now, because it might not come up again; these are the results of a lack of trust. A lack of trust results in fear.
Transparency builds trust. Secrets breakdown trust. Being transparent and letting buyers into your business, and into your thinking — builds trust. Transparency removes doubt about motives, helps your clients know you’re telling the truth, builds your reputation; and since your flaws and strengths are evident in transparency, people can make sensible judgement about you. Clients reciprocate by being open and above board as you gain credibility.
It is not surprise that not everyone practices transparency. Yet, this is how you build a trusted-based selling relationship. After all, is it prudent to show all your selling cards to those on the other side of the table? Again, this transparency resistance is a result of fear. The courageous seller who doesn’t fear rejection, doesn’t fear losing control of a sale, or doesn’t fear helping competitors, will be perceived as an honest and trustworthy seller – and that my friend, is trust-based selling.
Buyers will trust you not solely on your ability to get things done; because trust-based selling it is not a business process or a business system. It business neutral. Trust-based selling is far beyond common laws of selling, it is essentially the human spirit of selling. Trust-based selling is a people process; it’s about living and working [and selling] with beliefs, values and principles gilding trusted behavior.