Welcome to this month's Trust Triangle Selling newsletter.
This newsletter was written in response to a question from a recent TTS workshop. An attendee asked, "can you provide some specific ways to gain trust with a client so we can climb the left side of the Trust Triangle?"
Let me know what you think,
Dan
First National Bank of Trust
Are you making Deposits or Withdrawals?
12 Steps To Earn Trust
Given the precarious nature of the nation's current economic state, investment firms and banks are suffering dramatically. Just as banks represent the foundation of our economy, trust constitutes the foundation of Trust Triangle Selling. The analogy of a bank can apply to the fundamentals of TTS. Consider your transactions at the bank similar to your effort to gain trust so that you can climb the left side of the Trust Triangle. As you conduct your 'banking' business with each of your clients, the question is, are you making deposits or withdrawals from the First National Bank of Trust?
Here are 12 ways to increase the amount and frequency of your 'deposits'.
1. Empathize - Demonstrate genuine concern for your clients' personal and professional welfare. An effective way to make a healthy deposit into your trust account is to verbalize the empathy you feel for your customers.
Example: "I noticed that there are a few people outside your office waiting to talk with you. Today may not be a great time for us to review this topic. Why don't we reschedule our discussion for tomorrow?"
2. Be an Attentive Listener - Encourage your client to speak freely. Listen intently and seek clarification often. Think before you speak. Ask yourself if you have earned the right to provide an answer.
Example: "I want to be sure I really understand the key challenges you just shared with me. You mentioned that... "
3. Articulate a Shared Agenda - Are you and your clients in the same boat, and are you paddling in the same direction? Do you both understand the goal of the project?
Example: "Great, sounds like we're both on the same page. Your goal is to be up and running with your new widget before the start of the new year, correct?"
4. Broaden your Areas of Expertise - Average reps know the bells, whistles, speeds and feeds of their product or solution. Superstars understand that this knowledge is not enough. You must become an expert on the other issues a client faces while utilizing your product or service.
Example: If you are selling homes you should be able to advise clients on moving companies, local physicians, schools, and community services. If you are selling computers you should also be able to advise clients on internet connectivity, printers, data storage, surge protection, and software. In the B2B world you need expertise in many areas, including your solution's features and benefits as well as industry trends. In addition, you need to communicate how your solution will specifically help your client increase sales, reduce costs, increase productivity, improve quality or improve safety. The more you can assist your client in quantifying the long-term business impact of your solution, the brighter your star shines.
5. Ask Great Questions One of the best ways to make a "trust deposit" is to ask powerful and well researched questions (see the June TTS newsletter). As Charles H. Green said, "More trust is earned through problem definition than through problem resolution."
Example: You may say to your client, "If I were selling for your competition, I would have have you in my sight and would be emphasizing your problems with customer service. What is your plan for counterattack?" Or, "My research revealed that your Board announced a major initiative to significantly improve quality. That places quite a bit of pressure on your team to come up with strategies to deliver on that goal. How do you plan to address that challenge?
6. Help Them To Buy! Once I have determined that my client is going to make a well-advised investment, I help devise a sound, world class buying process. I call this process: "3-D", which stands for Discover, Document and Drive the buying process (See Chapter Three of Building Trust, Growing Sales).
7. Help Them To NOT Buy! I know, you may think this is outrageous, but I frequently tried to help my clients avoid an investment. Yes, that's right, I helped them to not buy. Stay tuned for the November TTS newsletter where I will discuss this powerful approach in detail.
8. Start The Project BEFORE You Get Hired - Give Away Ideas - Provide a Sample - Don't wait to be hired! The best way for clients to see what you can do for them is to take the initiative.
Example: You have been asked to make a major presentation to highlight your product/service to a well qualified client (BMPCC, Chapter 4 of Building Trust, Growing Sales). Three other vendors will be presenting the same day. We'll call this a "fashion show". Let the other vendors show off their spring wardrobe with their cookie cutter, one-size-fits-all standard presentation. You use the time before the presentation to start the job. Use the assumptive close--assume you just got the job. Show them designs, layouts, action plans, Gantt charts, sample designs and prototypes for their specific project.
9. Follow-Up - FAST! Vince Lombardi said, "If you're on time you're late!"
Example: Your client needs information by next Wednesday. You jump the gun and ensure that your client has it by Tuesday, Lombardi time.
10. Exceed Expectations Let your competition meet expectations with their performances. Instead, you EXCEED expectations.
Example: Your customer expects return phone calls by the next day--you return them the same day. Your customer expects you to deliver an informal presentation on your offering--you provide a highly customized and professional presentation tailored specifically for handling current issues and challenges. After each key meeting with the client he expects nothing--you provide a professional "meeting follow-up letter". After a rare loss, your customer expects nothing--you send a very professional "loss letter" (See Chapter Four, Step 5, Building Trust, Growing Sales).
11. Become the Aspirin! Hunt for pain & headaches (current or potential) by doing your homework and by asking great questions (See BMPCC, COW: Building Trust, Growing Sales). Make it your mission to prevent your customers' headaches.
Example: Your research uncovers that your client does not have the time or manpower to insure the effective delivery of your solution to everyone in the organization. You proactively offer a staging service which permits delivery to each employee based upon specific specifications and requirements.
Example: Your customer asks you to "sharpen your pencil and send over a formal bid". You know that headaches and pain will emerge when four vendors toss detailed bids over the fence. Meanwhile your client struggles to make an apples-to-apples comparison. You advise your client of the impending difficulties/headaches and recommend putting together a pricing process. This process, which includes a generic bid specification and cover letter, ensures that pricing takes place at the appropriate time in the buying process. It also organizes bids for comparison purposes and addresses matters typically deferred, such as service, support, upgrades, training, accessories and financing.
12. Know Your Competition - Never disparage your competition, more appropriately referred to as the "other suppliers". Understand the "trade-offs" of each vendor as well as your own.
Example: Your customer asks you how you differ from your top competitor. Rather than demean your competition you reply: "as you know there is no perfect solution. Each of the offerings you will be considering has tradeoffs. I believe Company A excels at providing 1,2, and 3. They do, however, have tradeoffs related to one of the key investment criteria you shared with me last week."
Hopefully these suggestions will enhance and enlarge your deposits into the Bank of Trust you maintain with each of your clients.
Good Luck, and Close 'Em.
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Daniel Adams
Adams and Associates
532 Walker Road
Hinsdale, IL 60521
630-215-5090
Email: dadams@trusttriangleselling.com
Web: www.trusttriangleselling.com
Copyright � 2007, 2008 Adams & Associates. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Adams & Associates is prohibited and strictly enforced. |
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FOR INSPIRATION:
"If you are on time, you're late!"
Vince Lombardi
"It's not whether you win or lose, it's whether you WIN!"
Trump - The Game
"An overburdened, overstretched executive is the best executive, because he or she doesn't have the time to meddle, to deal in trivia, to bother people."
Jack Welch
"If you are not fired with enthusiasm, you will be fired with enthusiasm"
Vince Lombardi
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