Feb 26, 2010

Get Answers to the Three Biggest Questions from Peak Performance

Three Questions…One Answer

What element is essential for obtaining a client?

What element is essential for retaining a client?

What element, when ignored, will facilitate losing a client?

The answer to all three questions is "Trust."
So, what is "trust" and how do you develop it with prospects and preserve it when they become clients?

Trust is built on three elements: credibility, accessibility, and reliability.
Credibility, whether we are talking about prospects or clients, refers to having a message that’s relevant and demonstrates your understanding of the recipient’s situation. Today’s technology—web sites, blogs, e-mail, white papers, social media, webcasts, webinars, and on-line meetings—has made it easier than ever to get your message in front of a targeted audience. Wasting their time with information that doesn’t help them solve problems or further goals will do little to build trust and can erode the trust that has been established.

Getting your credible message in front of prospects and clients is a wasted effort if you are not accessible to provide information for prospects when requested, or answer questions or resolve problems for clients as they occur. If they can’t "trust" that you’ll be there when they need you, then they won’t trust you.

Reliability, the third element of trust, is an essential ingredient for any relationship. If you make a commitment to a prospect or client…keep it. No excuses. Prospects and clients won’t trust you until they can rely on you to follow up and follow through as promised.

Whether we are talking about prospects and clients or friends, family, and colleagues, trust is an essential ingredient. When present, it can cement a relationship and, when absent, cause it to crumble.



If you want to learn more about sales register for our Break the Rules and Close More Deals workshop on March 31, 2010.