I went to a department store with my wife to get her some clothes and it was easier to steal something without even being noticed than to get any service. We couldn’t get anyone to even acknowledge we were there, even though we were two highly qualified buyers with the intention to buy. We got home and there was a flyer in the mail with that same department store advertising their sale and about how they are committed to great customer satisfaction. No amount of slick advertising and no amount of PR can replace poor service. Service is always senior to selling. Make service senior to selling and you will build trust with your buyers.
You need service and you need purpose
Combine those two and you will be a great salesperson and be a pro at building trust. Ask yourself what 3 things you can do today to demonstrate your willingness to service a customer? Service is senior to selling, and giving is senior to getting. Deliver beyond what your customer asks for and exceed their expectations. Do you know the magic of give, give, give?
Selling is the act of giving. It’s not about getting people sold but servicing them to the sale. Most people are too focused on the commission and what they get out of the deal rather than what they give. If you give enough in life, life will give back. I’m talking about giving attention, energy, service, and the best attitude. Giving is the assurance of more sales. If your client wants one option, give them three. If you really want to make a sale you will need to build trust with the buyer.
One basic way to build trust today with your clients is to readily give them information. Giving information to clients helps build certainty with them. In the past selling was based on understanding the customer’s needs and building trust to close the deal—but today with information available everywhere, your buyer wants third-party sources to give them the certainty of what to purchase and how much to pay.
Here are 8 tips on using information to build trust with your client:
1. Never sell with words, only show documentation.
2. Never negotiate with words, write negotiations down on paper.
3. Never rely on verbal promises, put your assurances on paper.
4. The more DATA the better.
5. Keep your information current.
6. Have written information available and ready to access.
7. Use third party data when possible.
8. Have information accessible in real time.
Using information to build trust is critical. When you give the customer an array of options it shows you have a high level of service. Are you a budget hotel for $40 a night—or are you a Ritz or a Four-Seasons? If most of your customers are beating you to death on price, then your level of service is not obvious to them. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be grinding you on price. They would value your service and be willing to pay you more.
Some of you will still blame the economy, but it’s not that, or the marketplace, or the place you live. Why do some people pay over $500 a night for a hotel room when they can get a room in the same town for $49? They could probably find a hostel for free. The bottom line is that the more you are willing to have a service oriented attitude, the easier it will be to get money.
Service is the only way to less competition, higher profits, and higher prices. You can separate yourself from the entire pack of your competition with just one thing—service. Many salespeople are mentally stuck in the idea that price is the only way to get above the competition, but that’s never the way out. Neither is a better product. Sooner or later someone will knock it off, make something similar or even better. A buyer will pay extra for great service, and providing great service means you must give your buyers information.
Get great at service and get on Cardone University today.
Be great,
GC