Sell More Lead More Build Trust

What is the benefit from building trust with someone. What can YOU gain getting people to trust you? Do you think you could sell more if your customers/prospects trusted you? Do you think your employees would be more engaged in your business if they trusted you? There is a lot you can gain by acquiring peoples trust. Lets take a look at trust and how to build it. Listening builds trust and effective communication between two people requires a certain level of trust. It might be a relationship between a manager and an employee, or it may be the relationship between a sales professional and the customer. Regardless the situation, to build trust you must listen. To listen the other person must be speaking. To get them speaking and telling you what you need to hear, you need to be asking the right questions. Remember the more the other person speaks the more trust you build. As it relates to selling there is an old cliché that “Telling is not selling”. The same holds true for effective leadership.

So how do we keep the other party speaking? Effective questions that are well framed to clearly identify a problem or need. This takes practice. Turn this around. Have you ever been in a situation where you were looking to make a big purchase and you asked 1 question about the product or service and the salesperson started spewing forth everything they know about the product? How did that make you feel? Did you trust the person? Probably not. Secondly, they probably did not really address your true need or want because they did not ask questions and did not listen. The person asking the questions has the control. The person asking carefully crafted questions controls the pace of the interaction and by asking the right questions can lead and direct the conversation (sales process or leadership coaching process) in the direction they want.

Additionally, questions demand attention. The average person will speak at about 125 – 150 words per minute. However, we can process information at 500 – 600 words per minute. If you are doing all the talking you are leaving your customer/prospect with ample time to listen to you and formulate objections, or drift away thinking of other things they have going on. Keep them talking and they cannot think of other things. If your questions are crafted logically and sequentially you can lead your prospect right toward the conclusion that your product or service is exactly what they need.  From a leadership perspective, the same holds true with an employee. Asking carefully crafted questions will lead to the employee seeing the solution without you having to “tell” what the solution is.

Remember this. You should never say anything if you can ask it. If you do have to make a statement keep it short 3-5 sentences, and get back to asking questions. The person asking the questions has the control.

About the Author

With more than three decades of experience in all facets of sales management, customer service, business growth, and staff coordination, Certified Business Coach Greg Emslie is a focused professional with the tools to help you grow and manage your business effectively. 

Driven by his ability to implement proven business concepts and help improve teams, Greg affects all areas of the companies he works with, including sales, leadership, profitability, and decision-making. He focuses on improving efficiency and processes for his clients while helping them grow their revenue base. 

Ready to begin finding other ways to make your company more productive? Let’s get the conversation started.  Contact Greg Emslie for a business strategy discussion today!