B2B Sales Trust Mandate - Business Development Effectiveness

The B2B Sales Mandate, video and text versions...

Number 1 Sales Challenge for 2023: Trying to Build Trust Virtually - Hubspot

Edelman have studied trust for more than?20 years ?and I share there belief that

Trust is the ultimate currency... For a business, especially, lasting trust is the strongest insurance against competitive disruption, the antidote to indifference, and the best path to continued growth"

Sales pros MUST not think in terms of intensifying FUD

Traditionally, banging home “FUD” — fear, uncertainty, and doubt — has been used by sales pros to tap into the customer’s fear of missing out.

To Attract And Retain Buyers, B2B Leaders Must Understand How Trust And Risk Drive Decision-Making?Forrester

Today sales success is more about instilling trust than ever.

Further stressing buyers through the FUD limbic brain levers is the wrong move

We are already at unworkable and unhealthy levels of these, and your role should be about removing FUD, not adding to

'Vicious cycle of distrust' -?Edelman ’s 20-year Trust Barometer Study

To achieve any change, you need to move fast... before something else comes up, before someone else takes over the DMU...

It is more about leveraging that “trusted adviser” status so many have been self-proclaiming for so many years to make a credible recommendation for change... especially if you are 100% remote selling and so lack the easy relationship win of F2F client time.

Top performers are more likely to report being seen as “an expert in your field (51% of top performers vs. 37% of others).

They are less likely to be seen as a vendor (8% of top performers, vs. 24% of others)

or as a salesperson (7% of top performers vs. 20% of others)

Sales Insights Labs

Buyers / problem solvers truly need consultative, business savvy, and trustworthy advice today…?and despite self-service and more of the buyer journey being self-directed

83% of B2B buyers want to engage with a trusted advisor -?Salesforce ?Data 2022

This is not new, but today you really must prioritise the seller experience and coaching, while in the good old days of 2018 Salesforce's Connected Consumer Report it was a strong 'nice to have'.

for 84% of business buyers, trust is a critical factor in choosing vendors

78% of business buyers seek salespeople that act as trusted advisors with knowledge of their needs and industry\

And in fact in the 4th Salesforce State of Sales Edition where 6k sales pros where surveyed...

And this is why I believe enlightened leaders are thinking deeply about trust today e.g.?Manny Medina , CEO of?Outreach ?in this?post

BUT Even before the pandemic when it was far easier to sell for most, before failure to hit target really enhanced commission breath...

Sales professionals were already among the least trustworthy.

and engendered mostly negative associations

People are never more sensitive to selfishness than during a crisis?Steli Efti

According to Bravado data: whopping 73% of sales reps missed quota in Q3. What did those 27% who hit target do differently?

Change messaging to match the moment - We talk a lot about empathy in sales. But most reps have no idea what that means. The ones who do are leaving the rest in the dust?Sahil Mansuri

It does not surprise me at all that companies that are winning despite their categories failing

23% of high-growth B2B companies (of more than 1,000 employees and >20% annual revenue growth) plan to increase their reputation program budget by 10% or more?Forrester’s 2022 B2B Marketing Survey

Not only do they plan to invest in brand but also in brand purpose, as this creates trust at an organisational level.

Brands with purpose innately?create trust ?because they activate care outside of things like sales — they commit to a cause that benefits all.

So how do you build trust ethically?

First you must be able to measure trust... Julia Ewert (MBA, FAIM) 's formula rings true to me

TRUST =?(Credibility + Reliability + Intimacy) / Self-Orientation

Then you should review and sharpen your EQ & Soft Skills

Emotional connection… relationships cut through noise and overwhelm -?Aaron Ross ??

You have to be authentic if you want to connect with customers.

Focus on genuine communication - Tiffani Bova, Chief Growth Evangelist, Salesforce

How? I’d say you need guardrails for your team.

What do you want them to do and not want them to do?

How should they communicate in a way that’s both genuine and effective... simple answer pick up the phone, and stop[ hiding behind email sequences that everyone assumes in wake of CGT-3 are just AI generated automations.

See “Methods and Advantages of Empathetic Selling”