How To Build Trust With Your Target Audience And Clients

Trust is the only element that can deter a truly great product. Think about it: has there ever been a service you were happy to invest in because it had a significant ROI for you or your business, and yet the trust component was missing? Or, maybe you met someone who offered exactly what you were looking for, but something within you told you not to invest? Trust is the most powerful component to any form of marketing or business transaction. Just as the lack of it can cause you not to work with someone or invest in them, the presence of it can lead you to invest more than you were originally comfortable with, or take a chance on a new product or entrepreneur even without the recommendation of others.?

So, it naturally follows that your ability to build trust with your target audience and prospective clients is what will separate you from the competition and lead to a high conversion rate. There are even books such as “The Speed Of Trust” where Stephen Covey preaches the power of trust consistently. If you look at businesses that are flourishing, trust is the reason they have been able to build such a lucrative business for themselves. Here are four ways on how you can build trust with your own client pool for near-miraculous results.?

1. Offer Value First

When you think about the businesses or entrepreneurs you didn’t trust, what led you not to trust them? Most will say that it felt ‘sleazy,’ or they felt like it was all about making a quick buck. Christina Balles, the sales trainer for Impact School sympathizes with this. “People know when they’re just a dollar sign to you, as opposed to when you personally care about them and their needs. This is what makes the difference and builds a long-term trusting relationship.” To combat the common concern that you solely view your clients or customers as money that can be made, go the extra mile to prove that offering value is your first priority.?

“We do this by consistently providing reliable and quality content, rather than a sales pitch,” explained Balles. “We always post content that is relevant to our industry and informative content that gives us authority in our field. We interact with clients on a regular basis, and always keep a solid and active presence on social media: monitoring our pages for comments, questions or complaints and responding personally to each of them.” Over time, this proves to customers that you’re showing up to offer value, and that you’re willing to help them beyond selling to them.

2. Value Honesty And Transparency?

The other erosion to trust? Making a client feel like you aren’t being totally honest and transparent with them. This can happen when your words and actions don’t line up, or your words tend to contradict themselves. This can be totally accidental or a misunderstanding, but the second a client or customer starts to doubt your honesty, they are significantly less likely to keep purchasing from you.

This is a popular approach that can be done with an air of professionalism, too. For example, Tim Rodland, partner of?MCR Bahamas, swears by the power of being upfront and valuing communication first. “I work by the saying, ‘treat everyone the way you’d treat your family,” he told me. “This always comes back to communication and making each client feel valued. Go above and beyond for each of them, just as you would for your own family. This leads to the successful building of trust every time.”?

3. Be Accessible?

It’s not enough to just post a few times. Your accessibility - especially in this increasingly virtual world - is everything. Accessibility is twofold: your ability to respond to emails and direct messages in a timely fashion, but also how accessible you make yourself to the public. “Especially during COVID, our team started to prioritize being a moderator for clubhouse rooms both free and paid ones,”?Samantha Brown?shared. “They require a lot of planning, but work really well.”?

There’s never been a better time to launch some form of virtual events, where your target audience can get that interactive time with you - especially in a world of perfectly manicured content. People are craving authenticity, and bringing your voice and your time to the venue they consume content offers that while simultaneously building trust.

4. Be Open To Feedback?

Finally, don’t shy away from what you need to hear. A truly trustworthy business owner knows they have room for improvement - no one gets everything right on the first try. Being open to what your customers or clients want, or what you could do better, shows you are humble and willing to put them first. “We solicit feedback from clients regularly,” Daniel Kiani & Nate Petermand of Symba Marketing shared. “This is something we reinforce with our team, too. We want to know what our strengths and weaknesses are, so we know what to work on and where we’re thriving.”?

Asking for feedback regularly is yet another way that you can go above and beyond for your clients, or prospective clients. This, in tandem with prioritizing honesty, offering consistent value, and being wholly accessible will ensure that you gain the trust of whomever you hope to work with, so you can deliver powerful results.

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ABOUT

Stephanie Burns?is the founder of?The Wyld Agency, an amplification and visibility agency focused on building the legacy and personal brands of company founders. With a background in brand building, media buying, strategy and entrepreneurship, Stephanie has wide experience with an eclectic portfolio of industries. After being a contestant on the Wheel of Fortune, Burns used her winnings to launch her previous company,?Chic CEO,?an online resource for over 100k female entrepreneurs. With an MBA in Marketing, she’s also a contributor to Forbes Women and Entrepreneur, as well as featured in notable press outlets like Inc., Fast Company, Wall Street Journal, Fox Business, Amex Open, Cosmo, New York Times, among others.