The Know/Like/Trust Factor Explained

As we mentioned in the previous article (https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/dont-build-rolodexbuild-business-relationships-yisroel-h-levovitz-/) , nowadays it is important to position yourself and your business in a way that potential customers learn to know you, like you and trust you.

The question is how to do it?

Below you will find some good pointers to help you in your quest to be known, liked and trusted as the g-to person in your industry.

Consider these points, not from your own perspective, but from the perspective of an outsider looking in. In other words, when those in your network, or those looking to do business with you or become a customer of yours, are looking at you - and to you - and are trying to get to know you, what will they see? How will THEY answer the following questions:

Who is he?

You may know the answer to the age-old question “Who am I?” (or perhaps you too are still struggling with that question, but I digress) but what will people who are first getting to know you going to answer when posed with that question about you?

What is he?

You may know what you do. You may have a witty 30 second elevator pitch in your brain, ready to download to anyone who may ask, but what if you aren’t given that chance and people will be tasked with drawing their own conclusions, what will that conclusion be?

What value can she bring to me?

Of course, you are chock-full of value and you are awesome at what you do and there is simply no reason anyone should turn to anyone else other than you for whatever it is that you do…. Right?

Um, when people look at you, your history, your experience, your endorsements, your profile and anything else that may be surrounding you, what are they seeing? Do they perceive the true value you can offer them? Do they appreciate the value of having you in their circle? Is the value self-evident to the point that they would want to get to know you better and do what it takes to make the relationship flourish?

Who else is in his network?

Who you associate with doesn’t matter, right? Wrong.

The company you keep, the people you allow into your network the clients you accept, the vendors you deal with, all contribute to the “first impression” that people form about you. Look at your network from their perspective and determine if it is a network they will want to be a part of or perhaps there are some warning signs worth studying and adjusting?

When did he start doing what he is doing?

While knowing leads to liking and liking leads to trusting, you cannot totally discount experience. Thus, as people look at you and study your profile and your network, they will want to see some level of experience in your field before deciding to invest in building a business relationship with you.

?If there isn’t enough there for them to trust you professionally, the knowing you and liking you may just not be enough here. So, remember to showcase your experience properly, to ensure that they don’t discount you totally.

Why does she do what he does?

Do you even know the answer to that question? Surprisingly enough, a very large number of people cannot answer this question about themselves. When people are looking at you, they will – consciously or subconsciously – wonder what led you to where you are. Is it an innate passion for this field? Is it a experience that guided you here? Was it the money? Was it by mistake that you ended up here? Make sure you know the answer, as knowing it will help you properly convey it to others and make it make sense to them.

How does he do what he does?

This is not necessarily a technical question, but a much broader question of personality, integrity, creativity, style and many other variables.

You may make it clear in your “bio” what it is that you do, and you may even make it clear why you do it and that you are the go-to person for whatever it is that you do, but there may be so much more that is missing about you.

?Basically, it’s the “What makes him tick” question that people will want to know, and it can often be the make-it-or-break-it factor in their willingness to engage with you.

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As always, there is no one right way or wrong way to do things, and there is no one-size-fits-all method to do anything, especially build business relationships, but consider the aforementioned items, and take them (or leave them) as “food for thought, and hopefully they will help boost your Know/Like/Trust factors and help you build a robust, diverse and effective business network, and THAT my friends is what leads to success.