People do business with those they Know, Like and Trust.

“Nothing happens until a sale is made”. So said?Thomas Watson Sr., the chairman and CEO of International Business Machines (1914 to 1956). Whether you are promoting products, services, ideas, concepts or understandings, someone has to be convinced to act on any proposal put to them. In essence it has to be sold to them. Since most of us negotiate in some form or another on a daily basis, it follows most of us require sales skills to some degree. In business, you either sell yourself or support someone else who does. It is as simple as that!??Another way of looking at it is, everyone is either selling or unselling. Do a good job and you sell the benefit of your offer.??If someone behind you does a bad job, they un-do (unsell) all the good done you’ve done. Its clear, sales skills play a major role in the development of??every business.

A study in the USA recently revealed a number of critical factors that frequently cause sales people to fail.??Not surprisingly the principal one was that of “bad attitude”.

So, if you wish to drive sales in your organisation, one of the biggest factors worth developing is the attitude to selling. Techniques and skills are of course vital but attitude is the fuel in the tank that drives progress forward. Why is attitude considered to be so important? One standout reason is the fact that rejection is, more often than not, a natural consequence faced by anyone promoting the sale of a product or service.??There are so many sales messages being fired at us all each day via the internet, social media, TV, radio, outdoor posters, leaflet drops, podcasts, you tube videos and texts that we all develop an automatic rejection to sales pitches.??If we didn’t have this resistance, we’d buy everything and be broke. Rejection and objection are factors that must be embraced by all salespeople as prospective customers have a world of product information available to them now via, in-the-pocket, mobile technology, 24/7/365.??

Many years ago, at my first sales training course, I learnt that the following happens to us all.?

• Your emotions effect your thoughts,
• Your thoughts effect your words,
• Your words effect your actions and?
• Your actions effect your results.

So if you want better sales results, control your emotions and thoughts and you are well on the way to success. I’ve written many times before in this journal about the importance of emotional intelligence ie the power of being in control of your own emotions and those of others.??Study emotional intelligence and you will see how it could help you advance your sales career. The belief is you can’t convince someone by telling them they are wrong. You convince them by getting them to convince you they are right. If they can’t they may buy into the need to reassess their belief and may go with yours.?

Since emotions effect your thoughts they are a good place to start with if you wish to improve your sales. You will have heard that people are keen to buy from those they know, like and trust.??There is a lot of emotion in those three characteristics. How do you develop the “know, like and trust” concepts???I believe the following will help if this is your objective.??

How do they “know” you?

To get someone to “know” you it will help if you get to know them first.??Asking lots of relevant, probing questions, both logical and emotional about their circumstances will impress them that you want to really know them and not only that, but you are keen to know them at a deep, interpersonal level. By doing this you will influence greatly them with your approach and interest, thus they will feel they “know” you and your admirable motives.

How to get them to “like” you?

We know from psychological studies that people like people who are similar to them, pay the sincere compliments, share similar interests, outlooks, hobbies and belong to the same groups, associations or bodies.??If you genuinely compliment them, endeavour to find similarities with their lives and interests and/or support or relate to similar groups they are associated with, you are sure to get them to “like” you.

How do you get people to “trust” you?

Getting someone to instantly trust you is a tougher nut to crack.??Trust relates to the existence of risk. If the outcomes of any particular action are certain, there would be no need to trust. Buying anything involves an element of risk.?It’s a psychological fact that to get anyone to trust you they must experience you telling them the truth over time.??There is no fast-forward or short cut way to do so.??However, following through on commitments will help you to install trust in any relationship. It displays to your target that your word is your bond. If you actively listen to people when you ask them questions, you will convince them you are curious and want more detailed information and that can build trust. Actively listening means repeating what they say, reflecting your understanding of what they say and summarising regularly. Being transparent about charges and fees upfront will help build trust. Another option to convince someone that they can trust you is to use testimonials from happy customers / clients. Clients who are prepared to endorse you and your services are social proof that you are trustworthy.??Availability is also a conviction factor in building trust. If you give them access to you via a mobile phone number or direct line number or help desk you can reassure people they can trust you if they need access to information, services or advice at a moment’s notice. Endorsements by major industry bodies or links with same, will help also as will details of your experience and qualifications.??

I'm sure these are all traits most of you reading this article have to some degree, but do you consistently capitalise on all of the points I’ve outlined???I know I need to work on all these points regularly. Complacency is any professionals enemy. My advice is to conduct an audit and see where you could improve your approach and you might get more people to?know, like and trust?you ….and benefit from more business as a result!??