The Importance of Trust in Sales

by Jess Van Roekel

Trust and sales aren’t always synonymous together. What words come to mind when you hear the term “sales”? When most people hear the word “sales”, they think about every situation they’ve been in where a pushy salesperson comes up to them on the street, at their door, or at work trying to push the latest thing. It always feels like a very intrusive experience and is one that people want to avoid. It’s because of these situations that most people don’t trust salespeople.

Luckily, as a salesperson, you have the opportunity to reframe what sales are and how business is handled. Building trust is an extremely important foundation to do just that. Taking the time to understand your customer and learning about what their needs are creates that trusting relationship that can lead to repeat business down the line. Be honest about your product and what it can and can’t do for them. And most importantly, be genuine and make your value known. This allows for your customer to know if what you are selling is right for them or not, and if it isn’t the best time they know they can come back to you when the time is right.

Setting this type of foundation in your customer base will go miles for you. There is nothing better for a customer than knowing who to go to when the timing is right or being able to spread the word about your integrity to other potential customers.

Some other ways you can build trust are:

• Active listening and asking meaningful questions

• Learning what your customers true needs are through conversation

• Have an approachable tone when speaking to customers – ensuring that you come across open-minded and collaborative

• Follow-up and check-ins with your customer

• Standing by your word

• Apologizing for mistakes and making things right in a timely manner

The benefits speak for themselves:

• Repeat business

• Higher levels of understanding when mistakes are made

• Referrals for new business

• Builds loyal partnerships

• Higher, consistent sales

The benefits of building trust with your customers far outweighs the pushy, quick sales tactics of the past. Take your time to get to know them, learn about them, and offer tangible advice and solutions that will improve their lives and business. They will thank you and will keep coming back!