What’s up Relentless Fam, happy Monday!
If you’re feeling anything like me, May is a CRAZY month.
There’s end-of-year activities for the kids, graduation events, birthdays (your boy is turning the BIG 4-0 this month 😳), travel, projects, and about 1,000 other distractions competing for our attention.
And with all the busyness of life, I was thinking about one of the most important topics in sales that we sometimes overlook:
TRUST.
At the end of the day, trust is often the deciding factor in why a customer chooses to do business with YOU versus your competitor.
Think about it…
When price and value is close, Trust is the usually difference maker.
And in my opinion, trust is built through these 5 pillars:
1. Be Likable & Genuine
Customers can smell fake from a mile away.
One of the biggest “secrets” in sales is simple:
- smile,
- be authentic,
- be cool (don’t be annoying 😉)
- and genuinely care about people.
You do not need to act like someone you’re not. Be YOU! People trust real.
2. Bring Value Every Visit
Do your customers feel smarter, better prepared, or more informed after interacting with you?
The best salespeople bring:
- Industry insights,
- ideas,
- preparation,
- solutions,
- and perspective.
This goes hand-in-hand with pre-call planning.
Winging it hurts trust through lack of value and competence.
Preparation builds it.
3. Ask Great Questions & Listen Well
One of the biggest mistakes salespeople make is talking too much.
Nobody enjoys the rep who:
- dominates the conversation,
- interrupts constantly,
- or turns every meeting into a presentation.
Elite salespeople ask thoughtful questions…
and then actually LISTEN.
Our customers trust people who understand them.
4. Be Humble Enough to Admit Mistakes
Nobody trusts the person who always has an excuse.
One of the fastest ways to build credibility is to own your mistakes quickly & say you will fix it.
Self-awareness and humility go a long way in leadership and sales.
Ironically, admitting mistakes often increases trust more than pretending to be perfect.
5. Truly Know Your Business
Confidence comes from competence.
Customers trust experts.
They trust people who:
- know their industry,
- understand their products,
- study the market,
- and can confidently help solve problems.
You don’t need to know EVERYTHING…
but you should strive to become elite at your craft & products.
At the end of the day:
Trust compounds.
And the salespeople who build the most trust over time usually build:
- the strongest relationships,
- the biggest opportunities,
- and the longest careers.
Go build trust this week!
STAY RELENTLESS,
— Jon
** Few of you have asked: The best birthday present you could give Relentless Sales a genuine book review on Good Reads, LinkedIn or wherever you picked up your copy of the book. Would be incredibly grateful for that!
AND Don’t forget:
- Join our Relentless Sales Community to connect with other like-minded sales people. We have an incredible group of people! Skool Group
- Book a 1:1 call with me if I can help in your sales journey: Calendly
- Text me @ 404-272-5236 to join our Monday Morning Motivation texts & Community.
Jon Alwinson
Author | Speaker | Coach | Sales Leader
📘 Relentless Sales