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Read time: 2.5 mins
After my last session coaching my team of students at MIT, there was 1 question they asked that stayed with me:
“How do I sell to someone who doesn’t know me?”
They were about to pitch their business idea to a cold audience and wanted to know what they could do to increase their chances of success.
We discussed it together, and after wishing them luck, I spent the 15-hour plane ride back to Australia thinking a lot about the answer.
It matters because we all need to know how to sell, whether it’s selling yourself, your products, your ideas, your vision, etc.
As Zig Zigler said, “Everyone is in sales. Maybe you don’t hold the title of salesperson, but if the business requires you to deal with people, you, my friend, are in sales.”
But selling to people you don’t know is particularly hard.
Here’s what we said to our MBA students:
Trust is king. And queen. It's everything.
People won’t buy what you’re selling if they don’t trust you.
So, how do you build trust if you’re starting from scratch?
Here are 4 key questions to consider:
4 QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF FOR BUILDING TRUST AND SELLING
1. Does my audience find me credible?
If your audience believes you have the right skills and experience, you can start building trust.
Think of how we trust doctors, simply because we know they’ve been trained in their field.
Demonstrating credentials that are relevant to what you’re selling is a great way to establish credibility off the bat.
Bonus insight:
Having the skills & experience is different from your audience knowing and valuing your skills & experience.
Don’t assume your audience knows. Awareness is key!
2. Am I seen as reliable?
People tend to trust you when they believe you'll follow through on commitments.
Here are two quick ways to show reliability to a new audience:
- Clear Communication: Tell your audience right at the start what you'll achieve in your conversation, then make sure you do it.
- Past Success: Talk about times when you've achieved great results, especially when you've gone above and beyond expectations.
Bonus insight:
One of the best ways to prove your reliability is through your network.
If someone trustworthy refers you or provides a testimonial vouching for your credibility, it's a powerful way to earn trust quickly.
3. How can I quickly connect with my audience?
Forming relationships takes time but is a key component of building trust.
If you have a cold audience, think about how to quickly create a connection to start that feeling of relationship.
How?
The tools I find most effective are telling great stories, using humour, being empathetic and truly listening, and showing positive energy with verbal and nonverbal cues.
Bonus insight:
The environment and context matters.
Be thoughtful about what tools you use depending on the situation you’re in.
4. Am I putting the needs of others first?
People are far more likely to trust you if you’re genuinely putting their best interests above (or at least equal to) yours.
Putting “I” ahead of “we” is a surefire way to lower trust and make it harder to sell anything you’re offering.
Bonus insight:
Demonstrate that you’re putting ‘we’ first by marrying your stories and actions to the words you’re using.
Don’t just say you value connecting with your customers, actually go visit them.
Don’t just say you care about your team, roll up your sleeves and help them when they need it.
For the action takers:
Next time you’re selling anything, put your audience hat on:
- Answer the 4 questions above to plan how you’ll build trust.
- Make the opposite case: list all the reasons your audience won’t trust you, then think about how you can reverse or mitigate each of those reasons.
Trust is king AND queen. It’s everything.
We hope this helps you build it, and grow your business with it.
Take care all, and speak soon,
Steve (and Lynne)
TLDR
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Selling to strangers can be tough, but necessary for business success. Building trust is the answer.
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To build trust, answer 4 questions: (1) Am I seen as credible?, (2) Am I seen as reliable?, (3) How do I connect quickly?, and (4) Am I putting the needs of others first?
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Next time you're selling, consider these 4 trust-building questions and think about how you can earn trust before diving into your pitch.
When you're ready, here's how we can support you further:
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