The business news today is flooded with negative news of widespread corporate fraud, the discovery of new Ponzi schemes, and seemingly endless consumer scams. Today’s consumers are becoming increasingly cynical toward anyone selling anything, and can we blame them? From the consumer’s perspective, to blindly trust today’s retail salesperson is risky business. After all, it is hard to argue against the fact that a large portion of the financial mess we’re dealing with today can be traced directly back to the point of someone sold something to someone.
It does sound a bit extreme to imply that “salespeople” are somehow responsible for triggering the recent economic collapse, and that is certainly not the intent of my column. However, it is reasonable to suggest that consumers are fairly troubled about the rampant lack of personal and professional integrity in today’s business environment. In order to repair the damage and earn back the consumer’s trust, a successful sales professional will need to apply nothing short of the highest ethical standards. It starts first with individual responsibility and accountability. Here are four points to consider in your sales career.
First: Develop the right selling philosophy.
Having the right selling philosophy is the single most important step toward earning the trust of all your customers. Do the right thing, and you’ll get the right results. Look no further than the Golden Rule. Treat others only in ways that you’re willing to be treated in the same exact situation. When you are guided by a “do the right thing” philosophy, you work with your customers in the spirit of the Golden Rule. Treat them in the exact manner that you would want to be treated if you were the customer – with honesty and integrity. It means providing your customers with an uncompromising level of personal and professional integrity, ensuring that your actions are always consistent with your words.
Second: Be honest.
If you’re truly serious about building a strong foundation of trust with your customers, you must be committed to providing them with full or total honesty about every aspect of the product or service you are selling. This ensures that the customer has all the information they need to make an intelligent and truly informed decision. Discuss every aspect of the sale openly with your customer beyond the usual features and benefits. This even means determining if your product or service is right to begin with for your potential customer. It will never help your business to sell someone something they don’t need. Today’s consumer expects this level of transparency in return for their trust and ultimately their business.
Third: Be an expert in your business, and be educated about theirs.
Building a strong foundation of trust with your customers requires you to be an expert in all facets of your business. Beyond delivering a masterful sales presentation, you must also possess an impressive level of product knowledge, not only about your product, but about their business also. It’s a fact that most customers today know more about the products they are interested in purchasing than the salesperson selling them. This is due in large part to the product knowledge base on the Internet. You must be able to show how your products are a beneficial match with their business and will contribute to their success
Forth: Be a Trusted Advisor.
A trusted advisor is a combination of the values that others perceive in you, your actions over time, and their willingness to accept your advice to help them with their purchase. Trust can be shown in the form of an answer, a solution, or simply helping the customer make a decision. A trusted advisor always has answers or will find an answer. They have a great reputation and accept responsibility. They are available and responsive. And lastly, they deliver on ALL their promises. It is important to understand that being a trusted advisor is not simply a “responsibility”, it is an honor.
You see, it’s not what YOU think you are. Rather, it’s about where the customer places you in their mind. Ask yourself these questions. How do my customers see me now? How do they refer to me? How do they talk about me? How much do they respect me? Why do they call me? And, of course, how much do they trust me? Ask yourself, “What am I doing to earn and ensure my status of trust advisor in the mind of my customers? What can I do to improve my relationship to strengthen that status?” Understand that becoming a trusted advisor is much more than just having a great relationship. Trust is just the beginning. Trust IS the foundation for all the relationships.
To be a successful salesperson today, you must strive harder than ever before to be the consummate professional and present yourself as a deeply knowledgeable and trusted advisor. You must be completely honest about what you know and what you don’t know. You must be committed to continually learning more about the products and services you are selling, and learning about your customers’ businesses. You must bring an uncompromising level of preparedness to every interaction and be a trusted advisor to all your customers. Do this, and no other person or business will be able to compete against you.
