The sales industry has a credibility problem. When most people think of sales professionals they think of sleazy, dishonest car salesmen or door-to-door sales people who will do and say anything to get the sale.
You know that selling has drastically changed and that these types of aggressive and dishonest sales tactics don’t work. In fact, using them is one of the deadliest sales mistakes you can make. But still, people will be hesitant to trust you, even if you work with 100% honesty and integrity. And this can harm your performance.
In order to get more sales, you need to boost your credibility in order to gain the trust of your prospects and customers. All sales professionals would be wise to use these tips to establish credibility.
Sales professionals who deliver the same boilerplate sales pitch to every prospect need to stop immediately. This shows your prospects that you’re far more interested in closing the sale and making money than you are in actually helping them overcome their challenges, solve their problems, and meet their needs.
If your prospects feel like the pitch is all about making the sale, they’ll distrust you immediately, thinking that you don’t care about them and their needs at all. And recovering from a bad first impression will be nearly impossible.
Instead, do your research before reaching out to buyers. Pre-qualify them, gain a better understanding of their pain points and needs, and create a pitch that is all about them. Give them customized and personalized value by using effective sales presentation methods to show them that you’re all about helping them rather than all about earning commission.
You’re so concerned with your verbal communication, trying to use the exact right verbiage to get the sale that you completely forget to consider how your body language is affecting how others perceive you.
There’s no doubt that body language has a big impact on the impression that you make. Cross your arms and you seem defensive. Don’t make eye contact and you seem like you’re lying. Flick your pen and you look nervous. Mastering purposeful body language that makes you seem more confident and positive can do a lot to boost your credibility. Lean in, smile, make appropriate eye contact, nod, and maintain good posture to be seen in a positive light.
Make your prospects believe in you, trust you, and count on you by giving them helpful expert advice and information. Give them tips, recommendations, and content that will help them in their jobs and help them make better purchasing decisions. Post this helpful information on social media for all to see, send it out to prospects via email marketing, and start a blog that showcases your expertise and experience. When you increase your thought leadership, prospects will automatically trust you more once you contact them.
The second you back out on a promise, your credibility vanishes. Sales professionals should never make promises that they aren’t sure they can keep. From something as small as saying you’ll get back to them tomorrow with information to something as big as not being able to deliver the price or features you promised will completely tank your credibility, and then you can say goodbye to any trust that you might have built. Don’t know if you can deliver? Don’t promise it. It’s that simple. Following through is too important.
Finally, being genuine is one of the easiest ways that sales professionals can boost their credibility. Customers aren’t going to be impressed or won over by your fancy job title or your expensive suit. What they really want, and need, is for you to come off as a real human being—as yourself. They’ll respect you and trust you a whole lot more when you present yourself as a real person rather than as a plug-and-play representative with the fake smile, the fake charm, and all the right answers.
Rhys is a tenacious, top performing Senior Sales Recruiter with 15+ years of focused experience in the Digital Media, Mobile, Software, Technology and B2B verticals. He has a successful track record of headhunting top performing sales candidates for some of the most exciting brands in North America. He is a Certified Recruitment Specialist (CRS) and has expert experience in prospecting new business, client retention/renewals and managing top performing sales and recruitment teams. Rhys enjoys spending quality time with his wife, son, and daughters, BBQing on a hot summer day and tropical vacations.