There are entire books written about building trust in selling, but for today, we will focus on one key element that may seem quite ordinary and obvious but is actually a well-honed skill of highly successful salespeople. And that skill is: Find out what your client or prospect wants. How is that done? Here is our recipe for building trust in selling:
• Ask questions.
• Listen to what they say.
• Understand what they say.
• Listen for what they don’t say.
• Ask questions about what they didn’t share.
What seems so simple is quite complex. To build trust, salespeople must be very skilled at asking questions so that when they dig a little deeper than normal, it does not seem like an interrogation. How do they do that? With a conversation in which they are engaged and genuinely interested in the prospect or client and NOT thinking about the next sale or product to offer.
The right time will come to provide solutions, but trust will be built along the way if the right questions are asked and answers are “heard.” A very common problem with many salespeople is that when they hear a cue such as, “Our payment process is just not working efficiently,” they will jump too fast to offer solutions. To truly understand that problem, more questions need to be asked, such as: “What have you done to address that?” “How long has that been going on?” and “How is this problem impacting you?”
Now how does a salesperson go about finding out what a prospect or client is NOT saying? Using the example above, if a client or prospect has had a problem that has been going on for a while, to find out what they are NOT saying, you could ask them: “Why do you think the company continues to just live with the problem?” They might bring up systems limitations or budget allocations — any number of things — but it’s all good information for determining next steps, if any.
Another idea to find out what a client may not be saying is to ask them: “If another agent called and asked to meet with you, would you say yes? And if so, why is that?” This should be a genuine, inquiring conversation and cannot come off as being defensive.
Another way to find out what customers want and to better meet their expectations is by asking them: “What one or two things could I do more or better that would help you?” Then, listen closely to what they say and keep your antenna up for their safe words: ok, reasonable, fine, pretty good, happy. If you are shooting to build trust and grow advocates, you will need to exceed expectations and look for words that indicate you have outpaced others in your efforts and delivery to serve. Words such as best yet, irreplaceable, always deliver.
Five Capabilities That Support Building Trust in Selling
Here are five practical sales capabilities that successful salespeople master to help them in their quest to building trust in selling:
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Ask the right question, the right way, at the right time. Asking questions is the key to great selling, but only if the questions are the right ones and they are asked in a way that builds trust and helps the prospect to further disclose details around their SMA (Severe Mental Anguish).
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Listen closely to the answer. Salespeople must really listen. Most of the time the initial problem a prospect identifies isn’t the real problem. Salespeople must uncover the real problem by listening intently and asking probing questions, digging ever deeper with each follow-up query. Resist the urge to pitch the product!
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Dig deeper with the following techniques. Salespeople must master questions and statements like the following: “Tell me more about that.” and “Why is that so important to you?” They must be comfortable asking questions like: “Is that problem compelling enough to make you take action?” and “How will you find the budget?”
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Reject rejection. Salespeople need to understand that selling isn’t personal. So, if they don't move forward with a particular opportunity, they must be able to recover, reset, focus on other opportunities, and continue to prospect.
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Be prepared. Scheduled prep time is essential. Salespeople who are well-prepared are better able to utilize their sales capabilities when they need them most. If they are practiced and comfortable going into a sales meeting, they will be able to operate under pressure.
In a highly commoditized industry such as financial sales, building trust in selling efforts is the superpower of differentiators. Salespeople should take a minute to review their top 20 clients, for example, to think about how deeply the trust factor is present and create a focus to turn more customers into trusting clients.
