Trust—it’s a simple word with big meaning used frequently in sales. Clients often say they chose one advisor over another because they felt one was more trustworthy.
Advisors often tout being a “trusted financial advisor.” We’ve heard the adage that trust is earned, and we tend to think of trust being built over time.
So, how can a sales team develop trust in a sales presentation, particularly if some of the buying committee members may be meeting the team for the first time?
Let’s start by deconstructing trust.
There are two components—the first is competence. It has to do with knowledge, skills, experience and track record.
The second is character—it has to do with who you are and how you interact with people; your honesty, authenticity, and humility.
One without the other does not establish trust. For example, when selling recordkeeping services, we know how difficult it can be for an underdog company to compete against an established name.
No matter what the character of the people, it’s often an uphill battle without the experience and track record.
To win the deal, the underdog not only needs to demonstrate character, but they also need to go to extreme measures to demonstrate their knowledge, skills, and experience in the absence of the proof.
The opposite is true as well.
You can have all the experience in the world and a track record that rivals Michael Phelps, but if you come across as disingenuous or arrogant you will not be considered trustworthy.
When sales teams prepare for a presentation, they must remember that trust is a combination of both competence and character and should consciously plan for how to demonstrate both.
As financial services professionals, we tend to think more about the competence side of the equation, so we need to be particularly diligent in thinking about ways to exhibit humility, authenticity, and honesty.
Here are techniques to help accelerate the development of trust by focusing on both components, competence and character.
Competence
- Incorporate proof points and favorable statistics. If you have them, use them. Numbers are very powerful. If using slides, allow one, impressive number or percentage to be the star of the show by using a large font and lots of white space.
- Incorporate stories. This is even more important when you are lacking proof points. Stories can provide validation and make your assertions real.
- Use testimonials and case studies. Bring the voice of your happy clients to the table through quotes or case studies. Think about using video or audio to give them extra punch.
Character
- Set the intention to help this client solve their problems. Listen with the true intent to learn and be helpful. Assume a consulting mentality rather than a sales mentality.
- Encourage team members to be themselves and allow their true personalities to shine. This is most important in the introductions when the climate is set for the meeting.
- Be confident, but not boastful. Have team members brag on each other instead of someone bragging about themselves.
- Tell stories that incorporate emotion and will illustrate your care and concern when working with plan sponsors and participants.
- Be honest. When you don’t have an answer to a question, say so and offer to get back to them with a correct answer. Don’t promise something that you cannot deliver.
- Leave the jargon in the office. We know from research that the more jargon a person uses, the less trustworthy they are perceived.
Nadine Keller is President and CEO of Precision Sales Coaching & Training. Her firm has provided strategic programs for tens of thousands of sales professionals with measurable results. Her expertise crosses sales, marketing and communications with a focus on helping organizations drive sales behavior to achieve their goals. Keller is an avid writer and speaker. Her most recent work is a book titled Make it All About Them: Winning Sales Presentations published by Wiley in 2013.