How to make a prospect trust you during a sales meeting

We might say that when it comes to your sales success, the product you sell, the quality and how innovative it is, is actually not very important. It is much more crucial how well you get along with your customers and how well you are able to engage them. You may even say that sales is a specific subtype of interpersonal communication. Personal charm, communication skills and building rapport are the pillars of a successful sale. Here are four steps to making prospects respect and trust you.

Why should the prospect trust you?

What you are asking from the prospect is essentially to invest their finances in your product and, more importantly, into a business relationship with you. This is why you must first prove to the prospect that this investment is worth it and that you can be trusted. This is when success stories about your clients and references from opinion leaders come in handy.

Do not underestimate informal communication

Trust is not built solely on a professional level, but also on an informal level not related to work. As the SalesGravy server states, this is why you should be able to find a common interest with your client on a personal level. Your first step should be finding out what the the prospect's interests are and talk to them about it, for instance, about new car models or your favorite sportsmen.

Are you talking to the right person?

Even the best sales presentation will not work if it is not presented to a person who has the authority to make decisions. This is why you always have to talk to the right people and not waste too much time with those who have no say in the situation.

Never burn bridges completely

Even if you are not successful with this particular sale, never put up barriers to a future  potential sale. You never know when the client's situation might change. So try to make such a good impression on the prospect that they will think of you when they need your product in the future.

 

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Article source Sales Gravy - international networking community for Sales Professionals

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