"Whoever has a trust relationship with the individual prospect is going to get the business. This sales professional will come out with the sale, no matter how much information technology makes available."
Trust is a feeling. It's fragile. It takes time and effort to build trust, but only an instant to destroy it. The most fundamental approach to building relationships of trust is to recognize that most prospects have one thing in common: the need to be appreciated and to feel important.
Provide for your prospects what Dr. David J. Schwartz refers to as "ego food." He says "ego food" comes in these "five brands":
* Compliment the prospect's appearance.
* Congratulate achievements.
* Recognize family members, who they are, or what they have done.
* Make the prospect look smart - because they are!
* Acknowledge possessions in which the prospect takes pride.
We add a few "ego-food" supplements of our own:
* Ask for the prospect's advice and opinion.
* Use the prospect's name regularly and be certain of its pronunciation.
* BE TRUSTWORTHY!
Be authentic in all of your expressions. This builds belief and credibility, which leads to trust.
Two other trust-building strategies you'll want to employ are consistency and information sharing. Prospects tend to trust sales professionals who are consistent and predictable in their behavior. Such things as punctuality, returning telephone calls, and making good on promises are some of the ways in which you will be measured.
Referring business to prospects or clients or sharing information that will help them in their work in some way is another surefire means of building trust.
Relationships make the world go 'round. Your prospects are human and social, as well as interested in insurance and investments. You must appeal to both sides. Your prospects may claim to be motivated by intellect alone, but the professional salesperson knows that they run on both logic and emotions.
