Building Trust for Success

When it comes to business success, having a spotless, rock-solid reputation is critical to your business. A solid reputation is based on trust, credibility and subject matter expertise. You need to make sure to achieve those qualities quickly.

Think about how many salespeople you have had the "pleasure" of dealing with before finding one who you felt wasn't just out for your money. Just the other day, I caught a car salesman in a lie, and there was no way that I could do business with him after that. In a matter of minutes, I had lost all respect for him, and there was no turning back after that.

If you mess up just once, that's all it will take for a prospect or customer to never trust you or do business with you again. It's as simple as that.

ONLY AFTER ACCOMPLISHING THIS TRUST-BUILDING CAN YOU BEGIN YOUR WORK ON GETTING WELL ROOTED AND MAKING YOUR POPULARITY "SEAL THE DEAL."

There are a few things that can cause a client to feel a sense of trust in your company and product.

• A professional website – Choose a domain name that reflects your business. Always give your physical address and contact details so that the customer knows that you are not another fly-by-night operator. Having a personal website is important as well, for several reasons, but most importantly, it gives you the opportunity to tell potential clients what you are about, your vision and values and why you deserve their confidence and trust. In short, it gives you credibility.
   
• Impressive photographs – Photographs of yourself in a business setting can help your prospective customers to make a connection with you. Have them taken by a professional to ensure that the photographs give the desired impression.
• Genuine Testimonials–Testimonials are the trust builders in any business. They speak volumes about your capability and likeability. Obtain them from your best clients and ask them to be specific.
   
• A Professional Email address – Your email address must reflect your domain name. This shows that you own a proper website and are not just testing the waters.
   
• A Professional-looking Business Card – Do not use home printed business cards. Also, avoid free business cards, as they usually carry the name of the printing company on the reverse side and make you sell their product rather than your own.
   
• Link With The Famous – A great way of being known is by linking, if you can, with known personalities. If they could speak about and/or recommend your product or service, your credibility would skyrocket.

You can also create your business profile on business networking websites such as LinkedIn and increase your friends and connections.

Another way of linking up is to go to Yahoo search and type "linkdomain:(some website's URL)."The results page will show all of the websites that have linked up with that particular URL. Assuming that the URL is one that belongs with your type of business, you can extend a hand of friendship to the professionals who own these sites. You can be of some service to them and exchange links to mutually help each other. This is an acceptable way of linking up.

If you already possess the knowledge to establish yourself in your targeted niche, do not let the uncertainty of how clients will respond make you anxious. Yes, your credibility and expertise will be scrutinized by clients and also by other experts on the market. But do not let insecurity grip you. Every marketer must face two opposing sides of themselves. Most experts face these two sides, but in the end, the positive side takes over.

Conclusion

So, believe in yourself and your abilities and let your positive side take control. Only then will you become an expert and root yourself well in your niche, and let others see all that you have to offer. The more you give to other people, the more they will want to interact with you and to also give of themselves to you.

We are pleased to provide you with the insightful comments contained herein. For a free assessment of your online presence, let's have coffee.