Building Relationships of Trust
The first step in the commitment pattern is to build relationships of trust. Relationships of trust form an important foundation upon which the seeds of commitment are planted and expected to grow over time.
Aspects of building relationships of trust include the steps below (written from a sales perspective, but generally applicable to any persuasive endeavor):
- Becoming Acquainted – with the individual and their background. This is the small talk that occurs before meetings. It is best to find small talk topics that relate to the people themselves and not arbitrary and forgettable things like the weather or sports. Finding some personal thread of connection is always valuable at this stage. At AccelerEyes, we like to ask prospects to describe the applications they are building, and we respond by sharing experiences we’ve had with other similar customers in the past.
- Building on Common Beliefs – this is where you seek to resonate with prospects on a shared picture of the pain they face (which your product solves). There is no need to mention your product at this stage. Just talk about the pain and build upon a common belief that the pain exists, is real, and needs a pain killer solution. At AccelerEyes, we like to talk about how slow applications run and how things should run much faster. We want people to recognize the need for speed and admit to themselves the pain that slow code causes within their organization.
- Show Empathy – throughout the process, but especially in the early stages of a relationship, it is vital to show empathy. This consists of really good listening, providing great follow-up comments and questions to their statements, and repeating what they say in different words to build a rapport. At AccelerEyes, we like to listen well and then share similar experiences and case studies so that others understand the depth of our understanding of their particular problem.
While building a relationship of trust is vital, it is also often overplayed. It is very easy to spend too much time in this stage. Excessive wining and dining without progression through the stages of commitment can cause you to burn through time and money without making progress. The best leaders and salespeople are able to build relationships of trust quickly and move on to the next steps efficiently, enabling them to crank through more relationships and transact more business.
What are your thoughts on building relationships of trust?