Product quality did influence my decision to do business there, but that wasn’t the main reason.   What sealed the deal for me was when the salesperson I asked for advice made the effort to pinpoint my needs, while cheerfully providing the information I needed to make the best purchasing decision. Ultimately, I got my barbecue there because I know the store, I like doing business there, and the company and its salespeople have earned my trust.

In essence, then, succeeding in business and securing sales hinges on your being known, liked and trusted by your customers.  The quality of your product or service is considered a given, because when your customers trust you, the thought that you might be selling them something of dubious value never even crosses their minds.

Get People to Know You
If you haven’t made a name for yourself, nobody’s going to be able to give you their business if they don’t even know you exist.

So, to kick-start your self-promotion strategy, try these tips on for size:

• Publish articles in the print media or on the Web
• Attend business and social networking events
  
• Ask your current customers for referrals
  
• Get speaking engagements in your niche market
  
• Hold seminars in your area of expertise
  
• Invest time in building strategic alliances
  
• Make cold calls to find new prospects

There’s no shortage of ways to get your name out there, so why not get in the game and start promoting yourself right away?
Get People to Like You
Do you make a great first impression on your prospective customers?  Do they genuinely like you?  It’s a fact that the more someone likes you, the greater the chance they’ll buy from you.  And, of course, we all know the flip side:  if customers have a negative experience, chances are they won’t come back. What’s more, they’re likely to complain about their dissatisfaction to family and friends. 

So, how can we get our customers to like us?  Research shows that we prefer giving our business to people who are:

• Passionate about what they do and believe in their product or service
• Well-versed in their area of specialization—no one likes dealing with incompetent people
• Genuinely interested in helping their customers and not just concerned with themselves
• Solution-oriented, with a responsible and positive attitude
• Truthful and reliable. For example, telling customers you’ll call back the next day and then doing so only two weeks later certainly won’t score you any points for integrity and honesty.

Earn People’s Trust
Do you work at earning the trust of your potential customers? If, for example, you do most of the talking, it could backfire on you.  And what if potential customers raise objections such as: “It’s too expensive,” “I’ll think about it,” “I’ll talk it over with my boss,” or “I haven’t budgeted for that amount” as excuses? This is often a sign that something isn’t sitting well with them.  They won’t openly tell you so, but chances are they don’t like your approach, or they simply don’t trust you.

The way to earn trust is by asking relevant questions to determine your customers’ needs, wants and concerns.  Let’s suppose you’re in the business of selling drills. You’re most likely keen on promoting all the great features of your products.  But, your odds of success will be greater if you first build a relationship of trust by asking customers about what kind of holes they need to make and then recommending a drill that best suits their specific requirements. This approach is a sure-fire way to demonstrate your ability to tune into your customers’ needs and effectively showcase your products’ benefits to them. And so the more they realize that you understand their needs, the more your customers will trust you as a salesperson.

In a nutshell, then, it’s all about being known, liked and trusted. If you earn that coveted reputation with your customers, you’ll get just the competitive edge you need to boost your sales and exceed your objectives. You’ll also be pleasantly surprised at how your customers will focus on your strengths and overlook your shortcomings, as they ponder the many reasons why they enjoy doing business with you. 

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