High Trust Advisors

We are familiar with the term 'trusted advisor' so what do I mean when I use the expression 'high trust' advisor?

There has been a big shift in the market over recent months and things that in the past may have been acceptable - certain 'axioms' of business - are no longer true. The fact that trust has disappeared is obvious and the only way that it will be re-built is on a person-to-person level. It also means that we have to re-define our roles as sales people.

The professional sales person has to become not just an information provider - speaking the language of their business - but a 'non-equity partner' in the customer's business - acting as an interpreter and architect of knowledge about how their company service or product information becomes a solution to the client's real concerns.

In addition they need to become part of the 'experience' around the product or service that they are selling - and become a facilitator of a collaborative and co-creative approach with the customer or client in the definition and solution of their unique needs.

Before we get there we need to create an even higher degree of trust with people than ever before. A client might listen to me and my information if he trusts me - but she will only share her deepest concerns and needs when I have built a deeper relationship, showed the value of the knowledge that I bring and presented a solution - what I term the 3 P's - People Product and Positioning.

It's about People first - if I can develop my skills to a level where I can consciously and effectively develop high trust relationships with my prospects and clients' that is when the fortunes and potential that still exists out there can be unlocked and allowed flow. Put simply 'trust' is not enough - 'high trust' and the perception that it creates in the minds of our prospects and customers - is the key to success.

Selling Smarter 1

I am scheduled to speak at an entrepreneur's conference in Galway next week and the subject is about Selling Smarter - 6 Keys to Maximising Your Sales Results. Over the next few posts I want to briefly cover what each of these keys are.

The first key covers what selling really is and what we actually sell. No matter where I go in the world no matter what kind of sales audience I am working with - when I ask what is it that they sell, the answers vary between 'myself' to 'solutions' to 'benefits' and so forth. Standard enough responses.

However the real key to understanding what we sell is when we realise that before we offer any of the above - we sell 'good feeling'. We sell a positive feeling that reduces the 'threat level' that new prospects might feel when they meet us for the first time and stimulates the emotions of acceptance and trust.

Dale Carnegie, the great sales trainer, always said that 'human beings are creatures of emotion not of logic'. When we reflect on that and understand that most decisions are emotionally-based - including decisions on price - then we realise that by managing the emotional dynamics of the sale we manage the decisions being made in that meeting.

A large part of the ability to manage those emotions comes from the ability to Connect, Involve and Engage. These skills will be covered more in the new audio CD series R'evolutionary Selling which will be released in May.