Trust is not a ‘nice to have’ bonus in the world of sales. It’s how you build a relationship with a customer and turn a single purchase into several repeat purchases and ultimately into lifelong loyalty.
This guide will share practical tactics to help you build trust and cultivate customer loyalty so you can forge lasting connections for your clients and your business.
We’ll review the key components that will help you build trust, look at some ways you can earn loyalty, and examine technology’s key role in your trust-building endeavors.
If you’re looking for ways to refine your sales strategy or learn new techniques to build stronger relationships with your customers, you’re in the right place. We’ll provide you with practical suggestions that will help boost your sales performance.
Understand the importance of trust in sales
Trust is an enduring factor and is the foundation for any successful sales relationship. When you’ve been able to build trust with customers, they will buy from you, stay with you, and tell others about you.
But what exactly does trust do for your sales efforts?
If you can build trust, it can have a huge effect on buyer loyalty. Just as an internal audit can improve a company’s operations, building trust can also help build confidence and reliability. A sales rep who can build trust can also expect the following.
- Increased customer retention rates.
- Higher average order values.
- More purchases.
- Greater openness to new product suggestions.
These benefits are a direct result of customers being confident they are making the right choices and that you have their best interests at heart.
What’s more, building trust improves sales efficiency. Trusted reps get fewer objections and have shorter sales cycles than untrusted reps. This efficiency increases the likelihood of a sale and improves the customer experience.
Once you’ve managed to build trust, customer belief grows and you develop repeated, authentic, and successful relationships.
Trust also isn’t an ‘on/off’ switch – there are levels of trust in sales relationships. You need to build trust by proving your competence and integrity, after which you can turn low-trust customers into more trusting, collaborative buyers.
The four elements you need to build trust
There are four elements you need to build trust. When consistently applied, these principles can transform your relationships with customers.
Reflect company values in your communication
Open communication is the foundation you need to build trust.
Be clear about what your products do, how much they’ll cost, and what their limitations are. If a product isn’t the right fit, say so. Customers respect honesty, so be honest, even if it means you miss out on an occasional sale.
Being honest in this way builds credibility and will often result in better, or more valuable, relationships later on.
Communicate consistently with your customers
A steady stream of predictable and reliable communication can help you build trust with your customers. Never over-communicate with your customers, but definitely do the following.
- Respond promptly to inquiries.
- Implement a sales dialer to streamline communication, ensuring consistent and efficient follow-ups.
- Provide updates on orders or issues.
- Share relevant information or insights.
Consistency is often synonymous with reliability. Consistent communication shows your customers that you care about your relationship with them and are not solely interested in a sale.
Deliver on your promises
Keep your word. Do what you say you will do, when you say you will do it.
Even better, overdeliver.
If you can’t meet a promise, make sure your customer knows early and provide them with some alternatives. You will increase the strength of the relationship and build trust if you deal with this disappointment well.
Demonstrate expertise
Customers rely on you for more than just products—they also want your knowledge and insights.
Keep up with what’s going on in your sector – and in your customers’ businesses. You can go way beyond basic product knowledge by becoming a trusted partner with a broad appreciation of another organization, and get closer to serving the interests of CEOs and business leaders.
Use strategies to boost customer loyalty
You can’t sell your way to customer loyalty. Rather, you need to create experiences that draw customers back. Here are four strategies you can use to build trust and achieve lasting loyalty.
Personalize customer experiences
Tailor your language and pitch to the individual customer to make them feel valued. By doing this, you show them that you remember the last product they bought from you and have considered this before recommending other products.
Keep tabs on important details using your customer relationship management (CRM) system and use that information to personalize future interactions. You could also use a custom phone number for key accounts to add a personal touch.
By providing this level of attention, you make your customers feel appreciated and understood.
Proactively solve problems
Don’t wait for things to escalate. Plan ahead to pre-empt problems and deal with them early.
- Reach out to check on product satisfaction.
- Offer solutions to common pain points.
- Provide regular maintenance or updates.
By anticipating what your customers may need, you show your commitment to their success and peace of mind.
Add value beyond the sale
Prove your worth as a long-term partner by offering value beyond transactions. Consider the following.
- Share industry insights relevant to their business.
- Provide training or educational resources.
- Connect them with other helpful contacts in your network.
These actions build trust and position you as a valuable resource, not just a sales rep.
Use loyalty programs
Structured loyalty programs can help you promote repeat business as well as make your customers feel valued. Effective loyalty programs often offer the following.
- Points systems for purchases or referrals.
- Exclusive access to new products or services.
- Special pricing or priority support for long-term customers.
Make sure your loyalty program fits your customers’ needs and offers them genuine value.
It’s worth remembering that cultivating loyalty is a process. Ask for regular customer feedback, be ready to adjust your strategies, and aim for a mutually beneficial relationship with your customers.
If you do these things consistently, you’ll be able to build trust with the kind of incentives that mean your customers not only buy your product but also eagerly promote your brand.
Overcome common challenges to build trust
Being able to build trust isn’t always smooth sailing. Here’s how to navigate common challenges.
Deal with skepticism
A lot of people have been let down by other vendors in the past. Be willing to acknowledge this.
Accept customer concerns instead of being defensive, and listen—so you can understand where they are coming from.
You may need to address and reset their expectations for your behavior if they are struggling to build trust with you. This kind of respectful approach should help you tailor your response to the customer’s needs.
Be patient—being able to build trust often takes time.
Rebuild trust after mistakes
If you make a mistake and deal with it quickly and properly, you can protect your relationship with your customer. Admitting that you can make mistakes is one thing – your follow-up response is also crucial if you want to build trust.
Own your mistake immediately and fully: don’t shy away from it or try to excuse it. Acknowledge it, and be transparent – stick to facts rather than excuses. Your transparency and candor will demonstrate your integrity and respect for your customers.
Balance sales targets with customer relationships
Consider the following if you want to build trust while meeting your sales targets.
- Focus on solving customer problems, not just selling.
- Be transparent about how your solutions fit customer needs.
- Don’t push products that aren’t a good fit.
- Set realistic expectations about what your product or service can achieve.
By going the extra mile to build trust for the long term, you nurture more sustained sales success. Make an effort to maintain heartfelt, meaningful relationships – this is a far better approach than prioritizing short-term gains.
Measure trust and loyalty in sales
If you measure trust and loyalty in sales, you can see which tactics work. Here are several ways you can do this.
Key performance indicators (KPIs)
KPIs offer measurable insights into your customer relationships.
Pay attention to your customer retention rate. It tells you how well you’re managing to build trust via long-term relationships. Repeat purchase frequency tells you how loyal your customers are. The Net Promoter Score (NPS) tells you how many customers would recommend you to their friends and family.
Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) will show you which of your trust-building efforts affects your long-term interactions with your clients or customers. It also tracks your referral rate and indicates how well your current customers convert into devoted brand advocates.
Customer feedback and surveys
Beyond these numbers, customer feedback provides invaluable qualitative data.
Post-interaction satisfaction surveys will provide you with a key customer barometer, and annual relationship assessments offer an invaluable overview. It’s also a good idea to provide open-ended feedback opportunities so you can capture subtle customer impressions you won’t find in surveys.
For a more personal touch when gathering feedback, use a dedicated phone number for customer inquiries and surveys.
Bonus tip
To round out your efforts, track social media discussions and other online commentary to gather live impressions about your brand. And track how quickly you respond to customer queries. What patterns emerge in your customer complaints or praise? What areas of trust are strong, and which are weak?
Use all the relevant information you can to help you build trust with your customers.
Conclusion
If you want to build trust and customer loyalty that lasts, you have to maintain constant effort and attention. Building trust is an ongoing process. If you can apply the suggestions offered in this guide, you’ll soon be on your way to a broader, more enthusiastic, more trusting customer base.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to build customer trust?
Trust is an ongoing process you will need to continually earn with each customer. You do this by consistently acting and communicating in ways that build trust.
Can technology replace humans when building trust?
Technology can help you improve how you contact customers and can facilitate more personalization, but it can’t replace human interaction. So it can augment the human touch, but not replace it.
How often should I survey my customers?
This depends on your business type and the kinds of interactions you have with your customers. After a major interaction with your customer, it might be a good idea to conduct a short survey. Otherwise, conduct broader annual or bi-annual surveys.
Originally published Sep 10, 2024, updated Sep 18, 2024
