3 Keys to Increase Trust

I want to share with you 3 keys to improve and increase the trust level you have with your sales team by focusing on and understanding when to use each of these areas and how they have the greatest impact at different times.

1.) Integrity

We all know that if you keep your word, you’re going to be building trust. That is a no-brainer. What happens when your sales people need something from you and you make a promise; “Yes, I’ll check with the owner on this” “We’ll go solve this problem.” “I’ll check with the vendor.” If you don’t do those checks or you don’t follow up when you say you will, you’re losing trust. They’re going to stop asking for what they need. They’ll start going around you or they will try to solve their own problems. Unfortunately for everyone, this can create more chaos in the office.

2.) Competence

The second key to increase trust is competence. Your sales team will appreciate your competence when they know that you can do your job. Of course, they want you to understand how their job is done. For example, you don’t have to be as good at their job as they are, but you do need to understand how your sales people do their jobs. Most importantly, they want to know and trust that you can do your job. They will be watching for that.

Here’s an example that was once shared with me. Imagine yourself on a small plane and it is going through a lot of turbulence and bad weather. You’re hoping that the plane gets landed safely. At this point, you don’t care too much about the pilots integrity. You don’t care if they are going to keep their word and get you home on time. You don’t care at all how much compassion they have. They could be yelling at you. Your only concern is if the pilot is competent and knows how to fly the plane through the turbulence and land the plane intact.

When they do that, your trust level will go way up. You’ll refer that pilot to everyone because you know they are competent in their job.

Compassion

The third key to increase trust is compassion. Do you care about your sales people? They want to know that you have their back when it’s needed.

What about the scenario when your best sales person has promised to come through with a big deal? Everyone’s counting on that last deal because everyone has had a great quarter. But, the deal doesn’t come through. That’s a tough one. This sales person always comes through. And this time they didn’t. They feel bad about that. They thought they read everything perfectly. At the end of the day, the buyer just went with someone else.

That sales person needs to know you have their back and that you’re going to believe in them and appreciate all their effort. At this point, they don’t need you to look at the results and show them where they are on the chart. They need to know that you care. And the more you show that you care, the more open and honest they’ll be. Consequently, you will be able to coach for future success.

In conclusion, focus on those three areas and focus on them when they’re most important. There isn’t one that’s more important than the other. All three are important at different times and every salesperson and every employee needs all three at the right time. Integrity, compassion, and competence are the 3 keys to increase trust.

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