How To Inspire People To Know, Like And Trust You
No doubt you’ve heard the principle, “People do business with those they know, like and trust.”This principle is not just a trite saying, it’s true. Think about those that you do business with. We choose to do business with those we know, like and trust. In fact, those are the kinds of people we want as friends.
The question is: How do you facilitate this know-like-trust relationship with potential clients, joint venture partners, and people in general? What can you do to help people know, like and trust you?
Let’s look at each element of this principle separately:
How to Help People Get to Know You
This may seem obvious, but for people to get to know you, you need to get out in front of them. They need frequent exposure to you, your name, your products and services. For instance, as we near mid-term elections, yard signs appear everywhere to introduce or remind us of the candidates who will be running.
But for most of us, we need methods other than yard signs for introducing ourselves to others. You can design this kind of exposure through a variety of means:
- Podcasts
- Blogs
- Newsletters
- Emails
- Videos
- Social media
- Seminars and workshops
- Books that you’ve written
- Referrals and introductions from others they know, like and trustIf you’re already doing some of these things, you may get discouraged at times if nothing seems to be happening. But be persistent! Your efforts will eventually pay off.
How to Help People Like You
As we move through these three elements, each one gets progressively more difficult. It’s one thing to make yourself known, but something entirely different to get people to like you.
Also, this element may make some reading this uncomfortable. You may have been brought up to present yourself in a self-deprecating manner. And getting people to like you may feel a bit too self-serving. If that describes you, think of it this way: Do you want to be likeable? Of course you do! You want people to find you pleasant, engaging, and friendly. So, here are some things you can do to present yourself as friendly and likeable:
- Offer relevant information
- Provide helpful information on topics of interest
- Communicate in a personable, winsome manner
- Make sure your materials accurately reflect your personality
- Share personal anecdotes and stories
- Be real
- Be humble
- Ensure that your processes and systems are user-friendly
It’s hard not to like a person with those characteristics.
How to Help People Trust You
Winning people’s trust is the most difficult of the three, but perhaps the most important. Also, trust is fragile, so guard it as precious. Here are some things you can do to build trust with people:
- Provide value first – offer valuable materials or services for free. (Don’t give everything away for free. But give enough that people think, “Wow! If the free stuff is this good, then the materials for purchase must be amazing!”)
- Cultivate the mindset that it’s not about you, your products, or your services, but about them. Focus your marketing on the benefits available to them.
- Demonstrate genuine care for people. Just listening is an act of caring.
- Follow through on your promises – even if it hurts!
- Over-deliver!
- Seek to serve others. Your goal is not to sell, but to solve their problems.
- Be transparent and admit your own failures and shortcomings.
- Share your story. Let them into your life and they’ll let you into theirs.
These recommendations for encouraging people to know, like and trust you are not tasks to check off, but a way of life to cultivate and live. If you merely view these characteristics as a means-to-an-end (i.e., sales), your true motives will bleed through and you’ll turn people off. Instead, these characteristics should permeate who you are and how you interact with others. And as they become a part of you, it’s inevitable that people will know, like and trust you and you’ll never lack for clients… or for friends.
Read in my upcoming Blog how I can help you in your personal and business life.
Leave me a comment how you inspire people to know, like and trust you.
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