12 PILLARS OF TRUST-BASED SELLING
( 100 % BASED ON HOW THEY PERCEIVE YOU AND HOW THEY FEEL )
AUTHENTICITY
PASSION , CONFIDENCE , AND ENTHUSIASM
AUTHORITY
EXPERTISE AND SPECIALIZATION
IS THIS FOR ME ?
HONESTY AND CARING
SAFETY
COMPLEX ISSUES , SIMPLIFIED
BEST DEAL
CELEBRITY
FAMILIARITY
AFFINITY
1 . AUTHENTICITY : Are you someone I can actually trust to tell me the truth ? Are you legitimate ? Can I believe you ? Congruent behavior is critical to establishing authenticity . Your origin story and mission are also important .
2 . PASSION , CONFIDENCE , AND ENTHU- SIASM : Are you sold ? Are you genuinely passionate , inspired , and excited about what you sell and deliver ? Do you seem supremely confident you can help me ? This is mostly how Tony Robbins became the genius he is so early in his life .
3 . AUTHORITY : Are you a known , credible expert on your topic of claimed expertise ? Are you the top guy on _____? Have you mastered the process of getting a particular result , or are you just winging it ? ( There ' s an assumption that the longer you ’ ve been doing something , the more competent you are , so longevity is considered an asset .)
4 . EXPERTISE AND SPECIALIZATION : Are you competent ? Can you actually do what you say you can do ? What proof is there of your expertise ? Do you specialize in solving my specific problem in my specific business ?
5 . IS THIS FOR ME ? How appropriate is this ( your service or solution ) for me ? Is it suitable for my company , my specific situation , my clients , my way of doing things , etc .? Everyone believes their situation is different . ( This is why picking a target market is critical ; testimonials must be matched to be effective , not counterproductive .)
6 . HONESTY AND CARING : Do you genuinely care about your customers or are they just “ wallets ”? Are you hiding something ? Are you listening and attempting to do what ’ s right for me or just saying what I want to hear to make a sale ? ( A damaging omission is very powerful : Chris Voss ’ s “ no ” triggers , no manipulation , no obvious gimmicks .)
7 . SAFETY : Will you actually do what you say you ’ re going to do ? Can I depend on you to actually deliver , or will I be made to look foolish ? Are you the safest option or a risky one ? Remember , no one got fired for buying IBM . Risk reversal and guarantees help to alleviate anxiety to buy from you and demonstrate confidence , which is another trust factor .
8 . COMPLEX ISSUES , SIMPLIFIED : Do I understand the basic premise for your advice / solution / product ? A confused prospect never buys ; they don ’ t need to know all the technical details , but they do need to know enough to feel comfortable . This is why authors who dumb down complex problems garner more trust with their readers than those who attempt to provide a more complete , comprehensive approach , which is logically better advice . Complexity creates uncertainty .
9 . BEST DEAL : This is not about getting the cheapest price ; prospects need to know if they are making the best comparative choice . If you are not the cheapest provider , why ?
10 . CELEBRITY : Celebrity sells , which is why companies pay millions of dollars to attach their brand to a celebrity . You can manufacture this by having clients who are celebrities , either nationally or locally , and by catering to a specific audience . You can also make yourself a celebrity by authoring a book ; speaking ; hiring celebrities to speak at your events or paying them to endorse you ; being a “ reporter ” of facts , stats , and news for your industry ; etc .
11 . FAMILIARITY : Are you a household name or a completely unknown entity ? We automatically trust companies and brands we have heard of before , even if we have no experience in buying them . Repetition and omnipresence in various marketing channels is key to developing this type of brand awareness .
12 . AFFINITY : Are you like me ? Do you have a similar background , lifestyle , and belief system ? Networking and “ the old boys ’ club ” is largely based on people wanting to do business with others like them . Gender , race , age , lifestyle , background , and even income level all matter ( nobody will admit it — some don ’ t even know they ’ re doing it ). Here ’ s a question to ask yourself : Who will automatically trust me more because I ’ m like them ? n
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