The product or service offered by a salesperson’s company isn’t the only thing he or she is selling when negotiating with a prospect. The company itself is being sold, and really so is the salesperson. To effectively sell, one has to build a certain level of trust with the prospective buyer.
Think about how differently you act when you trust someone from how you act when you don’t. Building trust is about decoding human behavior and helping people become comfortable with you. Prospects don’t usually trust salespeople because they think that the salespeople are out to get something for themselves. It is only by shifting the focus from “taking” to “helping” that trust is really built.
You must focus on finding out what kind of help your prospects need, why they need help, and asking them if they want your help. If you are sincere in your desire to help the prospect rather than to get their business, you will see trust beginning to form. If you understand their needs as a person, how they filter things when communicating, and are actively listening to and understanding them, trust will be built.
If a salesperson can build a close, trusting relationship with a prospect, that puts him or her in a great position to sell. The customer knows the salesperson has his or her best interests in mind, rather than just making the sale, and because of that is more likely to accept recommendations and complete the purchase. And that’s the best situation for all parties involved.