People buy from people they trust. In our modern-day society, establishing trust is more
important than ever. “People are typically 70% through their buyer’s journey before making contact with a sales team,” says Joshua Feinberg, Vice President and Co-Founder of SP Home Run. “People research and make purchase decisions vastly differently than just a few years ago.”
Recently on our “Webinar Best Practices for Data Centers and Cloud Service Providers,”Jennifer Feinberg and Joshua Feinberg led a discussion about how establishing trust in business relationships in essential to a business’ success.
Jennifer, who is President and Co-Founder of SP Home Run, mentioned that “at SP Home Run, we have a list of best practices that we keep around to make sure we’re serving our clients to the best of our ability. These practices are something I encourage every business to use to help them gain trust from their clients.”
What is Trusted Advisor Status?
Trusted advisor status goes beyond the typical relationships data center salespeople have with their clients. Trusted advisors understand the importance of trust within business relationships and work hard to achieve it. Hubspot assigns these six characteristics to trusted advisors:
- Integral (making decisions that favor the client’s best interests)
- Competent (knowledgeable of their trade)
- Recognition (treating a client as an individual, not as a number)
- Proactive
- Savvy
- Chemistry (refraining from a stale attitude when engaging with clients)
Why is Trusted Advisor Status Important?
“Trusted advisors have no problems retaining business,” says Jennifer. “Their clients almost always want to work with them again.” Repeat business is just one perk of achieving this status.
Not only are clients more inclined to continue working with them, but they are also more likely to explore more products/services and recommend your data center to other prospects.
How Does One Gain Trusted Advisor Status?
“Advisors need to know their stuff,” says Joshua. “If you don’t know your trade inside-out, why should a client trust you?” Education is the first and most important step in establishing trust. “Beyond knowing your product, know your industry,” advises Jennifer.
“Keep up with current events. Know what your competitors are doing. These are all things that will help you establish credibility with data center clients.” Instead of simply trying to sell a product to a client, help them understand why your product will meet their needs.
Education on behalf of both the prospect and advisor lays the foundation for achieving this coveted relationship.
“Having a strong social media presence is also incredibly important for businesses,” says Jennifer. “When businesses are not on social media, it is usually a red flag for prospects.” Establishing a social media presence allows prospects to scope out businesses without commitment.
Promoting educational content such as blogs, case studies, and other materials will help you educate prospects before they are on your radar. One thing to remember when sharing content? “Keep your buyer personas in mind,” says Jennifer. “Share content that is relevant to them, not just stuff about how great your company is.”
Building a Best Practice List
Preparing a best practice list can help you remain productive and organized. This list should include a detailed checklist of what needs to be done to achieve a task to the fullest. This list holds your business and staff accountable for their actions.
Setting forth a standard will not only help your business prosper but will also allow you to serve your clients to the fullest.
Are you a trusted advisor within your industry? Let us know how you achieved this in the Comments below.
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