The fundamental key to selling online is TRUST – more important than ever in today’s uncertain world.
To unpack what trust really is, think about trust has having three fundamental traits; empathy, rigorous logic, and authenticity. Together, they create the trust triangle. When all three traits are displayed within an interaction in the real world, we move up the trust spectrum. When consumers develop a tangible sense that they know you or your company, entrust grows. In fact, when starting at a known factor of zero, Google’s research suggests that a buyer needs to have seven hours of interaction across 11 different touch points in 4 different locations in order to make a purchase decision and also for them to know, like, and trust you. This is known as the zero moment of truth.
Business leaders will most likely struggle in empathy and authenticity. You might sometimes lean too heavily on the logic with how a product can solve or alleviate a problem. This may be effective, however if your logic has a fundamental flaw or its ability to solve a problem is stretched, you will lose your audience. You can use data to add credibility to the important trust points that your audience will naturally hone in on. Empathy and authenticity lean more towards the internal feeling, a sense or instinct. Logic is rarely effective in overcoming the absence of empathy and authenticity. Reason and logic are persuasive but we are moved by emotion. You can use data to add credibility to the important trust points that your audience will naturally hone in. Empathy and authenticity lean more towards the internal feeling, a sense or instinct. Logic is rarely effective in overcoming the absence of empathy and authenticity. Reason and logic are persuasive but we are moved by emotion.
Especially during Covid-19, we struggle with anxiety, uncertainty, fear and we seek for safety and security. How can you gain trust online today?
5 Things You Can Do To Gain Trust Online
1. Use video – Use of a multi sensory communication is critical online. The trend to video is not new or groundbreaking however there are innovative ways to make the medium far more effective than what we traditionalists on websites use on websites and Youtube. Use the trust triangle as a guideline and evaluation tool for your videos.
2. Communicate with light heartedness – These times call for communications that are subtly uplifting, positively forward looking, and does not have the viewer, reader or listener be brought back into a state of concern or worry. Humour, although difficult to pull off, is the most effective tool to connect lower stress levels in your audience
3. Use your unique voice – The challenge startups face is overcoming a lack of online credibility and familiarity with their company. A viewer of your website should be able to hear your tone and see, read, or hear displays of the trust triangle throughout. Another trap startups sometimes fall into is waiting to tell the audience that they have the trust triangle traits in some way. Think creatively, and display, rather than say that you have those traits instead.
4. Teach them something new – Share with your prospects something they don’t know, or present something they already know in different perspective. This serves three benefits: To educate the prospect related to your product’s solution, illustrate rigorous logic, and make them feel good by learning something new. The net result of these three benefits is that it endears them to you and builds trust in your expertise of the subject matter.
5. Share the “Why” and the “What” but not the “How” – Educate your target freely and generously with as much useful content and displaying it across multiple platforms. Diving deeper into the “why” displays your empathy and showcases the reasons and causes of your prospects’ pain points and becomes an effective way to teach them something new or remind them of something they already know presented in a new perspective. Be honest in how you can help your prospects but also acknowledge that there are other options available.