If You Want To Sell You Must FIRST Build Empathy, Credibility & Trust

I wanted to record a quick episode to discuss one of the errors that I see people making time and time again when they are trying to win new business and sale, they get really frustrated because they just don't seem to be able to close the deal. And of course we're surrounded by lots of supposed experts telling us how easy it is to win new business. And yet a lot of agency owners don't find that to be the case. And of course they don't want to solely rely on word of mouth and referrals, which is not a strategy but a hope. So they know that they need some kind of outbound marketing strategy. So that's what we're going to be talking about today. And let's get on with the show. I'm Rob Da Costa and this is the Agency Accelerator Podcast. As someone who has stood in your shoes, having started, grown and sold my own agency, I know just how it feels in the ups and downs of agency life. So this podcast aims to ease your journey just a little by sharing mine and my guests experiences and advice as you navigate your way to growing a profitable, sustainable and enjoyable business. I'm sure, like me, you use LinkedIn as a really good networking tool and maybe even a business development tool. But have you been in that situation where someone has sent you a generic connection request that you you have a look at their profile, they seem vaguely interesting, so you accept their connection and then within five minutes you've got a sales message from them telling you to check out their product or their service or book a call with you. And if you're like me, you're thinking why on earth would I want to book a call with you? I don't know anything about you, I don't know what you do, I don't know whether you're credible and therefore I don't trust you. So there's absolutely no way I am going to start engaging in a sales process with you. And this example really highlights the problem that I think a lot of us fall into and that is that we don't realize we have to build know like and trust with someone before they will buy from us. Or another way I put it, which I think explains things more clearly, is the first thing we have to do is build empathy. Then we have to build credibility, then we have to build trust and it's only at that point will someone be interested in buying from you. When you think about this, this is true for anything. If I was buying a bottle of water, what's the reason I might pay more for a branded bottle of water than a generic bottle of water. And that is because the branded bottle has spent time getting to know me, showing that they understand me, that they can quench my thirst, and therefore I trust them. And that's why I'm more likely to buy. Now, I know that's a really silly example, but I wanted to highlight how this applies to absolutely everything in every sales process. So let's just dig into these three areas in a little bit more detail. Let's explain what building empathy, building credibility, and building trust actually means, so you can start considering how to apply this to your own sales and marketing process. So I've explained why these three things are so important and why it doesn't matter what you're selling. Whether it be an SEO service, a website, some writing, a PR campaign, a bottle of water, or a car, we still always need to show our customers that we understand them, that we've done it for other people, and that therefore they can trust us. Because it's only when we trust the sell will we actually start engaging in a sales process. And it's why people who apply that LinkedIn strategy that I outlined at the beginning are getting it so wrong. Now, everything I'm going to talk about is completely predicated on the fact that you have a really clear niche and you understand exactly who your ideal target customer is. And, you know, that's something I talk about all the time, that I believe for small agencies is so vital, and I'm going to assume that's a given. So I'm going to assume that you have a clear niche and that you have defined exactly who your ideal target customer is. Because the first thing you need to do as part of the sales process is build empathy with them. And what that means is that you're showing them that you understand them and what a typical day in their life looks like. And you understand the problems that they have, the challenges that they have that keep them awake at night, that, oh, by the way, of course your product or service can actually solve. So building empathy is all about meeting them where they're at and showing them that you really understand them. And, and that is the first stage in this sales journey of building empathy. Once we've done that, we now start to build credibility with our audience. So now they're kind of listening to you because you've demonstrated you understand them. So there is a pricked up and they want to know more. And building credibility is where you show them that you have done it for other people who are just like Them. So in other words, you have solved the problem that your ideal target customer has that keeps them awake at night. You've done it for other people just like them. So now you, you've shown that you understand them and you're building credibility by showing them that you have helped other people. And you're going to do that by having, obviously having case studies, having testimonials, having short written testimonials or video testimonials, and just generally in your marketing, talking about other people that you have helped. So when someone is reading or watching or listening to your content, they're thinking, oh, that's exactly like me. And I can see that you've helped them. So that's stage two, which is about building credibility. Now, once we've done that, we need to start building trust with them. And building trust with them is where you start showing them how you can help them. You talk about the process or the journey that you take them through and you show the transformation that they're looking for. Remember, when someone is buying a product or service from you, they're actually buying an outcome and a transformation from being in pain to not being in pain. You're selling that transformation to get them out of pain. And that process is, is something that you're going to show them and walk them through in the third stage of building trust with them. Now, once you've taken someone through those three steps, the next logical part of the journey is to start having the sales conversation. So if we apply this back to a LinkedIn outreach strategy, then the first thing you want to be doing is engaging in your ideal target customers posts, answering questions that they have showing up in their world. They to show them that you understand them. And then through your own post, you're going to be talking about customers that you've helped and using case studies and so on. And then the third stage of building trust is where you start talking about your process and you want to map this journey out. And as I say, if you're using a LinkedIn strategy, you want to think about how you move your connection through those three stages before you engage in a sales conversation. Which is why you should never do a cold connection with someone and then start trying to sell. I know it sounds really obvious, right guys? But you must get loads of those connections like I do, where people try to sell to you immediately. And to be honest, when that happens to me, depending on my mood, I'll either send them a sarcastic message back saying, why on earth would I want to engage? I don't know anything about you or I'll just simply unconnect from them. This also highlights why cold outreach of any kind is a bad idea, why cold calling doesn't really work because you it's just like throwing it out there and hoping some of it sticks and that you catch someone at the right moment. But it's very painful way of doing it. It's why buying cold email lists is such a bad idea versus organically growing your email list, which is a fantastic idea because people have opted in so they're already expressing an interest in you, so they're already part way on that journey. Now, another way of talking about this that you're probably very familiar with is building know, like and trust. So it maps in a very similar way to how I describe it, which I think I prefer. But first of all, the no part is that you are getting known that you are building your business's brand and you're making sure that people understand what your brand is all about and who your ideal target customer is and the problems that you're going to solve for them. So this is about your audience getting to know you and the like stage. The second stage of know, like and trust is where you get to a point where your ideal audience wants to see your content because they know it's providing value to to them. So they start to get to like you and they are eager to receive your content, whether that be through an email or through LinkedIn or through social media or blogs on your website or whatever it is. And the third stage is where you are building trust. And one of the ways you're going to continually build trust is by applying steps one and two so that you are continually serving your audience. And I you know, I've said this many times, but your marketing wants to predominantly be serving, not selling. So 80% of your content should be serving your audience and continually building this know like and trust or empathy, credibility and trust. And 20% of the time you're going to be selling, but you have to do the 80% before you do the 20%. Now you can apply this thinking not just in your outbound comms, but also for example, on your website. So think on your website, the typical customer journey, the typical reader, how you take them through, getting to know you, like you and trust you, or building empathy by showing you understand the reader, building credibility by sharing examples, and then building trust by talking about how you can help them and the process that you'll take them through. So do think about how you can make that work on your website. And this is why I think so many websites get it wrong. Because the homepage basically starts off by saying, we're fantastic and we can do this and we can do that for you. And that's kind of like that cold outreach on LinkedIn where you start trying to sell. Because. Because if I've just found your website through a Google search, then I don't know you, I don't like you and I don't trust you yet. So your website, those initial homepage, and the first few pages that people are going to visit need to show them that you understand the reader, that you've helped other people just like the reader, and how you can specifically help them. So apply it in not just your outbound comms, but also things like your website and think about how you apply in your emails and your blogs and everything else. Okay, so I hope that has been food for thought on this Thursday. I hope that you have thought about some changes that you might make to your communications or your website, how you can more quickly build empathy, credibility and trust with your audience. And hopefully you recognize that you have to take your audience on that journey before they will buy from you. And obviously you'll realize how important it is to have a clear niche and to therefore understand who your ideal target customer is so that you really know them and you can build this empathy, credibility and trust. Okay, so as ever, if you found today useful, please do make sure you've hit the subscribe button. Please share this with your colleagues and of course, I would love you to leave a review. I've even posted a video on exactly how to do that. But other than that, have a great rest of your week and I will see you next Thursday for the next episode of the Agency Accelerator podcast. Sam.