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When you meet with a potential client for the first time, you’ve probably been trained to build rapport and create a social connection so they get to know and like you.
That comes from traditional sales conditioning that says they need to know and like you, before they can trust you.
Your imbedded mindset during your first meeting, is most likely that you’re building a relationship that will eventually lead to a new client.
The underlying issue, never discussed in the industry, is the truth that your prospects aren’t in the meeting to become your friend, they’re there to assess if they can trust you.
Attempting to build a “relationship” in that meeting will often times lead to a long sales cycle, ending in them dropping out of sales process.
Why?
Because trust-building and relationship-building are completely different.
Real relationships take time to build and are best developed after they are a paying client, not before.
Attempting to squeeze a relationship into a short window of time, is a recipe for them not trusting you.
The idea that you need to build a relationship to get the sale, comes from many of the outdated sales approaches.
Here’s the rub, your prospect knows there’s a commercial purpose behind you’re meeting with them.
They know why they are there, which can be a miss-match if you attempt to building a relationship with them.
All you really need to do is build trust with them.
And this kind of trust is not related to how friendly and personable you are.
The trust I’m talking about is not a social kind of trust, based on whether they think you’re a nice person.
It’s a business-based trust, based on whether they feel you’re the right person to solve their problem.
Business-based trust has little to do with your personality or your competence.
Business-based trust is all about how much clarity you provide them about their problems.
Your goal is to become a “trusted authority” in their eyes.
It’s possible to become a trusted authority very quickly with your prospect, even in one initial meeting, if you replace your relationship-building activities with these trust-building principles instead:
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Be the doctor with bedside manner
In the initial meeting, adopt the demeanour of a doctor diagnosing their patient with empathy and bedside manner. Maintain the professional boundary between you and them, so they see you as the authority to prescribe the action they need to take to solve their problem. -
Stay problem-centric in your approach
Don’t describe how you’re going to solve their problems. Focus on getting to the bottom of the real reasons why they’ve come to see you. Keep small talk and chit chat to a minimum, so the conversation stays on track and doesn’t become a social interaction. Don’t assume what they want, is what they need.
Shifting your mindset from relationship-building to trust-building is a game-changer.
You won’t need multiple meetings, and you won’t need to do any more free consulting.
Delivering value does not create trust, only clarity on the depth of their issues does.
Your whole sales cycle can be collapsed into one single trust-based conversation, when you become a trusted authority (not a trusted advisor).
To learn how to become a trusted authority, order your complimentary book and consultation below.
Related: How To Differentiate
Ari Galper is the world’s number one authority on trust-based selling and is the most sought-after high-net worth/lead generation expert for financial advisors. His newest book, “Trust In A Split Second” has become an instant best-seller among financial advisors worldwide – you can get a Free copy of Ari’s book here and, when you click the “YES” button in the order form, you’ll also receive a complimentary “plug up the holes” lead generation consultation.