The Role of Trust in Sales and Leadership
“Why trust you
Give me one good reason, one good reason why."
from Why Trust You by Alice Cooper
It was the blog from John Stevenson titled “Trust,” published a few weeks ago, that got me thinking… How many times have I referenced trust as an essential foundation in sales and leadership?
It does deserve its own write-up!
Because, and to quote John, “Without trust, nothing in society would work.”
Trust is both an emotional and logical act. It is the firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something, without the proof.
As a side note, and to illustrate that trust does come without proof: “Trust but verify” is a rhyming Russian proverb. And that may also be the reason why the saying "Trust is good, control is better" is attributed to the Russian politician Lenin.
Trust in Leadership:
It did come as a surprise to me: “My employer” was named by 75% of those surveyed worldwide as the most trusted institution in the 2019 Edelman Trust Barometer. These findings from the annual report, now in its 19th year, compared to trust in NGOs (57%), business (56%), government (48%), and media (47%).
And before corporate leaders self-congratulate, the report does attribute this to a shift to “… relationships within their control, most notably their employers.”
“To be effective,” HBR writes, “leaders need their team’s trust. But how do you get that trust — and how do you get it back if you’ve lost it?” They identify three behaviors as essential:
1. Create positive relationships within your team. There are several ways to do this, including helping employees cooperate, resolving conflicts between others, giving honest feedback, and checking in with people about their concerns.
2. Demonstrate expertise and judgment. People are more likely to trust you if they believe you have the technical know-how and the experience to make good decisions about the team's work.
3. Be consistent. You must do what you say you will do. Follow through on your commitments and keep any promises you make.
From a different article by David Grossman, I add four more behaviors to this list:
4. Hard Work. Recognize that building trust takes just that. Trust must be earned over time.
5. Be quiet sometimes. Actively listen and check for understanding by paraphrasing.
6. Model the behavior you seek. Nothing speaks more loudly than the leader’s behavior.
7. Build-in accountability. Show that you are worth the trust you have earned.
Trust in Sales:
The LinkedIn State of Sales report confirms that the trust factor is key to closing deals. In the most recent report, sales professionals in the United States rank trust as the No. 1 factor in closing deals (40 %) — above ROI and price. More important, 51% percent of decision-makers rank trust as the top factor they desire in a salesperson.
A buyer, or any other decision-maker, does tend to be skeptical of a sales pitch, whether it’s a call or an in-person visit. According to a study done by Hubspot, only 3% of prospects trust sales reps. And a recent study by Salesforce found that 79% of business buyers say it’s absolutely critical or very important to interact with a salesperson who is a trusted advisor.
Enough statistics…, trust is important in all aspects of life, and making the decision to make a purchase requires a lot of it.
David Jacoby writes: “Trust is essential to successful selling. When the buyer trusts you, the buyer believes your promises, gives you access to power, takes your advice, and gives you referrals. A buyer won’t buy from you unless he or she trusts you.”
Mike Schultz adds: “When buyers trust sellers, they depend on them, listen to them, give them access, and spend time with them. Trust is critical for sales success. But today's buyers are busier than ever and, at the same time, have access to more information and choices. This makes their time harder to get, and their trust harder to build.”
Trust in sales is built around four factors (by the way, they overlap significantly with the leadership behaviors described earlier):
1. Capability: Buyers believe you can do what you say you can. We're not talking about trust in the product or service, but confidence in the seller as a person.
2. Dependability: Successful sellers build trust by showing up and honoring their commitments consistently. Do what you promise and do it well.
3. Integrity: Successful sellers always do the right thing, even in morally ambiguous situations. This can mean turning down business, suggesting alternative (and less profitable) solutions, or referring business elsewhere.
4. Intimacy: Shared work experiences expose buyers to your thinking, your work style, and your work product. Also, the more time you spend with someone, the more they tend to like you.
Sounds easy enough, doesn’t it?
Talk to us and find out how and interim or fractional sales leaders approach the topic.
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John Stevenson – Trust
HBR – How Leaders Build Trust
David Grossman – Trust in the Workplace: 6 Steps to Building Trust with Employees
David Jacoby – Four Behaviors to Building Trust in Sales
Megan Seamans – The Importance of Trust in Sales
Photo by Anne Gosewehr