Marketing Ideas

No one buys anything from a person or business he doesn’t trust. You wouldn’t buy a car from a dealer you thought was ripping you off, or from a salesperson who you thought wasn’t being honest with you, right?

Most people have always gone into a skeptical mindset when they make big-ticket items, like televisions and cars, but that skepticism is leaking into smaller purchases too. With all of the hyped-up advertising, with promises that can’t be delivered, you can’t really blame consumers for being cautious.

It’s precisely this reason that you need to use marketing techniques that put customers’ minds at ease. Here are a few ways to get trust from your customers, which is a first step to making any sale:

Testimonials
People believe what other customers have to say about you and your product more than they’ll believe what you have to say.

Using testimonials in your catalogs, brochures and other marketing materials is what will convince people that your product is the best, that it works and that it won’t break.

Get testimonials by asking customers what they liked about your product or service and how it helped them. Ask if you helped them solve a problem – these kinds of benefit testimonials work especially well. Write down their comments, and get their written permission to use them. It helps if you offer a discount or something valuable in exchange for their time. But, be sure you get the testimonial before you offer the discount or you might be called out for bribing your customers!

Write articles to establish yourself as an expert
Writing free articles for your local newspaper or magazine can be a great source of getting trust from the community. Write about what you know – your industry or your type of product – but don’t only talk about you and your product. In fact, it’s best if you don’t mention your affiliation at all in the article. Your name, occupation and/or business name will most likely be in the credit line. You might also get a headshot to accompany the article. People want to buy from those they think are knowledgeable – knowledge equals trust.

Ask for referrals
Give out your business cards to your customers and ask if they know anyone who might need your service. You can also ask your friends and family to ask their friends and family for referrals. Also, try some networking events like social industry dinners – they can be great places to strike up a conversation and find someone that might need your product, or knows someone that might need your product.

Personalize your direct mail
Use people’s names on letters and postcards – people will be more apt to read something that is addressed to them by name rather than to “Dear customer.” You trust someone that you know personally, and using names are an easy way to evoke trust. Also, try to get to know your target market – whether they have kids, pets, etc. and use that info in your direct mail pieces. “Now that your kids are about to go back to school …”. Make people think your direct mail is talking directly to them.

Lastly, once you establish a contact, keep following up periodically. Once a month or once every other month is good – enough for them to remember you, but not enough to annoy them. Once you earn consumers’ trust, the rest of the sales process is much easier!

Networking is all about creating solid relationships not only with businesses that have the same target market as yours, but also to build connections that can help you fulfill mutual needs. It also helps to have a circle that can act as a one stop shop where your clients and prospects can go to satisfy their own needs and wants.

Having a circle means one client can satisfy several other businesses in addition to your company. For example, if you’re a business card printing company, all the members of your circle can benefit with even one client. When a client needs to have his or her business cards printed, as a commercial printer you’ll need the help of a paper supplier, ink supplier, equipment manufacturer, graphic designer, color separator, photographer, artist, etc. If all these professionals are already in your circle, you’ll more likely get to satisfy all the needs of your client in one go.

That is why a smart business owner would seek out the experts in their fields to form working relationships with them. Having professionals and experts in your roster would mean a great deal of credibility and trust your clients will bestow upon you.

It also means identifying other businesses that would be a good source of referrals for your company. Who among the many businesses in your field are related to your kind of service but is not a competitor? Forming a relationship with these companies is a good way to get referrals from their clients regularly.