People buy from people they know, like and trust.  It sounds obvious, but it’s surprising how many sales approaches skip straight past the first two steps and hope for the third.

Know.  Before anyone buys from you, they need to know you exist – and know what you do.  That’s where networking, a helpful website, a LinkedIn profile that actually says something and the occasional blog all earn their keep.  You’re not selling at this stage; you’re simply making sure the right people have heard of you.

Like.  Once they know you, do they like dealing with you?  Liking comes from conversations that are about them rather than about you, from being helpful without strings attached, and from turning up when you said you would.  Nobody likes being sold at by a stranger.

Trust.  Trust takes longest to build and is the quickest to lose.  It comes from doing what you said you would do, from being honest when something isn’t right for them, and from recommendations by people they already trust.

Only when all three are in place does a sales conversation feel natural – to both of you.  Try to jump straight to the sale and, at best, you’ll be politely ignored.

So where are your prospects on that journey?  And what are you doing to help them along it?  If you’d like some help working that out, please do get in touch!