Trust—it’s what you want all prospects and clients to have in you. But it takes work to earn that trust. As Nancy Fox says in her article this week, 5 Ways to Win Business and Influence Decision Makers, you “gain influence and trust with business decision makers when [you] demonstrate that [you] understand them, their business, and the needs and wants of their business.” Start by identifying the real decision makers and then develop a relationship with them, paying attention to the client’s wants and needs.
Charles H. Green reinforces that thinking in his article, When You Fling Mud at Competitors, You Get Dirty, Too. You want to focus on your client, not your competitor. You may be tempted to point out what you do better than your competitor and point out your competitor’s flaws, but that doesn’t sit well with clients. They may think you care only about winning the sale and beating the competition, not about really helping them.
“Focusing on your client, not on your competitor, is the trustworthy thing to do,” Green says. “And when trust in businesses is declining, those who act in a trustworthy manner differentiate themselves. Isn’t that what you want?”
You also instill feelings of trust, as well as demonstrate understanding of clients, when you write and speak about issues important to them. By writing a blog, publishing articles, or speaking at events, you show prospects that you have the expertise they need. Getting to that level, however, also takes work, says author Tom Davenport in his podcast interview, So, You Want to Become a Thought Leader? But if you do it well and set yourself apart from others also trying to show their thought leadership, the benefits are enormous.
That thought leadership, combined with effective PR, will also help catch the eye of the media. And when you make a name for yourself in the media, you increase your trust factor even more. The easiest way to spread news about you and your firm is through press releases, says Paula Phelan in her article, PR Strategies That Get the Media to Notice You, but those press releases must be interesting. Even if you don’t have any “hard” news, you can get the media to take notice using service announcements, client case studies, and articles written by industry experts.
The Role of Social Networks
You can take your media connections a step further and develop relationships with writers and editors via social networks. Make them aware of your expertise and your willingness to talk to them about issues, and they will seek you out when they need analysis and quotes for stories.
It was social networking and online marketing that helped networking solutions company Juniper Networks increase its contact base and allowed the company to engage with potential customers, writes Stephanie Tilton in her case study, Networking Solutions Company Discovers the Power of Email and Social Networks.
“Juniper tapped into Web 2.0 technologies and social-media platforms, including YouTube, live chat, forums, and Twitter. By embedding ‘forward-to-a-friend’ mechanisms into its communications, Juniper made it easy for recipients to pass them on and for the company to measure activity. By the end of the campaign, nearly all emails ended up going viral. Plus, [they] could see how many contacts it had built up and how quickly they responded to various promotions.”
The company opened the channels to allow customers and advocates to communicate with them and share ideas and suggestions. In return, Juniper Networks created a web portal that includes online lab facilities, an online forum, webcasts, and education programs.
Further evidence that digital marketing channels are becoming a priority for marketers comes from Econsultancy and ExactTarget. A survey that they conducted shows 66% of B2B marketers will increase investments in digital marketing such as social media in 2010. Traditional marketing, on the other hand, is dropping considerably.
No matter what marketing tactic you employ, make sure you use it to show prospects and clients how you can help them. Avoid the sales pitches and being part of the “me-to” noise. You want people to trust you and to seek out more information from you—not run away from you.
