Try These Unconventional Techniques to Build Trust

BY Jessica Helinski
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If you’ve had a successful career in sales so far, you may be wary of changing how you do things. But, adding something completely unexpected to your strategy can refresh your sales. “At the end of the day, clients won’t buy from you if they think you are just using another sales technique or following a sales script,” writes Mark Daoust in an Entrepreneur article. “Clients will only buy from you if you show them they can trust that your product or service will actually benefit them.”

Daoust goes on to share three unconventional sales techniques that can shake things up. One example is:

Say something that doesn’t directly help you.

This may sound like a crazy idea, but Daoust explains his reasoning. He points out that at the beginning of every negotiation, salespeople always start at a disadvantage. Distrust of sales reps is high, and according to HubSpot research, only 3% of people trust a salesperson. This is likely because people know that you aren’t impartial and your ultimate goal is to make a sale.

How do you overcome the lack of trust? “Shock them with honesty,” he writes. “The easiest way to shock someone with honesty is to do something for them that genuinely does not help you. In fact, it may even work as a disservice to you. Prove to potential clients that you are more concerned about what benefits them rather than just putting dollars in your pocket.”

So, for example, rather than trying to dissuade the prospect from considering competitors, encourage her to check them out. This tactic will immediately set you apart from the other reps who do nothing but sing their own praises. It also reveals a genuine confidence in your own product or service.

Find the other examples of nontraditional tactics in Daoust’s article. Try one of his suggestions to see how it impacts your sales, as well as your relationships with prospects. You might find that adding a bit of “crazy” to your strategy can get even better results.


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