Credibility makes a successful business.
But what is credibility at its core? Let’s do the math of the winning formula:
(Good product or service) + (Good people as providers) = Credibility.
We buy what we trust. We also buy from who we trust. As a business, you sell products and services that are greater sums of their parts. Those parts are the products and services plus the people behind them. Greater than that, you sell a package of credibility.
Firstly, a lot goes into a good product. Much of it is your expertise and not mine. And sometimes all you need is the best product in all your industry.
However, much of what makes your business unique is your company’s family of quality workers. People trust you. That trust is persuasive.
But what builds that trust? What consciously or unconsciously draws customers to you? Why are you a “safe” choice for their money?
Exposure
We all struggle to trust people we have never heard or seen. This includes the multiple faces of your business: you, your website, and your store. If you have a physical location in a high-traffic area, great. But generally, you need more visibility for new customers.
Here are a few ways to increase your exposure:
- Market your online “storefront”. Interact on social media to reach that audience. Describe your business’s story and products on your website to reach people using search engines.
- Build your professional network. If your name is well-known in your industry, then your name will trickle elsewhere. Strong trust comes from hearing about a new product from a friend or existing business relationship–trust transfers trust.
- Have an informative website with a blog. This helps customers accomplish what they want…sometimes with the aid of a product or paid service you provide. They will still get a lot done without you, feel thankful, and thus tempted to pay you for something even better.
Track Record
Time builds trust. Have you been in the area for a while? Sometimes people just need to know what you have to offer, and how long you’ve done a good job. So much assurance comes from a good track record alone.
- Advertise your track record. But don’t brag. For instance, a sign with flashy colors and big letters focused on “I” or “we” may turn people away. Instead, make it a discussion with the customer in focus. Say “you” and address the issue that concerns your customer. “Here, you get 35 years of Arabian breeding and training experience that will find the best approach. We make sure you will share safe experiences with a confident horse.” Much like a unique selling proposition or elevator pitch.
- Have testimonials. These show rather than tell your track record. They have the socially-proven element we trust. What did a friend recommend? What does another professional recommend? Your audience may not have a friend bringing them to you. However, a social consensus via testimonials has “safety in numbers” assure them you are what you say you are.
- Consistency is reliability. A good track record conveys, “You can trust I’ll do as well for you like many others in the past.” So share your case studies on social media, your website, or as flyers at your store. Have an old-fashioned face-to-face conversation. Hear their needs and share a time your recommended solution made someone with a similar situation happy.
Insight
On the topic of sharing stories, I find the most persuasive salesmanship entails stories of fascinating wisdom.
- Tell something light and fun. Engagement is key to building rapport. It shows baseline respect for the other person. Without it, many uncertain customers won’t open up.
- Share your life lessons. Besides the fun side of a story, the educational side is the most engaging. It also takes the next step and shows your track record. Maybe I want soil testing, and you have a story from earlier in your career as a soil scientist.
- Make it topically related, but it doesn’t even have to explicitly include the product or service sought.
Stories show you’re invested on a human level. I’ll feel easier when talking about your services for my soil samples.
Credibility in the Rhetorical Triangle
According to the rhetorical triangle, persuasion hinges on three points: logic, values such as ethics and emotions, and credibility. These are also known as logos, pathos, and ethos, respectively.
My argument here is that these points, usually represented as a triangle, support each other. To expand on that, logic and ethical values support credibility.
Good marketing and good people skills rely on logic and values. No one wants to deal with someone who is irrational, insensitive, or unethical. So display empathy, common sense, and know-how to help clients.
For instance, if you are a veterinarian:
- Show gentleness and firmness to animals. If they’re as calm they can get, so are the owners. You also look like you know what you’re doing, and something as basic to you means a lot to them.
- Explain what you’re looking for and show it if you can. Knowledge comforts. Sharing that knowledge proves you to them and builds the relationship.
- Have a good attitude, even if the situation is serious. You are on your customer’s team. Your customer feels good about you, learns something important, and therefore builds trust in you.
What NOT To Do For Credibility
This list could be incredibly long. From dismissing concerns to lashing out because you’re affected at work by a personal issue, there’s no shortage of traits to offend people.
But I picked a few traits that encompass common problems that can get even the best of us:
- Lack of composure. No one wants to parent a stranger. We all have emotional moments that draw us to cater to ourselves. Meanwhile, a customer is wondering what’s wrong and if it’s worth their time and their own emotional energy to deal with. They could go to someone else. That stability attracts. That stability is trustworthy.
- Lack of organization. This is an infuriating, yet common flaw that requires a different kind of patience. Customers may go elsewhere, so business owners should minimize inconvenience to the customer.
- Keep promises. People may trust you, but once you start missing promised deadlines, people feel burned and abandoned. So they move on. You had them and you lost them.
Conclusion
In essence, a successful business stands on the credibility born from good products and good people. If you think you’re having trouble conveying credibility, these five approaches should help customers trust you and your product by extension:
Get exposure, have a good track record, use insight, think about the duality of empathy and logic to support credibility.
At the same time, avoid failing at composure, organization, and keeping promises.
It all comes together to communicate credibility as a professional to customers.