Thoughtful Thursdays - Building trust without making personal contact

One of the hottest subjects today is the use of social media as a business tool. I would agree that a social media strategy with a well executed tactical plan will increase awareness in a market place. When used in conjunction with other Internet communications services this increased awareness can translate into more prospects and eventually new customers.

Some traditional thoughts about selling tell us that:

• Relationships are crucial to the success of any business
• A key benefit of a good relationship is trust
• Trust is at the top of the list in making buying decisions

Enter social media, and the challenge of building trust with minimal or no personal contact. In my experience, customers now conduct significant research before making the decision to purchase. In many cases the decision is appears to be based more on price than relationship. All things being equal, how will you, without the opportunity of building a face to face relationship, build trust to a level that will result in an order in your favour?

Here are a few suggestions that may be useful in building a trustworthy online presence:

• Do not post or make inane comments
• Contribute to online forums and comment on articles that will benefit from your expertise
• Fully complete your online profiles
• If you like a post, tell the writer why
• Offer constructive criticism not personal shots
• Make it about them, not you
• Thank your readers
• Be consistent
• Assume that anything you post can be seen by anyone, anywhere at any time

I will always be a believer in the value of relationships built on personal communication. Social media presents a great opportunity to grow your list of prospects. When it comes to closing a deal, I prefer to do that in person, but that's just me.

Good selling,
Richard