Trust in Selling: Fad or Trend? (video below)

Posted on June 13, 2009 by Ari Galper

  Over the past few months I have received more speaking invitations, calls from companies wanting me to train their sales teams and requests for radio and TV interviews -- than I ever have in the past eight years.

  I'm not mentioning this to impress you, but to simply raise the question:

  Is Trust in Selling a Fad or a New Trend?

  If you've been following me since the beginning, when I created Unlock The Game about eight years ago, you'll know that every email, product and message I have written and made available to my members and subscribers, has been essentially about one core idea:

  Master the art of creating trust in the sales process --and sales will come your way without you having to try and "close" anyone. 

  When I started my mission to spread that message eight years ago, there weren't many takers.

  Back then, the spotlight was on all the old traditional sales gurus teaching the same old sales messages.

  I won't repeat them since you probably already know what they are.

  Fast forward to 2009, there are now over 30,000 subscribers, clients and members of Unlock The Game -- and that number grows by hundereds every month.

  Parallel to that growth, I've been growing a second company called Chatwise that takes the trust-building mindset and strategies from Unlock The Game and applies them to online sales conversion using the live chat medium.

  For many people who have online businesses, the idea of overlaying the "human touch" on their website -- to boost their sales conversion -- is novel and new.

  Because of it, we have a waiting list of new clients who want access to our Chatwise online conversion methodology and expertise.

  Point here is, trust offline and online is now "hot" in buisness circles all around the world.

  Funny, to me, trust in the sales process both offline and online is as core and as natural as the air I breathe.

  Yet, it's "new" for so many people these days.

  What's your opinion: Is Trust in Selling a Fad or a New Trend?

  Check out this recent TV interview I did last week on the CNN equivalent (Sky Business News) here in Australia: 

  I'd love to hear your comments about is trust in business a fad or a new trend.

  Post your comments below.

To your success, 

P.S. Catch me at these upcoming events in Australia and the UK: http://www.BoomingInTheBust.com.au and http://www.Entrepreneur2009.co.uk

12 Comments     Add Your Comments Here

Lois Crockett, Fort Lauderdale, FL , June 29, 2009 at 8:55 PM Trust should never be "new" or "novel" or a "trend." It is the backbone of doing business with other people. And, yes, the Human Equation figures heavily into the transaction process so how can we do no less than to honor trust, honesty, and other, old-fashioned "out-of-date" (?!) ethics. A person is as good as their word: still holds. Well done Ari! - this needed to be brought to the forefront. L.Crockett

Anita Scott, Dallas, TX , June 18, 2009 at 2:13 PM Trust is neither a fad or a trend. Honesty in selling = trust. A few sales trainers may espouse bending the truth, but none that I ever paid attention to. Customers, as well as your family and friends, deserve honesty and that hasn't changed through the ages. Thank you Ari for spreading the message, Anita

Tynan O'Hara, Manchester - England , June 18, 2009 at 3:02 AM Sorry Ari, but to me it is no amazing story to me that Trust produces sales. I agree that people need to trust you to do business with you, but I think if they have a need they will buy from someone who acts responsible & respectfully towards them & if the product is right for them. Pushing people into a sale will just lead to cancellations, your role as the sales person is to identify if your product meets there need, if it does the sale will happen so long as you are respectful. Trust implies that you should not lie. For me to never lie/exaggerate beyond the truth is great advice, trust is proven by delivering what you said would happen. Tynan

Trust is where we should have been all along!, Rathdrum, ID USA , June 17, 2009 at 5:01 PM Trust is where we should have been all along. What an exciting thought that this is coming to pass. Fad no way. Anyway lets hope not. CS

Dr. Roy Vartabedian, Carlsbad, CA (USA) , June 17, 2009 at 1:51 PM Great job, Ari, on the show! They gave you some good time to share your message. Love your approach to sales. You've got the sound bite thing down well for TV. Hope you get lots more great exposure for your wonderful system. The world will be a better place when everyone uses your techniques! All the best to you. Dr. Roy

PaulsHealthBlog.com, Conway, Arkansas , June 17, 2009 at 10:03 AM I believe that most people in the field of sales want to be honest and truthful. But the training from sales gurus and managers often says otherwise. Hence, the internal conflict of salespeople. It is much easier to be true to yourself once you have the mindset and know the basic words to say. Which is why I am grateful and appreciative of Unlock The Game. Paul Eat Well. Live Well. PurpleGreenPops.com

Ray Fisher, Ontario Canada , June 17, 2009 at 8:52 AM Is Trust in Selling a Fad or a New Trend? Ari, it’s neither. Trust in selling has always been there since the beginning of people doing business together. That’s a long time, so it’s certainly not a Fad either. However, in today’s business world, many changing factors have impacted the way people interact which has “raised the Trust bar” and brought its importance to the front of the sales process. Your Unlock The Game concepts and methodologies has provided those that have always believed trust to be an important component of the sales process, with a new framework for tackling future sales challenges. For others, who have recently learned the importance of trust in the sales process, welcome and good selling out there. Ray Ray Fisher Ottawa, Canada

Chris Batchelor, Utrecht,Holland , June 17, 2009 at 8:44 AM Naturally we all live in pockets,our own sphere of influence.I am travelling about in England,Holland,Germany,Austria and Hungary and the crisis is hitting home to a greater or lesser extent!Like all the past recessions salespeople are some of the first to be fired.Unfortunately times are tough in the above countries (and France).Sales at the present is kind-of "extinguished" in the race to cutback and re-budget. Chris

Ray Bigger, Singapore , June 17, 2009 at 1:15 AM I start any sales workshop/engagement with a question or statement depending and it is this; "In a customer meeting if you are focused on selling then you are not doing your job properly" - and boy does that get people's attention. Take a look at the June edition of Harvard Business Review pages 64 & 65 addressing trust or the fact that the events of the past 12 months have eroded trust so Ari is right on the money, build the trust and keep building it. Ray

arthur Rego, Bermuda , June 16, 2009 at 6:36 PM Hi Ari, Your interview was on target and selling is about building trust and relationships the sale(s) will follow. Thanks for your contributions with respect to the right approach to offline and online marketing. Kind regards Arthur

Declan Barnett, Sunshine Coast Queensland , June 16, 2009 at 4:43 PM Hi Ari, It's great to see the main stream media catching on to your simple yet powerful strategies. You and I saw the sense over a year ago to bring together my traffic driving strategies at http://www.web20formula.com and your conversion strategies. It's a killer combination. Businesses cannot afford to spend the dollars to drive the traffic and not have them convert to their offer. It provides the best feedback any company could have on their whole online presence. Hey Ari,all the best at the Boom in the Bust seminar series. You'll knock them for six. Cheers Declan

Paul, San Diego , June 13, 2009 at 2:55 PM It's the future. People are too sophisticated for the old appproaches. They have had it with the pressure and games. They are looking for trust more than ever with the scams and manipulations of banks, wall street, and the Madolps of the world. I believe you will sell this way or you won't be selling. I call it INTEGRITY SELLING.

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