In one of the most engaging and, from a sales training perspective, thought-provoking presentations I’ve seen on Ted Talks, social innovator Rachel Botsman explained that “reputation is your most valuable asset” and the rise (and rise) of technology will eventually make reputation the most potent currency you possess.
Essentially, if you have a strong reputation score, there’s a greater chance you will be trusted. So, how will customers find out whether you are trustworthy or not?
Botsman gave us a sneak preview of how she sees the future shaping up, with online ‘reputation dashboards’ that provide details on all kinds of social trust scores. From our ratings on Ebay to recommendations on LinkedIn, will there be one site that hauls together all the information that identifies just how trustworthy we really are?
Work in sales? Take note…
As we’ve investigated in previous blogs here at Natural Training, the modern day sales professional must be able to earn the trust of his or her customers and prospects. Today, being the trusted adviser is more important than just the sales person – read more about this in the new Natural Training book The Natural Sales Evolution: Your Customers Have Evolved – Have You?
This presentation wasn’t full of concepts either, because Botsman provided plenty of statistics and facts that grounded her argument and (again, sales professionals take note) positioned her as the authority on the subject. She became trustworthy. One such statistic around virtual trust: “Active Facebook users are three times more likely than non-internet users to believe that ‘most people are trustworthy’.”
What else made this presentation so engaging was the natural delivery. We always talk about the importance of being natural, and offering both case studies and testimonials in the sales presentation, and you only need to watch Botsman on stage to understand what kind of impact this has on an audience. With interesting and real-life examples, delivered with confidence, ease and visible passion, Botsman managed to connect with her audience on a level that is often only reached by the very best sales people.
In sales, you dream for these golden emails: “Hi, I was recommended you by one of your customers, he has spoken very highly of you and we’re keen to find out more about your services and what you could do for our business too. When can we meet to discuss?”
It’s punch the air time for the sales professional – the holy grail of sales, and the only reason that incoming leads like that one come in is because of reputation. What Botsman is saying in her presentation is that this kind of trust can be built online.
Watch the presentation, and then ask yourself: Where in my selling strategy does build trust and reputation feature? If Botsman is right, and online dashboards that reveal how trusted we are become available, how will you score?
Speak with the sales training experts at Natural Training today to find how our unique approach can build selling strategies that work. Become the trusted adviser in your market, call us on 0207 043 1582 or email hello@naturaltraining.com.
