“Perceived scarcity can drive us to self-oriented behavior. But if we focus on growing capabilities, being outward- and opportunity-focused, not self-oriented, we find that the opportunities suddenly show up,” says Charles Green, author of Trust-Based Selling.
He goes on, “The point is to develop meaningful conversations with your clients about issues relevant to them–not to sell your product. That happens naturally, from the context of conversations. There is no shortage of leads, because there is no shortage of problems. [emphasis added] There is a shortage of trust-driven conversations about needs that lead to solutions to real problems. The issue isn’t lead shortage, it’s personal courage and creativity.”
It was thinking like this that made Amanda and I sure we wanted Charlie as one of our featured speakers when we were hatching the idea that ultimately became the Mediation Business Summit. With two popular books on building trusted relationships with the marketplace and now a major name in the professional services field, Charlie’s in high demand around the world and we count our lucky stars he agreed to speak at the Summit.
“Trust-Based Selling”
with Charles Green
Session overview
Summit registration
Trusted Advisor Associates
Trust Matters blog
In anticipation of this post, I asked Charlie two questions to whet your appetite for his session at the Summit:
What trust-related mistake do you see small and solo business owners make most frequently in the marketing and sales process? The number one mistake is to focus too much on promotion – promoting their products, view or expertise. Even listening is too often turned into just listening for opportunities, magic cue phrases, which signal opportunity for the seller to pounce and once again inject their product, view or expertise.
What warning signs would suggest to you that a trust relationship isn’t sufficiently developed yet in the sales process? It’s hard to tell how other people feel; it’s easy to tell how we ourselves feel (or learn to tell). Therefore it’s not easy to look at the other party to find out if a trust relationship exists – it’s easier to look within ourselves. If you’re feeling embarrassed, or angry, or annoyed at the other party then probably you haven’t yet got a trust thing going.
Join us at the Mediation Business Summit, where Charlie will talk about how to address these problems and more.
