The Tale of Two Sellers

On a recent trip to a local mall, I saw this truck parked out at the edge of the lot and thought to myself, “Who would buy from this person?” Even in a non-COVID world, I can’t imagine anyone buying meat from the back of a rented truck in a parking lot. Why?

Trust.

Consider the tale of two sellers:

Seller A: Receives email from a potential client but is busy and makes a mental note to respond to the client when able. A week goes by, the seller receives another email from the client. This time they respond to the client and ask how to help. The client wants to brainstorm ideas about an upcoming event and wants to partner with the seller on doing something creative to reach the audience. After two weeks of back and forth, they finally have a phone meeting. The client is loaded with ideas; the seller has none but takes notes. After the call (on a Thursday) seller promises to get back to the client by Monday with a recap and some plans. Monday comes and the client doesn’t hear from the seller. A full week goes by and the client still has not heard from the seller. The client gets frustrated and decides not to pursue the sponsorship opportunity.

Seller A tells the manager, “This COVID is killing me, people are reluctant to do anything in times like these.”

Seller B: Receives email from a potential client and within a couple of hours gets the client on the phone sets up a meeting for the next day. Researches and finds multiple ideas for the client and shares them the next day when they speak. The client feels like the seller wants their business and asks what the next step is. The seller tells the client, “I’ll call you Friday with more details on how we can move this forward.” Seller is excited and engaged and looking forward to creating a custom strategy to help the client achieve their objectives. Seller is so excited they call on Thursday instead of waiting for Friday. The client is delighted with what the seller has put together and decides to move forward with the investment.

Seller B tells the manager, “I’m not sure what people are complaining about. When I talk to clients, they need and want help, when I provide it, they buy from me. I love helping my clients.”

The difference? Trust. Trust begins and ends with being engaged with potential clients, following through on promises, and listening to your prospects and then providing them strategies and opportunities that meet their objectives.

Do your clients and prospects trust you?