Credibility takes time and effort to build and sustained intentionality to keep. It can also be lost in an instant with one disingenuous interaction or careless mistake.
Even the most structurally sound house of cards can come tumbling down with an absent-minded error or momentary gust of wind. For B2B sales professionals, a proactive approach, awareness of customers’ needs and transparent communication are key to ensuring their credibility stands strong.
According to a 2022 Salesforce survey, three out of four customers said transparent communication has become more important following the pandemic. Meanwhile, 46 percent of consumers said they would pay more for brands they trust in a 2022 Salesify survey.
In the competitive B2B tech market, establishing credibility and trustworthiness is not optional — it’s a necessity.
As customers increasingly prioritize these qualities, sales professionals must double down on fostering relationships built upon authenticity and laser-focused on the potential customer’s needs and wants.
“Whatever stage of the sales cycle you’re struggling to get to, I look at that to understand ‘How are we doing at establishing credibility at this stage?’ It applies to everything,” said SDR Manager Adam Austin, who works at Colorado-based telecommunications service provider zLinq.
Austin broke down his approach to building and maintaining credibility and the common pitfalls to avoid in the process.
zLinq is a SaaS solution that manages enterprise customers’ communication lifecycle. The company is on a mission to transform the communication landscape.
Beyond sharing big logos, what should B2B tech sales professionals do when establishing credibility with potential customers who aren’t familiar with your company?
Research your prospect, listen to your prospect, and — I can’t stress this enough — do what you say you’ll do. Credibility isn’t transactional. It’s hard to build and easy to lose, meaning it’s unlikely you have it on the first or second touchpoint, especially if you’re speaking with someone totally unfamiliar with your organization. Show your potential customers that you understand the space they operate in and at least have a hypothesis about the challenges they may be facing.
Even if that hypothesis is incorrect, it’s a conversation starter. Follow that up by asking questions, not only to learn your customers’ “pain points” but also to understand where they’re winning and what they take pride in. I love to ask “What's working?” before asking what needs to be fixed.
Lastly, when you say you’ll do something, do it. I’ve seen plenty of sales professionals who say they’ll send content or follow up and never do, which is the best way to keep your brand top of mind. How can we prove we’ll do great work for a client if we don’t put our best foot forward to win their business?
What should B2B tech sales professionals not do in an attempt to establish credibility with potential customers?
Well, related to the above, don’t follow up when you say you will. So much of good business is just staying organized. I’d also add things like arguing with your potential customers, which happens more than you’d think, not taking the time to understand their industry or the scope of their role and putting your agenda above theirs.
Arguing is a net negative every time. Sales is about finding common ground. Proving why you’re right and your customer is wrong wins you a sense of moral superiority and loses you a relationship.
If you don’t understand, or at least have a hypothesis, about what matters to your potential customer, you've already burned your bridge.
And, if you keep pushing for what matters to you — the meeting, the next step, the signature and so on — without demonstrating why that brings value to your customer, you may get them to agree, but you’re hurting the relationship along the way. Eventually, they’ll just stop responding because it will feel like you’re twisting their arm. That’s the only time I’ve regretted the way I’ve managed a sales cycle.
If you’re not building credibility at every touchpoint, you’re losing it.”
Are there any key signs you look for to determine if you need to further establish credibility with a customer?
Any time I don’t see the outcome I was looking for, my first instinct is that it’s due to a lack of credibility. The number one reason anyone misses out on winning business is a lack of trust. Not getting email replies? Even following every best practice, if you’re not demonstrating credibility, no one will answer. Same for calls or meetings not moving to the next steps or contracts not being signed. If you’re not building credibility at every touchpoint, you’re losing it.
