How to win over customers who don’t trust you

Have you ever had a customer who just doesn’t quite seem to trust you?  He (she) listens to you with raised eyebrow, and doesn’t take what you say at face value. He looks for hidden agendas, and always looks for the “catch.” If you are basically an honest person, it can be a very unpleasant sensation. (Even if you’re not an honest person, it’s still unpleasant – but at least you know who to blame!) Of all the connections we can build with our customers (as well as co-workers, bosses, employees, etc) trust is both the hardest to create, and easiest to break. Truth be told in this day and age a little healthy skepticism is probably a good thing.  But there are some people who fear so greatly the vulnerability that comes with trust, they overcompensate by trusting virtually nothing and no-one.

There is, unfortunately, no quick fix for building trust. Loss of trust is founded to a large extent by personal experiences, and it can only be built back by creating honest, positive experiences. There are three steps to beginning this process:

Acknowledge and validate customers’ discomfort – e.g. “I understand your discomfort. I suspect I’d feel the same way if I were you.”
Reaffirm to her that you care – e.g. “I care about how satisfied you are – and I don’t want you anything you’re not sure of.”

Restate your position, then set her free – Give them permission to walk away (those of you who are in sales – this means you too!). e.g. “I really do think this is best for you because . But you really should be 100% comfortable before you make a decision.”

These three steps express empathy, caring, and confidence in your position – three things that suspicious customers are looking for. Give it a try. You’ll notice changes right away in customers’ body language and attitude.