How to Build Trust in Digital Customer Interactions – 5 Concrete Tips

In every human interaction, trust plays THE key role: in politics, in business, in our professional activities, and, more generally, in our personal life, e.g. in the family, in partnerships or among friends.

Trust is also key when dealing with customer relationships. As an experienced salesperson, you know that trust is your most important asset in building a strong customer relationship. Creating trust can reduce complexities and make life a lot easier for you.

We have summarized the topic of building trust in customer relationships in our video clip:

Trust and Sales Success: An Anecdote

At the beginning of my professional life as a salesperson, a key experience in this regard made clear to me, how important trust is for sales success:
At that time, I visited perfumeries to sell 4711 Original Eau de Cologne and a nice portfolio of other well-known perfume brands and, of course, to fill the gaps in the shelves that had been left due to sales to end consumers.

When, during my third visit, a perfumery owner asked me for the first time to independently fill in what was then known as the stock book (at that time, stock books were inventory lists in which incoming goods, outgoing goods and, as a result, stocks were recorded manually) it was clear to me that I had managed to gain her total trust. Subsequently, I was trusted to independently enter the reorders.

In many online workshops that I have been able to conduct over the past few months, the majority of participants initially doubted that trust could be built online in the same way as in face-to-face meetings.

But how can trust be built ONLINE?

To do this, it is important to look at the factors on which trust depends. Previous experience, situational factors and personality certainly play a role – and: you need time and opportunities to prove your trustworthiness.

Here are 5 concrete things you can do to make customers and buyers trust in you:

#1 Show your expertise!
Because people put their trust in people who know what they are doing!

#2 Show empathy!
Put yourself into your customers’ shoes and see things from their perspective on both, an emotional and rational level.

#3 Show commitment!
Raise questions to show your interest. Invest time and be loyal to your customer, even if you have better options.

#4 Be consistent!
Walk the talk!

#5 Respect the social norms!
Be open and honest but not naive. Be fair and don’t take advantage of your customers’ situation. Accept the people as they are and separate them from their tactics … and don’t forget: you scratch my back and I scratch yours.
And … in the meeting be patient and listen actively.

Trust is a question of inner attitude and authenticity – also online

What is missing online are joint experiences, a business dinner and a good glass of wine. As we all know, opening a bottle may also open some hidden secrets. Personal meetings are certainly helpful and necessary from time to time.

Ultimately, however, the above points can also be used to build a trustworthy customer relationship online. After all, trust is primarily a question of inner attitude and authenticity!

Interested to learn more about remote and hybrid selling, engaging and interactive communication and other skills trainings especially for online mode and international business? Then have a look at our workshop program under the following link: Our Workshops & Services.