How soon do they Know Like and Trust you?
Jennifer was having a great, flirtatious conversation with Jack, a business colleague.
Their talk was charming and chummy…
Until the next day, when Jen got a formal notice in her inbox introducing Jack’s business partners, and how she could work with each of them.
She never spoke to Jack about business again.
Why?
Jack made a serious mistake in switching from “flirtatious friendship” to “Business collaborator” – way too soon.
Jack had no radar for the fact that Jennifer was not ready for his massive business follow-up.
Jack had steam-rolled over the “know like and trust” factor, not giving Jennifer the time she needed before he tried to sell her.
How long do your prospects have to Know, Like and Trust you?
It could be 10 minutes, 10 days or 10 weeks.
Susie was selling hand-made flutes. She had people ringing her door-bell, saying, “I heard you’ve got these amazing flutes. How much?”
Susie was at her wit’s end. These were expensive items. If she said, “between $800 and $15,000″
they would have turned around and disappeared.
Susie had just about 10 minutes to build know, like and trust.
So she said, “Oh, everyone wants to actually touch them. You know they’re considered living relics by the people who made them? Would you like to see them? Come on in.”
Susie wanted her visitors to actually see the flutes before they asked the price again.
And when Susie told them the price and they gasped, she laughed and said, “Yes! That’s exactly what I went through myself! I’d go see these gorgeous flutes and go outside and think, ‘No, Susie, you cannot buy another flute!’
“As you can see, I have 53 flutes. I lost the argument,” she smiled. Then she said, “They say the flute chooses the player. Which flute calls out to you?”
As her visitors picked up the flute, Susie would comment, “Oh, you’ve picked up a birch flute. Birch is for those who light the way, so others may follow. It’s also a symbol of renewal.”
Susie was always careful to tell the properties of the flute which had “chosen” them, so they could begin to form a relationship with it.
While her visitor was fingering the flute, Susie said, “Will you excuse me? I just have 2 emails
to send out. Be right back.”
She deliberately left her visitor alone with the flute, although she could actually see them in a mirror.
This alone time is crucial. It allowed her visitors to bond with the beautiful flute which had “chosen them” and was a symbol of renewal.
It allowed her visitor to fall in love with the the flute, without any “interference” from Susie.
By the time Susie came back into the room, her visitors were so in love with their hand-crafted, magical flutes that after a small battle with themselves, many of them paid the $800 or $2500 price tag.
What did Susie do so well to increase her sales?
- She deflected price until they saw the flutes.
- She agreed with them about the terror of spending that much, she’d been through it herself.
- She made the flutes into living beings with special properties.
- She repeated the myth that the flutes “chose” their player, thus building relationship.
- She left her visitors alone – this is crucial – to have personal time with the flute.
- When she returned, she asked how their experience was.
- At no point did she ever try and sell them.
This is a terrific example of someone who has less than 10 minutes to establish know, like and trust, and who did a superb job.
She increased her sales and had much more fun with her clients.
So, Know Like and Trust can be achieved in under 10 minutes.
Without it, no sale will take place.
Til next time.
Ann
