“All things being equal, people do business with, and refer business to people they know, like and trust.”
– Bob Burg, Motivational Speaker
When people know, like, and trust you you’re more likely to get great referrals, have an increase in clients/customers, and have a far better rate of retention, which are all key to having a successful business.
Some people will prioritise one of these things over the others. But it’s the combination that makes the most impact. Think about the people you know, or know of. There will be people with are well known but not well liked or some that you would trust with your life but no-one else seems to know about them. Are either of these people going to be very successful? Unlikely, but they can make changes to build other aspects of the holy trinity to help their businesses.
So how do you become well-known, well-liked, and well trusted?
Becoming Well Known
The key to becoming well known is all about getting your name out there. You want your business to be the first one that the general public thinks of when they need your product or service.
The main way to do it is to focus on getting in front of a lot of people. There are many different ways you can approach this.
The most obvious way to get in front of heaps of people is to throw a whole lot of money at advertising and marketing. Depending on your budget you could get a tv commercial with a catchy jingle, maybe some celebrity faces, showing at prime time. Luckily there are other ways to get your name out there.
To use a smaller advertising budget wisely, you could set up some quality social media and Google ads. If you’re strategic with your targeting, you should be able to reach a lot of people. Look into look-alike audiences and regathering ads to really get the best bang for your buck.
You could also look into what kind of PR you can get. Something affecting your industry? Had a big achievement? Write to your local paper or magazine. Something bigger than that? Go bigger! Find something at a national or international level!
Another way you can do this is to work at becoming an expert in your field.
Okay, you already know you’re an expert, but does everyone else know? How can you share your knowledge and expertise with your ideal clients to show your expertise?
The first way is to join a networking group. What you have to remember about a networking group is that it’s not just about the people that are in the room, it’s about all the people they know. Most networking groups have a 1 person per industry rule, giving you an opportunity to meet and educate the people in the room and cementing yourself as an expert in your field.
Another thing you could do it organise events, talks, or seminars and provide free information to a large group of your ideal clients. For a real estate agent, you could organise a first home buyer seminar with a mortgage advisor, lawyer, insurance advisor, and property inspector. Not only are events like this showing your expertise, they also make the potential customers job easier by providing them with all the contacts they need.
Getting your name out there is essential to being well known so you can be top of mind for a large number of people. But being well known is only beneficial if you’re also well liked!
Becoming Well Liked
Becoming well liked is all about how you interact with other people. People are far more likely to engage and recommend others that they actually like to work with.
The main way to do this is to look at how you treat your clients, customers, contractors, staff, suppliers, and pretty much anyone else that has contact with your company.
Do you listen to them? None of this half listening because you just want to answer, properly listening by being engaged, asking questions, and being respectful to what they’re telling you. It makes them feel like they’re important to you, which makes your relationships that much better!
This is especially important for your clients! Actively listening to their problems and their needs means you can identify exactly how you can help them. Then you can take them through a sales journey about how your products or services can help them with their particular needs, rather than just jump into a generic sales pitch.
Another thing that can boost your standing being generous to others. And this doesn’t have to mean being generous with money. It can mean being generous with your time, with your knowledge, or by fundraising, sponsoring, and supporting causes that are important to you. Generosity shows a human side to you and your business, which people appreciate and respect.
Actively networking is another way to become well liked. By opening up and sharing your knowledge and experience with other people, they tend to connect with and like you. And the more they like you the, more likely they are to recommend you to the people that they know.
Having a positive attitude is also key to being well liked. When you’re positive, inquisitive, and have a can-do attitude, people tend to like you. And when people know you and like you, they also begin to trust you.
Becoming Well Trusted
To build trust within your community, you need to build honest and productive relationships with your clients. They don’t just need to know and like you, they also need to trust that you can get the results you promise.
The easiest way to do this is to show that you can produce results. How you do this may vary from business to business and industry to industry, and it’ll certainly depend on your relationship with whoever you’re showing. Ways that you can do this include:
- Testimonials
Encouraging current and past customers to leave testimonials and sharing those in conversation, presentations, and on social media is a great way to show you can produce the goodies (as long as you don’t share any of the bad reviews, no one needs to know about that). Both written and video testimonials are great! - Case Studies
To go one further than just a testimonial, if you’re on good terms with any of your current or past clients, you could create a case study about their experience with you. This can be useful when talking to potential clients to show them the real results that someone experienced. Just make sure you get permission from them first! - Before and afters
If you have a product or service that has a visual before and after, take some pictures to show people! It makes it easier to see what transformation you offer to your customers and clients. If you don’t have a product or service that has a visual before and after, show the transformation in your case studies.
Building trust in your network is also super important. And the easiest way to do this is to show your human side. When you share more than just the product or service, people can understand more about you which builds trust. Showing your human side means explaining why you’re in your industry, the values that are important to you, what you do to overcome challenges that come about, and the experiences of your customer.
This shows your passion and care to the people in your network, which helps them get to know you better. And the better they know you, your passion, your values, and your process, the more trusted you are in their eyes and the more likely they are to refer you to their network.
People do business with people they know, like, and trust. To build a great reputation you need a combination of being known by lots of people, treating others well, and showing that you can produce great results. As a result you’re more likely to get great referrals, have an increase in clients/customers, and have a far better rate of retention, which are all key to having a successful business.
Want to try business networking to build your business reputation?
Get in touch and we’ll find a group for you!
