I have always believed that you need to create trust with the buyer. If the buyers, in the case of B2B, do not trust you (first) and the technology (second) they will not buy from you.

I had a moment of  reckoning when I  was reading the book The Speed of Trust by Stephen Covey.

For me trust was always a factor of honesty and integrity or what can also be called character. If I  was honest about how I  dealt with others in my transactions and if I did what I said I would do, then I  could be trusted. Over a period of time people notice this and start trusting you.

Being from marketing,  I  always equated Branding with a promise that people could trust.

The reckoning was that Trust has another component- Competence – the ability to get the job done.  If you don’t have the ability to get a job done when you said you will get it done, then people won’t trust you.

A very good example the author gives is about a surgeon. You may believe someone has character but would you let her operate on you if she doesn’t have Competence.  You will trust a surgeon if you see she has Competence (her degree, license etc.) and if after checking her earlier patients you identify Character.

The implications for marketing are tremendous of this statement.  You not only need to show character, but you also need to show competence in what you do. In all your messaging you need to bring out both the aspects before expecting the prospect to interact with you.

Till next time then.

Carpe Diem!!!