Selling Senior Living: Beyond Trust...Are You Credible?
Posted by Deena Neste on Mon, Jun 27, 2011 @ 02:01 PM
Trust and credibility are separate words linguistically, with separate definitions in the dictionary, but they are very much connected when it comes to application. The definition for ‘trust’ is “the relationship of reliance.” In order to put reliance (or trust) in another, that person or company must have good credibility. Therefore you really cannot have one without the other.
Previously, we shared survey information that found what prospects valued most were honesty, customer-orientation and credibility. See Blog Post: Selling Senior Living: Beyond Trust, What our Prospects Value Most - March 30, 2011. Today, we'll discuss Credibility.
By definition, to be ‘credible’ is to be “believable or plausible; authentic or convincing, worthy of belief or confidence; trustworthy, or to have a reputation impacting one's ability to be believed.” Credibility is determined by expertise and relationship. Someone who has developed credibility often has a leg up in building trust with his/her existing client base, and more particularly with new prospects.
But, when it comes down to it, credibility and trust are mostly the perception of the client. This can be a good a news/bad news proposition. If a prospect has had a negative experience with any sales professional in the past, they may judge you with that same experience in mind. The good news is, negative perceptions of sales people can be turned around because the sales professional is totally in charge of that perception.
So, how does a sales professional take charge of perceptions and develop credibility?
First, let’s outline some ways to build credibility.
I. Expertise: Credibility (and trust) is knowing you can believe in and rely on the person in question. Do this by being helpful on a consistent basis. Be the ‘go-to’ person for information in your field and work to help solve problems. Do your homework on aging, the senior housing market and all that it entails, and keeping current on industry trends. Finally, be sincere and focus on your area of expertise. Remember, credibility is also earned by sourcing other experts if issues go beyond your scope.
II. Qualifications: How many times have you heard people say…."Oh, I didn’t know you offered 'that' at your community!" I think we often believe that what we do in senior living and senior services is blatantly obvious to the general public and even our referral sources. I’m here to tell you, the depth and scope of our work is rarely understood until a crisis occurs and by then it may be too late. So share your qualifications, Be The Resource, let people know how it works. Knowledge is power, so empower prospects and professionals to make a decision to utilize your services.
III. Authentic Relationship: Take time to develop a relationship and take care of existing and new clients as you would a valuable possession. Call prospects out of the blue just to share something of common interest. Remember to pay attention to the details and send birthday cards or better yet, call on their special day. Conduct Internet research on a question they had, a hobby or topic of discussion and send them the information. Let them know they are important to you, because they are, aren’t they?
IV. Trustworthy: Do what you say you will do and by all means - maintain confidentiality. Nothing destroys credibility more than breaking a confidence.
V. Worthy: One last point to be made is you not only have to build credibility, but you must maintain it and live up to it on an ongoing basis. Make credibiility a lifestyle. If you slip up, correct it immediately or you risk losing all you have built. Mistakes can actually demonstrate you are worthy of trust and credibility when you acknowledge, correct and learn.
Credibility is a powerful factor in building trust. In the eyes of your referral sources and ultimately your prospects, it matters little if you’re the most beautiful community in the market. What matters most is you (and your community/company) are experts at delivering quality service and/or care, and you can be trusted to deliver on the promises you make to your residents/clients.
Next, let's determine your level of credibility: In our next post, we will share a quick exercise to help determine..."Are You Credible?"