Chapter 11
Trust-Based Marketing and Business Development
Demonstrating that you are trustworthy starts long before you land the job; in fact, it contributes to whether you land it in the first place. Trust-based marketing and business development helps to build your brand, gain sales, and create enduring client relationships. After all, people genuinely prefer to do business with those they trust. This chapter shows you how to apply trust principles in the early stages of new business relationships.
Professionals in every marketing and business development department face the same concerns: How can I find new clients? How can I differentiate myself and my organization from the competition? How can I get referrals? How can I better cross-sell?
In the following sections, we explore specific ways to apply four trust principles to sales and business development:
1. A focus on the other for the other’s sake, not just as a means to your own ends.
2. A collaborative approach to relationships.
3. A medium-to-long-term perspective, not a short-term transactional focus.
4. A habit of being transparent in all your dealings.
Focus on Your Customer
The terms client-focus and customer-centric are too often framed in terms of economic benefit to the person trying to be trusted. In contrast, focusing on the other for the other’s sake is not just a means to your own ends. It focuses on what is best for your customer—even when that may not appear to be what is best for you and your organization. ...
