Since Trufina is in the “trust” business, I thought it would be appropriate to attend a recent talk “How to Win Sales and Influence People: The Art of Trust Based Selling” led by Charles H. Green, founder and CEO of Trusted Advisor Associates and author of Trust-based Selling. Charlie was joined by Mark Roberge, VP Sales at HubSpot. The event was hosted by the Harvard Business School Association of Boston.
I was most curious about how their principles of trust based selling aligned with our view of Trufina’s role in helping build trust on the Internet. We are very careful to create a safe haven for member’s precious identity information at Trufina, and we work very hard to give you the tools to communicate that information in the most secure way possible. It is extremely important that we build our brand to reflect those basic tenets of our business.
Interestingly, I realized that the principles Charlie shared, and that Mark Roberge’s sales team practice at HubSpot, are equally important to our members as they use their verified identity information to build trust online. While this specific talk was about truth in selling, the larger theory has to do with trust in influencing people.
Two of Charlie’s principles of trust-based selling are:
– The power of reciprocity on influence, and where it appears in business, and
– Why trust-based selling doesn’t draw down on trust—it creates it in the sales process itself.
Trufina’s services are designed so that people interacting on the Internet can exchange verified identity information to build trust, which becomes the basis of influence. And trust, once initiated, establishes the foundation for stronger relationships moving forward.
Many of Trufina’s web partners serve as excellent examples of how sharing verified identity information becomes the foundation for exerting influence on others. MavenResearch might be the best example. By verifying their identity and other personal credentials, Maven’s members enhance their likelihood of being selected for paid phone consultations.
We also see many of Trufina’s members using their Trufina Seal as a way to build trust, and ultimately influence on their blogs and other commenting forums. We invite you to share your personal stories on how building trust has enhanced your online experience.
The Trusted Advisor.com whitepaper, “Think More Expertise Will Make You More Trusted? Think Again” answers other trust-related questions that you should find useful in building online relationships. You can get a copy at the Trusted Advisor website.
