Sunday, February 9, 2025
Beyond market research (or declining sales), how do you know if you’re building trust in the marketplace… or losing it?
It’s far more useful to understand that you have a leaky ship far before it starts to sink. And there is a powerful marketing technique that can provide that insight.
Many marketers understand the concept of the “client journey”, which is the path of touchpoints that a prospective client takes from awareness through to commitment. What most don’t consider, however, is the value of looking at each touchpoint itself, through the lens of trust.
At every touchpoint, trust either grows, or is squandered. This is true whether it is a simple webform, or a detailed pitch meeting. The “trick” (which is not really a trick at all) is to consider all of the factors that impact trust at that touchpoint, and ensure that two things happen: Impediments to trust must be removed, and everything that can improve trust must be done. Here are three examples:
- Old-style “lead magnets” that demand a user’s name and contact information: Why not let them see half of the content first, so you can earn the right to ask for their contact info before sending them the remainder? And even better: promise not to hector them with unceasing marketing emails and phone calls.
- Boilerplate proposals that clearly indicate that very little time has been spent on understanding the prospect’s needs: Why not spend the time truly customizing the proposal, for real? And even better: get a third party to proofread it completely, remove grammatical errors, and double check that the client’s name is spelled correctly.
- Empty offers to reach out with any questions… that get bogged down in voice menus or voicemail jail: If the prospect is so important, why not provide your direct mobile number? Even better, when they call, return the call ASAP. (If you don’t, they may look to find their answer somewhere else.)
This week’s action plan:
The best way to ensure that trust is built at each touchpoint is to first map the client journey itself, and then examine each touchpoint in detail. This week, review all of your conversion metrics: Where are the leaky touchpoints that you can fix?
Does this topic resonate? Reach out to Randall: he can present it to your group. (More presentation topics)
Download Randall’s professional credentials: Speaker credentials one-sheet or Management Advisory credentials.
Content Authenticity Statement: 100% original content: no AI was used in creating this content.
@RandallCraig (Follow me for daily insights)
www.RandallCraig.com: Professional credentials site.