Gallup’s recent annual Governance poll revealed that Americans distrust for mass media (at 43 percent) continues its four-year decline and it at the lowest levels for the last four decades. Possibly this may help to explain why printed newspapers, commercial television, cable and radio stations are facing a continued challenge to increase sales.

Another interesting fact within this poll is a subgroup of college-educated individuals with incomes in excess of $75,000 who face the greatest trust decline of any groups. This is a trend that should be monitored along with the one of how time (now 13 minutes) is spent online securing news. In 2000, this behavior was according to Gallup “nil.”

Do Your Customers Trust You, Your Products, Services?

What this means for small business owners to those crazy busy salespeople is if your potential customers or prospects are distrustful of you or your products and services, this may cause them to rethink their decision making process to find alternatives. If those alternatives meet their wants, then this may affect how they perceive the value of you, your products or services. This reflective process probably will not increase sales for you.

People Buy From People They Know...

For years it has been said people buy from people they know and trust. Today, that sales statement or truism may need to be revised to people buy from people they know, trust and who provide value if the goal to increase sales is to be achieved. This may make relationship selling or consultative selling call it what you want a little more difficult because value is determined by each individual.

To overcome what appears to be an ever-growing distrust factor trend may require an integrated solution through these actions:

• Review your strategic plan
• Revisit your values statement (business ethics)
• Describe the behaviors as demonstrated by your values statement
• Update your target market research including both demographics and psychographics
• Research your specific ideal customer profile
• Reconnect with current customers and past ones to listen for any possible trends of buyer’s distrust or buyer’s remorse
• Make necessary course corrections as new information is received and relevant to your overall business and sales goals

Of course, you may also need to ask yourself these three questions as part of that review process as well.

1. Who do you know?

2. Who knows you?

3. Why would someone want to know you?

Relationship selling does work whether you are selling newspapers, manufacturing, retail goods or sales training coaching services.

By demonstrating high business ethics through your positive core values statement, you can build trust, delineate value of your products and services, increase sales and be the Red jacket in the sea of gray suits.

For more information on building your business relationships, click here.