Nine Steps to Building Trust on LinkedIn
Guest post by Jackie Nagel, Synnovatia
The process of client acquisition is rarely a short, straight line. Given the wide range of suppliers available, a potential client can easily veer off course on their path to buying your product or service-especially when making a virtual connection.
Prospective clients pass through various stages of assurance when interacting with your company. Each stage provides an opportunity to develop trust and move a prospective client to a satisfied client. When executed successfully, each succeeding step develops more trust and establishes the credibility you need to sustain long-lasting relationships.
1. Unaware to aware when a person sees your LinkedIn updates posted on their LinkedIn home page, reads your answer posted to a question, studies your post in a group discussion forum, or receives a private reply to their question.
2. Aware to curious when a person is touched/affected by the content you provide. They click through and read your profile.
3. Curious to interested when a person discovers something you provide that might help them. They read your LinkedIn profile and click through to your website and/or blog.
4. Interested to believing when a person begins to believe that the business owner/company is real/legitimate. They read your LinkedIn profile, click through to your website and/or blog and register for your RSS feed or online newsletter.
5. Believing to wanting when a person sees what you are doing/offering and wants to move forward to see what you have to offer. A meeting is requested (or offered) to discuss your product/services.
6. Wanting to in-motion when a person responds to something you have offered and replies by phone/email. This is a very BIG step. A meeting is agreed upon to discuss what your product/service.
7. In-motion to buyer when a person believes/trusts you, wants the product/service you provide, and begins to pay you.
8. Buyer to satisfied customer when a person is happy with the product/service you provide and their trust in you is rewarded. They post a recommendation on your LinkedIn profile.
9. Satisfied customer to advocate when a person gets more/better service/benefits than they expected and it occurs on many occasions. He or she then begins to refer you to others.
When clients become advocates, you’ve proven that your brand is strong, that your product/service is needed and valued, and that you serve your clients with their success in mind.
The original author is unknown. Modified to fit the LinkedIn experience.
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Jackie Nagel, Founder of Synnovatia™, energizes entrepreneurs that are stuck, stalled, starting up, or stretching with a pioneering coaching approach that drives profits, productivity, and performance.
