10 techniques that increase the salesperson's credibility in the eyes of the client

People who deserve high scores for their integrity, skills (adequate to their tasks) and dynamism are considered reliable. Credibility is one of the basic elements of trust. Your level of credibility doesn’t only depend on substantive preparation. It’s the result of impressions about you that arise in the client’s mind. How others perceive and assess you is influenced by your value system as well as your behavior and communication. This depends on all your gestures, actions, and words during client interactions. The company you represent is not credible in itself - it’s its employees that make it credible.

Credibility vs. authentication

When analysing the behavior of sales representatives, it may be noticed that many replace credibility with the process of authenticating themselves and the products they offer. The credibility of a sales representative is based on their system of values, which comes from what they believe, what’s important to them, how they think. It’s built over the long term. In turn, the authentication process mainly uses attributes that emphasize how the salesperson wants to be perceived. While in the short run the authentication process may be effective, in the long run clients may notice a lack of coherence, consistency, and predictability on the part of the salesperson.

Bearing in mind the long-term effects, make sure that the implementation of the objectives of sales does not only relied on the current were given advance, but was set on the values of your company. Consciously build your credibility by understanding the client, identifying with the values of the brand (company, product) that you represent, and by better understanding yourself. Examples of questions in this area are presented in Table 1.

Examples of techniques that increase credibility

Technique 1: Increase your credibility by referring to buyers’ senses

For the client, every experience in interacting with you and the company you represent is based on their sensory perception. Ensure you give a consistent, comprehensive, and positive impression. Stimulate their senses (sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch). The effect will be to strengthen your message and build ties - evoking attachment and emotional engagement.

Example

• Take care of your appearance and professional clothing (adequate to the industry and company standards). Elegantly dressed people are perceived as more credible. Remember about the first impression effect. Stay fit - a healthy person (with elegant attire) makes a better impression.
• Make sure you sit, walk, and stand upright, with your head up - the right posture will increase your confidence.
• Talk with the client (present the offer) expressively, avoiding monotones. Use body language, maintain eye contact, vary your tone of the voice. Convince the client that you’re actively involved in the task at hand.
• Use professional language that is understandable to the client.
• If possible, when discussing the offer, present examples or visualizations of products, organize tastings.