We live in a low-trust society.
People are skeptical of claims.
They have been bombarded with ads for so long it can be difficult to tell who is BSing vs. who is telling the truth.
One of the best ways to overcome this is to create the know, like, and trust factor in your business.
For years, smart salespeople have known that people buy from people they know, like, and trust.
A face to face meeting is one of the fastest ways to build the know, like, and trust factor.
However, a face to face meeting is not the only way to create the know, like, and trust factor.
You can do this online too.
The best way to incorporate this mindset into your business is through a mix of offline and online strategies.
According to Roofing Contractor Magazine, over 90% of roofing work begins with an online search.
Here are 15 strategies that you can use to build the Know, Like, and Trust Factor in your business.
Be clear on who your target market is and speak their language
Before we start you have to really understand who your target market is. Without a crystal clear understanding of your target, you will never reach your destination.
The best way to understand your destination is by creating a customer avatar for your business. Here some articles on how to help you do this for your business
5 Ways To Get Them To Know You
Networking
Networking is a great strategy for creating opportunities for your business. Most people do not know how to network.
They approach networking with a me-first attitude instead of a help you attitude. For years, I made this same mistake.
When networking with others remember to provide value for the person you are meeting. If you can connect people with each other you’ll be more valuable.
I would recommend that you read the book Never Eat Alone and How To Win Friends and Influence People to learn how to network.
Seminars
One of the best ways to position your company as an authority is to host seminars. Seminars are a great way educate your prospects and make more sales.
If you spend a few hours educating your prospects going over every objection it should be easy to close deals at the end of the seminar.
Facebook Videos
A great way to create awareness of your company and get people to know you is by doing videos
You can create a series of videos that educates homeowners on different aspects of a roof.
You can share things about your clean up process, an upgrading shingle product, what to do in the event of a hailstorm etc.
The opportunity for Facebook videos is immense. It is incredibly cheap to get people to watch your videos.
Door Knocking
The most popular way that roofing companies generate new opportunities is through door knocking.
A few of my clients generate leads through online marketing and use that opportunity to knock the other houses that are nearby.
This way a trip won’t get wasted and online leads will be more valuable.
Sponsorships
You can sponsor popular events in your city to create awareness of your business. A person won’t do business with you unless they know who you are.
This is a great way to build relationships with your community.
5 Ways To Get them to like you
Build rapport
Building rapport is one of the fundamental ways that you can get people to like you. People like people who are like them.
I’m not going to go over all the different strategies you can use to build rapport but one thing you have to remember is to build commonalities with a person.
If they like football, talk about football.
I usually keep it simple and ask about the weather. The weather is a topic that is easy to relate to.
Be Authentic
People like people that are authentic. If you are perceived as real people will more likely forgive you for your faults
I would recommend that you invest in getting a photographer and having images of you and your team on all your marketing materials.
People will perceive as more authentic if you have real images of your business.
Be Nice
I know it sounds obvious but if you are a dick then people won’t business with you. You should be nice and be upfront with your customers.
People will more likely trust and like you if you come across this way.
Reply To Your Leads As Soon As Possible
“The odds of contacting a lead if called in 5 minutes versus 30 minutes drop 100 times. The odds of qualifying a lead if called in 5 minutes versus 30 minutes drop 21 times.”
“The odds drop off dramatically by the first 30 minutes. Specifically, a rep is 100x less likely to make contact if the first call is made 30 minutes after submission. The odds of making contact drop by 3000x if the first call is made 5 hours after lead submission.” source
There is nothing more unprofessional when a business does not pick up their phone during business hours.
People like doing business with professionals.
Commercial Video
A 30-60 second commercial video is a great way to build trustability in your business. People want to do business with real people.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GypOpcRaMaY
When you make a commercial video and use it for your business it can lead to higher conversion rates
5 Ways To Get them to trust you
Give something away for free
How many contractors do you know have given something away for free?
When you give something away for free it gives people more reason to trust you.
The best things to give away for free are things that will position your company as the expert and authority while at the same providing valuable information that helps people.
This can be online in the form of guides or it can be offline in the form of seminars.
Testimonials
Testimonials are a great way to establish trust with your customers. Claims are much more believable from a neighbor than from a salesperson.
When it comes to testimonials you should follow the star, story, solution format.
This copywriting strategy will help you create a great testimonial.
Case studies
Case studies are beefed up testimonials. They are a great way to paint the picture of your expertise.
People want to do business with experts.
When you have documented proof of your work and it follows a case study format it will provide you with a rock-solid boost of trust.
Provide Your Opinion
Sometimes when you are inspecting a roof a customer might only need a repair vs. a replacement.
When you provide your real expert opinion this will establish trust in the relationship.
Even though you might lose a sale this will create goodwill in your community. You might even get a referral because of your feedback.
It’s important to always do what’s in the best interest of your customers.
Online Reviews
Online reviews are like the modern referrals. Over 88% of consumers trust online reviews.
Savvy consumers will check your reviews before they buy your services.
What do you think they will do if you have no reviews on your business?
It will hurt your business.
If you have hundreds of positive reviews it will get more people to trust you.
Conclusion
Know
Like
Trust
These three things are incredibly important to maximize your results. For years, this has been the domain of salespeople but know you can apply the same principles in your business online and offline.
Maximize your results by getting your customers to know, like, and trust you.