Learn how to build trust and develop successful relationships.

Trust is the firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability or strength of someone or something.

Trust is a critical element in all types of relationships. People work with people that they trust, do business with people that they trust, friend people that they trust and marry people that they trust. None of these things happen without trust.

The first impression is the most important. If you don’t get that right, there is no overcoming it. From a sales perspective, if you are selling a product that people want and they like you, there is a 100% chance that they will buy from you. However, if they want the product but don’t like you, there is only a 50% chance that they will buy from you. There is a 0% chance if they don’t want the product and don’t like you.

Building trust

To build trust, people need to like you. If you’re conjuring up images of some sort of popularity contest, you can stop. 

Six things to get right to be likable

People reportedly make their first impression within the first 60 seconds so you want to make the initial impression pleasant. There are six things that you need to get right to make a good first impression.

1/ Be neat and clean.

More specifically, avoid anything attention grabbing such as a weird hair color, too much makeup, piercings, dirty nails etc.

2/ Smile to communicate your pleasure in meeting them.

If you’re not a smiley person, imagine the meeting going well or something else that mades you smile.

3/ Greet them by name with a proper handshake and make eye contact.

4/ Find some common ground.

One advantage now is that there is a lot of publiclly available information on social platforms to start your research. Ask friends and colleagues who may know them for insights.

5/ Listen and ask questions.

Listening makes people feel important and has a disarming effect that signals respect.

6/ Adapt your style.

People are either logical or emotional. It’s easier to connect with someone like you but people with a different style can compliment you. Understanding the different styles can help you connect with others, shine at work and achieve more in life.

Four personality types

According to psychologist Carl Jung, there are four (4) types of people.

1/ Analytical: Logical + Introverted

People who are analytical are quiet, thoughtful and enjoy getting into the details. They need to understand what and why and to see the proof before they can get onboard.

2/ Controller: Logical + Extroverted

People who are controllers are efficient, dynamic and loud. Their attention span is about 10 minutes so you need to convey your message very succinctly and avoid anything too detailed.

3/ Amiable: Emotional + Introverted

People who are amiable are friendly, thoughtful and more laid back. They place a lot of value on the relationship and all the little things like remembering their birthday matters to them.

4/ Enthusiast: Emotional + Extroverted

People who are enthusiasts are energetic, creative and fun. It takes one good example or story to get them onboard.

How is more important than what

Remember the old adage that how you communicate is often more important than what you communicate. Your message has to be tailored to the person that you’re trying to connect with or for that matter, maintain a relationship with for them to trust and continue trusting you.