Before we delve into the trust equation, it’s important to understand why businesses desperately need it.
We live in unprecedented times.
This last year alone has proven that, but if we’re being honest the last ten years have really been a precursor of our current times and a sign of what is yet to come.
Social media has been at the forefront of many of these changes.
Sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn have revolutionized the world and connected us together like never before.
They have enabled significant conversations and sparked movements. They have allowed businesses to reach more people and to grow and multiply success.
While social media has done great things for the world, it has also been a source of much debate and even some criticism.
Prominent leaders, community members, corporations, small businesses, and literally anyone on social media can post practically anything they want, whenever they want.
You can claim to be an expert on a topic when you’re not and report facts that go unchecked.
The average consumer is now bombarded with email blasts, social media posts, Facebook ads, pop-ups, pop-unders, landing pages and a host of other digital marketing efforts all claiming to be the best.
There is so much noise out there from business and from everyone that it’s impossible to know what truly is the best choice, let alone who has our best interests in mind.
This is a real and legitimate issue.
Trust is at an all time low in our society. The New York Times actually referred to the last ten years as a “Decade of Distrust.”
This distrust deeply impacts everything, including your business. “81% of consumers consider it a deal breaker if they can’t trust a brand.”
There is so much competition and if a customer is not happy, they can easily go somewhere else and ding you on social media in the process. One bad review or social media post is detrimental.
And, this is where the Trust Equation comes in and why it’s vital to the existence of all businesses, but in particular small businesses.
What is the Trust Equation?
The Trust Equation allows you to create a relationship based on trust, simplicity and consistency. The Trust Equation allows you to be personal. It helps you reach and connect with your prospects and customers and shows them that you are the only reliable and trustworthy option out there.
Relationships are built on trust not cookie-cutter approaches that bombard and harass. The Trust Equation is not overly complicated and allows you to do this by focusing on three key pillars to help generate quality leads and turn them into long-lasting customers.
- Targeted prospecting. Take the time to identify your perfect prospects and build relationships to create trust and acceptance of future messaging.
- Social authority. Prove how you can solve problems and fulfill a need so that prospects will link your business with a solution. Consistent, accurate and relevant messaging is key.
- Personal messaging. Understand your prospects. Create personalized messaging that speaks directly to them.
Building a foundation of trust will create a long-lasting relationship and lead to lifetime customers.
The Biggest Problem For Small Business Owners?
The Cash Flow Rollercoaster.
One month you're doing great, you do some prospecting, you sign some new clients, and have cash flow to operate.
Then the next month you take your foot off the gas to focus on working with your clients.
You not only sign zero clients but you actually lose an existing one.
Rinse and repeat. Up, down, up, down.
We surveyed and interviewed over 3,000 businesses, and what we found was on one hand disturbing, but at the same time provided THE ANSWER for how to grow a successful business.
88% report that they struggle with cash flow. These same 88% ALSO say that they don't have systems in place to consistently generate leads.
What about the 12% who are thriving? Nearly all of them report that they DO have systems in place to consistently bring new prospects in the door.
It couldn't be more clear. THE ONE KEY to success with your business is having a system to reliably produce leads.
But that begs the question, "what system should you be focused on?" The answer is simple, but finding it isn't.
That's because…
Most Business Advice Is Harmful
When I first got started, I spent thousands of hours trying everything that "gurus" and publications told me to do.
The result? Wasted time, wasted money, complete overwhelm... and my growth remained stagnant.
In a vacuum every one of the strategies I tried CAN work. They all have their place.
But I was spending more time working on landing pages than I was talking to potential clients. That's a problem.
Then one day, while sitting through another business presentation on marketing strategies I had a crazy idea... What if I simplified and stop doing all of this stuff?
What if I went back to the old way of doing things? What if I took back control of my growth?
Become A Trusted Advisor By Creating A Personal Touch With The Trust Equation
Marketing today lacks a personal touch. It is automated and mass produced. Corporations and businesses don’t know who we are and simply insert a name purchased from a list in a failed attempt to reach and connect.
Consumers can see right through it.
What makes an impact today are the companies that can resonate with their audience. It’s the businesses that understand the struggles of their customers and can fulfill a need or solve a problem.
A company that can teach something or who is an authority.
Customers and potential customers want to know that you have their best interests in mind. Relationships matter and it’s important to put an emphasis on relationship building rather than churn-and-burn sales tactics.
Why The Trust Equation Works
“If people like you they’ll listen to you, but if they trust you, they’ll do business with you.” A wise man named Zig Ziglar once made this proclamation and it’s so true.
The only way to build a reliable customer base is for trust to be present on both ends. It’s a make-or-break situation.
The Trust Equation allows you to speak to people that are truly interested. When more people see your message, it leads to more engagement, more leads, more appointments and more clients.
And, not just new clients.
Sometimes it takes re-engaging with existing customers or previous prospects. When trust is broken it needs to be rebuilt and the Trust Equation allows you to do that.
Business Success Stories: What’s Possible With The Trust Equation And Connect 365
The system has allowed me to build a sequence of Trust Equation campaigns that educate like-minded people to take action. I started with zero and I have about 20 new customers and 4 recommendations on partnering since beginning a few months ago. The LEAD Generator has become a significant marketing arm of my organization, like a member of my staff. ~ Diane Wells, Non-Profit
"We're just getting started but after trying other methods, The Trust Equation has produced the fastest and most scalable results so far! I've tried several programs to generate leads and nothing comes close to Connect 365. The ease and simplicity is amazing! 79.5% open rate and 4 proposal submissions sent out from my last campaign.
And Connect 365 delivers prospecting automation at scale that will help us monetize hundreds of contacts from our mailing lists. We will also use it to stay in touch with existing customers, industry conference follow-up, and more." - Michael Hunt, IT
My revenue doubled after working with Josh and the Connect 365 team. And it’s continued to double every year I’ve stuck with them. I went from 100 clients to 212+ clients in just that first year. If you’re a small business and need clients, you’ve got to have a system like this in place. ~ Mike Mertz
“This really helped me with my first ever email automation within days of using the training I had 23 requests for a phone call with prospects. I have people reaching out to me rather than the other way around. This is a nice change of pace. Folks are also more aware of the books I've written and the work I do.“ - Janine Bolon, Owner, Speaker & Author
Another story of success. With my revised approach, I’m getting tons of new prospects to connect with me. Within 48 hours of a request to meet…5 agreed. These are 5 prospects in my target market whom I had no relationship with a few weeks ago. Thanks to everyone who has guided and supported me along the way. ~Jon Dawson
“The Trust Equation System Rocks - Sent out 107 messages last night got 58 opens already. 3-4 appointments already scheduled for next week.” - Cecil Cunningham, Consultant
“I followed the advice you gave during the training, I sent an email to my contacts that were “dormant” from the past couple years and the results were 4 prospects contacting me again just this week. I've now got some checking our apartments and houses, both are very interested in buying!" - Diego Cruz, Real Estate
One of my biggest frustrations previously in trying to scale my business has been controlling the marketing budget; what I discovered with this system is solving that problem for me. I can scale up my business much more quickly by implementing effective messaging that does not rely on increasing advertising expenses. One new team member, one new sale, and several people that have reached out to me that are directly attributable to the messaging done through this system in the first three weeks!” ~ Lonnie Glosup, Coaching
“I'm truly amazed at what I'm seeing so far with this product, and want to make it work for me to maximum effect. I've been in business for almost 12 years, and Connect 365 has got to be one of the best tools I've come across. Your outstanding support all the way through so far has been a big part of that, and is sincerely appreciated. Thank you again!” - Richard Andrews, M.Ed, Speaking & Events
“We use Connect 365 and it has changed the way we are reaching out to our prospects and current customers...It is a great system.” - Jacques Skuteeki, Legal & Financial Industry
"No one else in our market is doing this. Instead of calling and just asking to help with orders, we have a process now that allows people to get to know us electronically first, so when it does come to the time for them to buy – we have a much better overall process. Because of that, we’ve found our conversations with leads are more consultative and less us pushing services down their throats. Which has resulted in 4 new clients since implementing this in just the past quarter.." ~Carla Corley, Corner Office Consultants
“Hope! Connect 365 is a sensible, low-cost solution to a difficult task that confounds many business owners. Its strength is that it is a strategy, not a series of unconnected ideas. We are now able to focus on a specific series of actions aimed at a specific target; a rifle shot rather than a shotgun. There is a defined direction to the day, which was not always the case before.
Further, once set up, automation makes possible tasks that lack of time or enthusiasm might not otherwise have been possible.” - Sydney Tremayne, Legal & Financial Services
“You. Guys. Rock. Finally spending some time with this. My eyes were bugging out as I went through training… and the thought that kept popping up in my brain (as I voraciously consumed videos) was:
“OMG!! Wouldn’t this be awesome if it could integrate with Zapier to connect to Infusionsoft. AND THEN I GOT TO THE END. AND YOU GUYS ALREADY DID IT (!!!) Gaaaah! We have a lot of work we need to do as a team to unlock all the power of this. Specifically, we need to draw communication workflows. But I LOVE IT I LOVE IT I LOVE IT I LOVE IT!! Thank you so much! This is going to solve a major pain point.” - Mike Monroe, Digital Marketing
Your Turn
Learn How to Implement The Trust Equation in My Upcoming Lead Blueprint Workshop
Want a better way to get leads and clients? Sign up for my upcoming workshop that goes step by step through our lead generation process that has been so successful in our clients’ businesses -- the L.E.A.D. Blueprint.
In the workshop, I’ll be teaching:
- Exactly what an Authority Leadership Platform is and how you can leverage our Authority Amplifier process to position yourself above the competition, putting your business on an entirely different playing field.
- How to target high-end prospects using online platforms (social media + email) in a unique way that builds instant trust by doing the polar opposite of what most ‘salespeople’ try
- How to develop real relationships online using a highly-personal Multi-Touchpoint Messaging Campaign to naturally guide the conversation towards an appointment
- The right way to automate processes that build trust, improve credibility and trustworthiness, and increase responsiveness in your campaigns.
Join an upcoming workshop session by signing up here!
Implementing the Trust Equation is a game changer and can propel your small business in front of more prospects, generate more leads and grow your business.
From email automation to lead management to social media automation, Connect 365 can help you turn those cold leads into warm prospects and create long-lasting, lifetime customers.
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