Maybe you know this already, but in one of my prior lives (career-wise, that is), I was a customer experience and plain language expert.

In all honesty, I still am.

A big component of that work is in building trust with audiences through both the experiences you create for them and the language you use to engage with them.

In this day and age, it’s really difficult to gain trust and, once you do, it’s fairly easy to lose.

Pretty much every week we see examples of companies, celebrities, and/or brands stepping in the proverbial sh*t and losing audience trust as a result.

Because trust is one of those funny things that relies on both party's participation to survive and thrive.

So, how do you create that sense of trust and keep it going?

A few years ago, I read “The Language of Trust” by Michael Maslansky, et. al.
I really like the “four principles of credible communications” outlined in this book.

It’s the closest I’ve come to a clear articulation of how to move folks from skepticism, which, if we’re honest, is the default setting for most of us, to openness and confidence, i.e., trust.

So here they are with my distillation of what they mean:

>Be personal

This is all about personalization and thinking from the customer in rather than the business out.

In messaging, consider the ‘we’ rather than the ‘I’ or ‘you’. Take your lead from what’s important to your audience rather than what’s important to your business.

Perhaps most importantly, speak in the language of your audience. Even if your audience understands you, if you’re not speaking the way they speak, then you’re just speaking to their heads rather than to their hearts.

As I’ve said before, sales (and trust) is an emotional decision rather than a rational one so aim for the heart over the head.

>Be plainspoken

We, as humans, tend to fear what we don’t understand.

If your audience has to decipher what you’re saying, you’ve already lost them.

Even if you’re speaking to a highly specialized audience, you want your message to resonate with people outside that community who may be able to refer and/or recommend you, who are part of the decision-making process to hire you, and/or who'll need to work with you.

I recommend kid testing your messages. It’s a great way to make sure you’re easily understood.

Aim for a child between 8 and 11 years old and have them explain back to you what you told them to see if they really get it.

>Be positive

Focus on benefits and good outcomes rather than on the negative impacts and rationale.

When we focus on negatives, people naturally feel attacked, defensive, and contrarian—they look for holes in our arguments and data.

Plus, there’s a lot of research out there that confirms people would rather do nothing than do something wrong and when we focus on the negatives, we’re telling them all that is and could go wrong.

When we focus on the positives, however, people feel uplifted, hopeful, and are excited by possibility. They want that good stuff for themselves.

Check your content and take anything that might cause fear or concern for your audience and reframe it into positives.

In your next sales conversation try the classic "Yes, and..." principal of improv by agreeing with your prospect when they talk about obstacles or barriers, then add an insight that helps them feel better.

Prospects often admit they feel shame and blame over not dealing with issues in their business sooner. I acknowledge their feelings and then offer them credit for seeking help now. By doing so, they're ahead of so many other entrepreneurs who are still sitting in inaction.

This small demonstration of positive coaching often turns the tide of their resistance into partnership with me, which is incredibly powerful.

>Be plausible

Put another way—If something sounds too good to be true, it's probably not true.

Stay away from extremes and outlandish superlatives like ‘perfect’, ‘greatest’, ‘only.’ When we hear these types of claims, the natural skeptics in us all rear their heads and resist.

But, when we acknowledge there are other solutions to our prospects' issues and that there may be valid concerns with our (or any) approach to their problems, all of a sudden, they’re listening and are open to hearing what makes our solution better, safer, and the right fit for their needs.

In other words, don’t oversell. Be realistic about what your products and/or services can do and about the other options available to your customers.

One of the best salespeople I have had the privilege to shadow and learn from walked his prospects through all the available options and their pros and cons. Prospects were amazed that he would talk about competitive solutions and present what they felt was such an unbiased assessment.

Wow, did it build trust. And, more often than not, he closed the deal even when his offer was more expensive than other options because that trust is priceless not just to the salesperson but to the prospect as well.

So, how well does your messaging reflects these 4 principles?

Are you building trust across all your marketing and sales?

If not, try tweaking accordingly. I’m confident you’ll notice a difference in your audience’s receptivity and trust, and it'll show up in your bottom line, too!

Until next week, in you I trust, and I hope the feeling is mutual!
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PS - In case you missed it, last week I was One Sick Puppy.​

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