Building a Reputation
This is the number one lesson that I learned from my wife and business partner, AJ, in terms of how to be a top sales producer.
One of our slogans at Brand Builders Group is that reputation precedes revenue.
You don’t have a revenue problem.
You have a reputation problem.
This means either not enough people know about you or the people who do know about you don’t trust you enough.
I would say that the word reputation is largely inspired by me watching AJ, not as my wife and not even as my business partner, but as a salesperson.
AJ built her career on reputation based on the idea that she would do for clients whatever they needed, regardless of whether she was paid for it.
What happens is when you do whatever is needed, regardless of if you’re paid for it, eventually you get paid for it very well.
You always get paid for how hard you work.
Sometimes it’s now, sometimes it’s later, but always eventually.
I talk about that in my very first book, Take the Stairs. I call it “the slinky effect” where the work happens first and then the results follow.
How to Build Trust with Clients
To everyone in sales, the biggest mistake they make is that they think short-term.
Their number one problem is that they’re completely self-centered. They’re focused all on them making the sale, then making the commission, and saying the right thing.
Salespeople should not be self-centered. They should be serviced-centered.
AJ is truly the greatest salesperson that I’ve ever met.
I have been around people who were record holders for record breakers at hundred-year companies.
I, myself, was the record holder at a company that had been around for over a hundred years.
I’ve also worked with many direct salespeople.
But here is why AJ is the best salesperson that I’ve ever seen.
Building Relationships with Customers
It is because she is constantly thinking of her client’s best interest for the long-term. She is trusting that if she delivers for them as much as she can today, sooner or later, it will pay off.
When I look back at our life, our life is somehow evidence of where it constantly feels like we’re doing more than what we’re getting paid for.
And yet when you look back throughout your journey, you realize your life is unfair.
It’s unfairly blessed.
And I think it’s because of her personal philosophy of never sacrifice long-term reputation for short-term revenue.
It’s not worth your reputation because your reputation follows you, even when you leave your company.
Your reputation follows you, even when you leave your company.
When we started Brand Builders Group, we had people flooding to us from all different places, from our past lives and different things that we had done because of our reputation.
They’re not following the company. They’re not following the logo. They’re following the person.
They think, “I don’t care where this person works. If she’s the CEO or if they are the janitor, I will follow them and I trust them.”
This is a game of trust. And trust is a long-term game.
The reason why Dave Ramsey has a $200 million company? People trust him.
The reason why Oprah is Oprah? People trust her.
This is a game of trust. And trust is sacred and takes a long time to build.
How about you? Do you aim to build a trusting relationship with your customers? Drop a comment below and let me know.
