Customers in the research phase of any type of purchase are venerable, and they know it. This is why the person that helps and adds value during that time build a powerful loyalty. Real Estate Brokers are famous for this technique. They help people buy their dream home, which is always scary. During those hours of marching from home to home they build trust when their clients are uncertain. Then when it comes time to get financing these clients go wherever that Realtor refers them.

Create a Funnel for Researchers

The first step in getting the opportunity to build a trust-based relationship is to reach out for these information seekers. Often in sales we are too itchy for the close and don’t want to be bothered by the curiosity seekers. The key is creating an efficient way of doing this part of trust building.

The Web gives us a lot of excellent tools to not only show off our expertise, but also to capture the attention of people gathering information about a purchase.

Here are a few good ways to build an expert profile:

• Website/Blog: Targeted problem/solution style content
• Yahoo! Answers, LinkedIN,  Forums: People asking questions with a broad audience observing the quality of your counsel
• Twitter: Tough to pack good advice into 140 characters, but if you do it is profound

Be Willing to Answer Questions

Now that you are a sage for your target customers you need to be willing to answer a few questions. My suggestion is be generous with your email and telephone number. It displays trust and makes your Internet persona more human.

You would be amazed at the impact of a promptly answered email or a telephone number that is answered directly by you in building a trust-based relationship.

Nurture a Relationship with Value

You have their attention and trust is building, but they are still not ready to buy. Create a detailed lead nurturing plan that focuses on small value steps. Mix emails, postal mail, and phone calls to keep the communication fresh and personal. And bring something to the conversation every time. News clips or success stories are always great discussion that add value to your prospects business and cost little time to produce–Google Alerts!

Close a Deal and Get a Referral with Trust

Although most of these steps can be automated by a good lead management system the customer experience is, “Wow, they care!” That level of trust and loyalty brings not only sales, but also referrals.