Building Online Trust

The net gives customers freedom of choice. No longer are consumers forced to buy products or services from the business nearby. Now they can choose to buy from companies that may be located across the street or across the country. It's a boon for consumers to be sure. But businesses are finding they have to scramble to sell. With so many competitors out there, how do you make sure customers find you and order what you have to offer?

Advertising is the key. There are many choices for net advertising, from banner ads to revenue sharing schemes. However as PennMedia CEO Jaffer Ali has found, one of the most effective ways to advertise online is targeting consumers through themed newsletters. PennMedia's network of newsletters run the gamut from jokes and quotes to recipes and brainteasers. Subscribers get the content they want - and PennMedia gets a medium to sell ads to an interested audience. So the ads are reaching the right eyeballs. But the only way they'll buy from you instead of your competitors is if they trust your business and what you have to offer. How do you build this trust with a customer you may never meet in person? Ali claims it all comes down to honesty, communication and listening.

Tell the Whole Truth

You want to sell, but the customer may not want to buy. That built-in tension in the customer-business relationship can be tough to overcome. The successful businessperson is up front with his or her objectives, not devious in getting to the customer. "You have to try not to get overwhelmed with your own objectives," said Ali. "You need to be able to bracket what your own objectives are and then you can start to get to an honest discussion." "You also have to try to understand the agenda of whomever you're talking to," Ali continued. "Once everybody's agendas are out there, then you can start to have honest discourse. When building a relationship, you have to strip away a lot of that baggage to get to the true honest discourse."

Communication is a Two-Way Street

The net can be a one-way discussion. You send your message, but is it even being heard, much less understood? How does a business make sure it's hearing customer questions and concerns?

"You have to ask a lot of questions," Ali said. "The answer doesn't lie in the answers. It lies in the questions that you're willing to put out there. So you have to be willing to go ahead and put yourself on the line and start asking. Even if you're doing the selling, you can ask the questions." And it's not just a simple back and forth Ali's talking about. "One of the problems of Internet communication is its sterility," Ali said. "But you can infuse it with passion. You can use words to actually communicate and not just in some kind of flip fashion. You need to infuse the passion that you have when you're talking to anybody whether in person or on the telephone."

Listen and Learn

You've asked all the right questions. Now, you've got a response from the customer. How do you make sure you understand the customer's needs? How do you ensure the customer appreciates your understanding?

The key, Ali said, is understanding your own agenda and being able to hear a customer's actual concerns. "Put a bracket around your agenda so that you're not trying to overcome an objection before it's even voiced. That gets in the way of really listening," Ali said. "I find this to be the same in the off-line world where people are talking over each other because you worry more about what you're going to say than in listening. If you get an e-mail, even if it's a flame, take time out and try to take it in."

Building trust can be a difficult prospect online, particularly when so many businesses promise more than they can ultimately deliver. But clear and honest communication with your customers will go a long way towards ironing out any problems that pop up. Because customers won't write a check to a business they don't trust - make sure your company will be the one that breaks through your customer's barriers.