A close family member recently experienced a salesperson’s attempt to close-the-deal by shoving a contract across his desk with the words, something to the effect of, “Come on…sign the (expletive) papers and let’s get this done…!”

Had this been a multi-million dollar deal, built on months of negotiations, with significant upside potential, I’d understand the context. And I’d probably take the expletive emphasis as bold, banter between two soon-to-be business partners one of whom was probably attempting to prove he had a “pair!”

It wasn’t that at all…

The close family member is a young, nervous-as-one-would-expect, first time car buyer. The salesperson (obviously trying to prove he had a “pair”) couldn’t be further from earning the trust he needed to secure the deal.

Would the salesperson have made a better impression saying what’s commonly said in such deal-making scenarios – “Trust me!”

You hear or read those words all the time in advertising.

• “Trust me, ‘X’ the single best product on the market for…”

• “You can count on us…the most trusted source of…”

• “Trust us to deliver the most effective…”

Do you instill trust by merely asking someone to trust you or saying your product/service is the most trusted?

I’ll let you make up your own mind. But I’ll go on record saying, trust is earned.

And a primary way to develop trust is through a relationship not merely telling someone to “trust you.”

Trust emerges on a solid track record of credible engagement.

The problem with many sales approaches (such as the above mentioned car deal) is the forced timing that many salespeople deploy. It’s why I prefer writing marketing copy and why businesses benefit from solid, credible copywriting in it’s various forms – a story-based email promotion, a series of autoresponder emails, a long-form sales letter, engaging blog posts, Twitter feeds, and Facebook page posts, case studies, etc.

Write these effectively and trust rises to the top much quicker than forced, “trust me,” manipulation. And with it comes credibility your prospects will return to again and again!

Master copywriter and trainer, Will Newman shares these five easy-to-implement strategies to help build credibility on a foundation of trust:

1–“Avoid hype.”

Saying you’re “the world’s greatest…” works in infomercials for a variety of reasons but is that your medium? Calm, authoritative approaches do more to establish trusting clients/customers.

2–“Avoid vague or unsubstantiated claims.”

Backing up your comments with substantial data shows you’ve done your “homework” – adding credibility. Instead of proclaiming, “The world’s greatest…,” describe how your product/service/etc. is proven to accomplish this or that by a certain percentage, etc.

3–“Give your prospect a reason to believe.”

Claims of effectiveness, etc. backed by proof and endorsement within your marketing content adds to your believability. And it builds credibility.

4–“Speak to (prospects) as an equal.”

Know-it-alls are seldom listened to. A friendly, realistic, conversational tone establishes a connection.

5–“Respect your prospect and their needs.”

This is a core trust builder. Respect follows trust.

Build trust in your marketing with clear, compelling copywriting.