You’ve heard the saying, “People buy from people they know, like, and trust.” Creating those feelings of “know, like, and trust” can be an art form in itself. There are plenty of books and courses to help sales people with this area.
But did you know that you can do the same thing with your website?
You see, your website isn’t just images and text on a page somewhere on the world wide web. Your website is actually your sales person, representing your coaching services and products 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. What kind of an impression is it leaving with your prospects?
It’s very easy to create trust online when you include some essential trust-building elements on your site. Here are my top four ways to build trust online so you attract more prospects, clients, and sales for your coaching practice.
#1 Build Trust with a Professional Website
First impressions matter, and you don’t want someone to disqualify your services based solely on your site’s appearance. Your site should appear neat and sparse with lots of white space around the content. Clutter can be your worst enemy – that includes a cluttered navigation.
Have someone with editing skills review your site for misspellings and grammatical errors. And organize your content so that visitors can easily find what they want.
#2 Build Trust with Credentials
Have you noticed sites with logos from merchant accounts, Better Business Bureau, Trust Guard, McAfee Secure, or Hacker Safe? Credentials like these help customers feel safe when shopping on your site.
Likewise, credentials such as coaching certifications, awards, and professional memberships create another layer of trust with your site visitors. It conveys to them that you are an expert in your field.
#3 Build Trust with Testimonials
One of the best ways I know to overcome objections and establish credibility and trust is with testimonials. You want to use relevant and powerful testimonies throughout your entire site, especially on the landing page and on any sales letter pages.
Testimonials not only convey the results that your clients achieve with you, they also give social proof that other people are doing business with you and like doing so.
#4 Build Trust with Expertise
You’ll want to include really valuable content on your site to establish your expertise and build trust with your visitors. You want your ideal client to see you as THE expert they want to work with.
Start with an irresistible, free offer that helps them solve their most urgent problem. Next add articles to your site that give great information and demonstrate your knowledge in your niche.
No one likes to waste time on free information that is just “fluff” – information with no substanial value. Doing so is a quick way to alienate your ideal client.
In Summary
Take a look at your website. Which of the above 4 strategies can you start using on your site to build trust with your ideal client?
Remember, most of your competition aren’t using these on their coaching websites. By including these four essential, trust building strategies on your site, you’ll easily build trust with website visitors and establish yourself as THE expert they want to work with.