Building Trust

Ok, someone joins your list, now it's time to build trust. Why should your list buy from you? Not for no reason! Nothing's for nothing. You have to present a complete package. It's not enough to offer products or services that ease their pain points or improve their lives or businesses, even if they're actively looking for the things you're pitching. They have to a) like you, and b) trust you.

The part about liking you is a personality thing and probably can't be taught. Just be yourself, be nice, be respectful and be helpful. (Hopefully those are not conflicting criteria!) Trust is trickier and must be earned. Since trust must be earned and is such a huge factor in buying decisions, it is crucial that the process of building trust be given the attention it deserves.

That process begins with your lead magnet. Are you giving something of genuine value? Usually the lead magnet is a digital product, maybe a free report or a short video packed with informative takeaways relevant to your niche. A lead magnet should give something of value that the people in your niche want. Not what they need, what they want!

Give them what they want, then sell them what they need. Your tribe don't know what they need. You do. You're the expert! But they know what they want, and so do you, so give them some and make it good, so good it makes them want more, more of you and more of what you know and offer. This is the beginning of trust.

Your follow-up emails and regular email series should give your list even more of what they want while leading them to what they need, which, if you've built up sufficient rapport, they will buy from you. Picture your people ascending a value staircase where they receive from you greater and grater value at higher and higher prices. They will climb this staircase of value only when they like you and trust you. Nothing's for nothing!

Speaking of which, do you pitch products and services you don't use or have not tried out for yourself? Think about that in terms of the trust your list has in you and the things you say to them. Every affiliate marketer should go through the entire purchase process of the products they represent, and then actually use and review the products. Your people will appreciate it so much you'll be able sense trust in you increasing from the volume of their purchases!