Part 2 | How to market in a low-trust environment – Authenticity 

Tip 2: Build Authentic Connections

In an environment where hostility and distrust towards marketing and sales outreach are prevalent, it’s crucial to build authentic connections with your prospects. Authenticity can be the key to standing out and regaining trust. In this post, I’ll share three practical strategies to foster transparency, show your human side, and actively engage with your audience to build genuine relationships in a hostile B2B market.

Authenticity pays off in establishing connections, competitive sales processes, when budgets are tight, and when renewals are at risk.

Build Authentic Connections

1. Be Transparent and Honest

Transparency and honesty are essential elements of authenticity. It’s important to be transparent about your journey in making new connections and meeting market needs. One way to demonstrate a commitment to understanding your prospects’ needs and building trust is to acknowledge any missteps and learnings you’ve had. For example, as a sales rep, you may have been focused on highlighting the benefits of your solution in your communications with prospects. Now you realize that addressing an urgent challenge for them is more valuable and effective in creating a long term relationship (see previous post: Get Personal Like a B2C Marketer). So, reaching back out to those prospects with a message that says something like, “Too soon? I may have skipped a step in my last message, offering you information about our products before you needed it when what you probably need is help with something you’re struggling with now. Could we chat for 2 min to see if I can help you?” 

2. Show Your Human Side

Authenticity thrives when you connect on a human level. To do this, think about what you do when invited to a barbecue where you only know the host. You’ll introduce yourself and instinctively start to find aspects of your own experiences or interests that align with those you’re talking with. Soon you’ll be sharing experiences and personal stories on a topic that creates a sense of connection. 

In a digital selling environment, you are trying to make this same connection without the person in front of you. For example, I love dogs and own a German Shepherd. If I saw a prospect had a German Shepherd in their LinkedIn profile photo, I know we’re going to end up talking about our dogs and why we love the breed. Alternatively, you might see a video when researching a prospect where they make a great point. You can let them know you liked that part of the video or share a recent article that is relevant to that point. This lets the prospect know you are aligned and reminds them you are a person, not just a sales person. 

Note: Actual authenticity here is really important. If you don’t love dogs, don’t say you do just to get into a conversation. Do the work to find a genuine point of connection and it will pay off. If you try to take a shortcut, you risk the prospect spotting your inauthentic behavior and angrily shutting you and your company out because you were not sincere. 

3. Listen and Engage

Authentic connections happen when people feel seen, heard, and valued. So, authenticity is not just about talking; it’s also about listening and engaging. Actively listen to feedback, suggestions, and concerns from your prospects and customers. Engage in conversations on social media platforms and other relevant channels and offer helpful connections or information that address their real needs. By genuinely engaging with your audience, you build trust and foster loyalty. That loyalty pays off in competitive sales processes, when budgets are tight, and when renewals are at risk. As one person put it at a recent meeting of the Revenue Collective, “twenty fans are worth more than two thousand leads.”

Conclusion

Authenticity plays a vital role in breaking down barriers and the hostility we’re seeing in  reaction to B2B outreach. By prioritizing transparency, showing your human side, and actively engaging with your audience, you can regain trust and differentiate your company from transactional or inauthentic competitors. 

Stay tuned for the third post in this series, where I’ll share additional tips for successful engagement in a challenging B2B market.

#b2bmarketing #marketing #selling #bestpractices #tips

Related Content

Tip 1: Get Personal Like a B2C Marketer

Tip 3: Coming soon

Video: Ask the CMO, What to do about hostile lead gen environment?