10 simple ways to win online customer’s confidence

Why would people trust you?

Your personal approach and reassurance can break barriers of reservations and fear. To build your credibility and develop a one-to-one relationship, try these simple and effective ways to gain potential customer’s confidence:

1. Empathy
   
   When providing solutions, first demonstrate your understanding of the emotional component of the problem before giving the solution. How does the problem affect someone’s life? You could start your pitch with ‘Do you suffer from a debilitating migraine?’ or ‘Are you frustrated because..?
   
   
2. Give, give, give
   
   Be generous with your information and share your knowledge and experience. Don’t worry about giving away critical information. Learning is a moving target. You cannot teach today what you will learn tomorrow. By sharing your knowledge you will come across as a expert to be trusted. 
   
   
3. Credibility
   
   Provide testimonials from reputable sources to build your reputation.
   
   
4. Privacy statement
   
   Reassure customers that their personal details will not be disclosed to third parties and will be kept secure.
   
   
5. Personal insights
   
   Reveal snippets of you or your life to connect on a personal level e.g. display your photo.
   
   
6. Consistent message
   
   If you claim to be trustworthy, don’t sell dubious products for the sake of a financial gain.
   
   
7. Ongoing contact
   
   Contact potential or existing customers regularly to build confidence and develop a strong relationship. An email newsletter is an effective ongoing communication channel.
   
   
8. Personal correspondence
   
   Personalise your messages. Use first names e.g. ‘Hi Karen’ rather than ‘Dear valued customer’.
   
   
9. Physical address
   
   Cyberspace residents have nothing to inspire confidence. Provide a physical address not just an email address.
   
   
10. Direct email
    
    Give a direct email address e.g. henriette@domain.com instead of info@domain.com.