It seems that trust is hard to come by these days. How does a company like Search & Convert build trusting relationships?
Trust doesn’t come from a tagline. We learned a long time ago that our best and largest clients all started with a “Trust Builder” of limited scope and price.
Is that really a difference-maker? For Search & Convert, the answer is a resounding “yes.”
Our Founder and CEO, PJ Christie, is here to explain.
What is a “Trust Builder?”
In business, I’ve heard many promises. I buy as I sell, and I sell as I buy. Search & Convert is a business that thrives on retainers. I also have learned that fulfilling a limited engagement on time and on budget leads to better retainers.
In an earlier part of my career, I was running another agency. Each December, we would look at business data. The challenge for my team was to identify the common characteristics of our best clients.
We thought we would find a certain industry or buyer persona to indicate a good direction for our growth. No obvious patterns emerged.
It turned out that the non-obvious pattern was much more meaningful. The biggest clients we had to that point started with a small contract of fixed scope and cost. Finishing that small contract led to more and more work and a trusted relationship.
For businesses like Search & Convert, it is much easier to keep a current client happy enough to retain them for another month compared to going out and churning new customers through the pipeline.
Big Picture Takeaway
Our current Trust Builder consists of a two-week Quick Start program for $1500; it’s one of the best ways for us to show what we’re capable of. It addresses the 15 basic elements of search engine optimization, setting up and improving Google Analytics, Google Ads, Tag Manager, and other tools.
Likely Impact
- The right businesses are sold the way I buy and buy the way I sell
- The “no long-term commitment” policy brings in customers who want to see what the work is like before they sign a longer agreement
- Long retainers are trusted, precious business relationships
The Bottom Line
By building trust from the outset, taking on and completing just a few things on time and within budget, any business can build long-term relationships with the right customers.
Want to learn more about Trust Builders? Here’s an article to help solidify the idea in your mind.
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Search & Convert is a full-service digital marketing agency. We are partners in our clients’ successes, but that partnership is earned. The depth of knowledge of our Hall of Experts is unparalleled in the industry. The bottom line is working on problems worth solving for interesting projects. That’s what a Search & Convert Quick Start is all about. SEO, Social, and Conversion Quick Starts remain valuable for any business!