Soft offer techniques for building trust

Sales folks, take note! Spamming a target company's employees with your services and requests for meetings will result in your company making its way onto a buyer's blocklist. As a buyer in the localization industry, I receive dozens of emails and LinkedIn requests every single day from vendors looking to showcase translation, AI, QA services, and more. It's not humanly possible to give personal replies to every outreach. When vendors can't get through to me, they often reach out to everyone on my team... and sometimes to many others across my company. I'd love for this practice to stop. It wastes valuable company time and makes a vendor appear desperate and non-strategic. Here's what to do instead: 1. Appeal to ego! Invite a target company’s decision-maker to a panel, or start a vlog series and ask buyers to appear and discuss industry topics. It’s also a great opportunity to reposition your company as a thought leader. 2. Offer genuine insight, not just services. Share a case study, white paper, or benchmarking data that’s actually useful to the buyer’s role, and do it without a sales pitch. 3. Build a reputation before you build a pipeline. Comment thoughtfully on posts. Contribute to community conversations. If you consistently show up with value, you’re far more likely to get noticed. 4. Target smarter, not broader. Don’t shotgun your message to an entire company. Learn the org. Understand the buyer’s scope. Then send one well-researched, personalized note that shows you actually did your homework. 5. Focus on mutual value. Can you help solve a known pain point or offer perspective on something changing in the market? Frame your outreach around collaboration, not consumption. 6. Use timing to your advantage. Keep tabs on when companies are hiring for roles associated with your offerings, launching in new markets, or attending conferences. That’s when buyers are more receptive to new solutions. 7. Lead with generosity. Offer a no-strings-attached resource, intro, or suggestion that doesn’t benefit you directly. Reciprocity is a powerful trust builder. And please! Don't ever ever call me on the phone! ;)

Trust isn’t built with grand gestures. → It grows in the quiet, consistent moments. → One honest word at a time. Most leaders think they need big moves to earn loyalty. But trust doesn’t work that way. I’ve spent years studying how strong leaders build real relationships. Here’s what I’ve seen: The right words, said honestly, can shift everything. 🔑 15 simple phrases that build trust fast, and why they work: 1. “I appreciate your perspective on this.”  ↳ People want to feel seen.  ↳ This tells them they matter. 2. “Help me understand…”  ↳ Curiosity lowers defenses.  ↳ No judgment. Just listening. 3. “I made a mistake - and here’s what I learned.”  ↳ Vulnerability earns respect.  ↳ People trust real, not perfect. 4. “What would success look like for you?”  ↳ Shows you care about their goals.  ↳ Not just your agenda. 5. “I noticed the impact you made when…”  ↳ Specific praise hits deeper.  ↳ It fuels motivation. 6. “What do you think we should do?”  ↳ People back what they help build.  ↳ It sparks ownership. 7. “Let me clarify to make sure I understood…”  ↳ Listening is rare.  ↳ This proves you’re actually doing it. 8. “Thank you for bringing this up.”  ↳ Appreciation builds safety.  ↳ It keeps communication open. 9. “I don’t know, but I’ll find out.”  ↳ Honesty beats pretending.  ↳ People respect real answers. 10. “What support do you need from me?”  ↳ Leading means showing up.  ↳ This opens space for trust. 11. “Your time is valuable - let’s focus on priorities.”  ↳ Respecting time builds loyalty.  ↳ Everyone’s overloaded. 12. “Here’s what I’m excited about…”  ↳ Energy is contagious.  ↳ Share yours to lift others. 13. “I trust your judgment on this.”  ↳ Trust given is often returned.  ↳ It empowers action. 14. “Let’s explore the challenges you’re seeing.”  ↳ You’re beside them, not above them. 15. “I’m committed to finding a way forward together.”  ↳ Commitment speaks louder than certainty. 👉 Words don’t cost much. But they mean everything. Which phrase will you use this week? Drop it in the comments ⬇️ ♻️ Repost to share with someone working on building trust. 🔖 Follow Véronique Barrot for more like this.

If you have to “sell” hard… It’s because you didn’t teach well enough first. You’ve heard the advice: “Give value for free.” Most people think they’re giving value. They’re not. They’re holding back. The fix? Make your free content so good...it feels like it got leaked from behind a paywall. Here’s how I'm putting that into practice: --- (1) Outreach I don’t cold pitch. I do free consulting. For example, if I'm reaching out to a prospect: → I'd spend 30 minutes researching their site, funnel, and email opt-in → I'd send a 90-second Loom showing where they’re leaking leads (and how to fix it) → I'd end with a simple "Happy to help." Why does it work? Because I build trust before asking for anything. I'm educating without hard selling. (2) High-value lead magnets “Subscribe to my newsletter” converts at 1–2%. My educational email courses? 15–20%. Because the value trade is crystal clear: • you give me your email • you get a structured, 5-day lesson plan • you know what you’ll learn, when, and how it helps It’s a mini-product that educates and builds belief. Instead of... "Give me your email in exchange for me sending you emails whenever I want." (3) Content I give away what feels like the "secret sauce" for free. People don't pay for information anymore... They pay for: • implementation (done for them) • speed (faster than doing it alone) • customization (specific to their business) Give away the thinking. Charge for the doing. If your free content creates wins, the sale's already halfway closed. They already trust you. They’ve seen the value. Now they want you to help them execute on it. --- This is the game. Most businesses guard their knowledge. I use mine to build trust at scale. P.S. Like this breakdown? Follow me Aldis Ozols for more on social selling and building trust through your personal brand.

🚨 Struggling with “bad leads”? Here’s how I turn vague, low-quality leads into dream clients in 60 seconds flat. A thread 🧵👇 I used to see incomplete lead forms and think: “Garbage lead. Waste of time.” ❌ Then I tried a new approach inspired by @RussellBrunson—and it changed everything. Here’s the 60-second strategy that flips bad leads into great ones: Step 1: Pattern Interrupt (First 5 seconds) When I call a lead, I don’t open with boring stuff like: “Hi, is this John?” Instead, I open with energy and urgency: “Hey! This is Alex with Voda Restoration. Perfect timing—I’m calling right after I saw your message. What’s going on? I’m ready to help!” This catches them off guard (in a good way). They realize they’re speaking with a real human who’s here to solve their problem—not a sales robot. It builds instant trust. Step 2: Curiosity Hook (5-20 seconds) I don’t ask “yes or no” questions. I ask open-ended questions that invite them to talk. Here’s my go-to line: “Tell me what’s happening—was this something you’ve been thinking about for a while, or did something urgent just come up?” This gets the lead talking—which is key. The more they talk, the more emotionally connected they become. They start opening up, which helps you understand how to position your solution. Step 3: Soft Offer (20-45 seconds) After they explain, I validate their concern and make a mini-offer: “Got it. Here’s what I’m thinking: let’s map out a plan today—just 15 minutes, no commitment—to get you some clarity. Sound good?” I don’t push hard at this stage—it’s all about showing value early. By keeping it simple and clear, the lead feels like they’re being helped, not sold. This 60-second approach took me from dreading “bad leads” to converting much more of them into actual sales conversations. TL;DR: 1️⃣ Pattern Interrupt: Bring energy 2️⃣ Curiosity Hook: Get them talking 3️⃣ Soft Offer: Provide an easy next step Stop judging your leads—call them like they’re gold. ⏳ Try it and watch your conversions skyrocket 🚀