In a previous post, I wrote about visibility and the six principles of networking that will help you gain visibility. I encourage you to go back and take a look at that post because if you implement those, you are on your way to this post's topic, credibility.
There are eight ways to increase and maintain your credibility
1. Show up and show up early
Have you ever been ghosted? Ghosting is when you plan to meet someone, and they choose not to show up at all. They never contact you to explain why they didn't show up. I know that both Adam and I hate being late for a sales meeting, let alone missing one. We both strive to be at least 5 to 10 minutes early. For us as well as many other people who prefer to show up early, it simply means that you care and you respect the other person's time.
2. Be prepared
Always be prepared, try to have an agenda for the meeting, tools, and devices you may need for the meeting. Nothing is worse than looking at a prospect and saying, can I have a piece of paper and a pen? You aren't in middle school, be prepared! One thing that I learned when I was teaching was to always have a plan, maybe even a plan B & C.
3. Dressing professional and not like “something the cat drug in”
It has been said to always try to dress one level above the to whom you are speaking. While this is relevant in some industries, personally, I think as long as you look professional, you should be fine. In other words, you might want to leave your cut off shorts and tank top for your personal time, not when you are meeting with a prospect or a client.
4. Have a Givers Gain mindset, or a "pay it forward" mindset
Jody Rushbrook of Jody's Automotive tells the story of two stores. They were identical for all intents and purposes as they all so the same products. But one always had repeat customers. The one with all the repeat would pass a piece of candy, give a little extra scoop, or add an extra one to the dozen someone ordered. They understood that yeah, they might lose a little giving away something, but they would get it back tenfold in repeat business.
5. Don't be afraid to tell someone how to do something
As you become more visible, people will start to seek you out for advice. Always be helping as much as you can, and don't be afraid to show someone how to do something. I know you might be thinking, you want me to show them how to do what I do? Yes, I do, because you would be surprised how many people will search for a how-to only to realize that it's too much work or they don't have time to do it. If you were there to answer their question, who do you think they are more than likely to call? You can leverage your website blog and social media sites such as YouTube to your advantage here.
6. Continue in-person networking as well as a social media networking
By continuing to show up and be seen will only help you maintain visibility and grow your credibility. Treat a networking event like you would if you were visiting a prospect. You want to arrive as close to on time as you can. Showing up early to a networking event, such as a business after hours, could have a negative effect. However, you don't want to be too late, just "fashionably late." Check out this post at Southern Living for some helpful guidelines.
7. Hold yourself to the highest standards
In many professions, there are ethical standards set forth by the government or a governing body. For those of us who aren't in an industry where that is the case, the best thing we can do is always to strive to serve people with the highest ethical standard. You should be fair with your prices and make sure your work is the best you can do. Obviously, you should under-promise and over-deliver.
8. Having a good website and leverage the power of it
I know I am a little biased, but honestly, I have heard of very few legitimate arguments for not having a website.
By not having a website, you are losing out on visibility and credibility. Obviously, a website should help increase your visibility, especially if you do any SEO work or inbound marketing with it. Your credibility could suffer because people may not see you as a legitimate business.
The bottom line is the best way to build your credibility is to maintain an ethical standard. Be fair and honest with your pricing, over-deliver, and don't be afraid to provide a little extra.
