How to Make Potential Clients Like, Trust and Hire You!

Every business, no matter what size or industry has one sole objective…

and no it’s not to make money!

It’s to win clients.

NO CLIENTS = NO CASH

But how do you convince someone to hire you if you don’t have a glowing list of testimonials, a massive presence online or a solid portfolio?

The answer: Focus less on the sale and more on serving.

In other words, your goal is to build a bond with your audience. They need to know you are someone who truly understands them, the problems they face and that you, more than anyone else, are capable of delivering the exact outcome they’re looking for.

Why is this important? Because people buy from people they KNOW, LIKE and TRUST. 

When you can achieve this it won’t matter how many testimonials or years of experience you have. They will hire you!

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Side Note: This is the exact method I used to get DesignFiles off the ground and ultimately turn it into one of the fastest growing online interior design platforms on the market, even though there were larger, more established businesses providing similar tools.

Let me explain.

Fresh off of failing with Olioboard I was not interested in making the same mistakes I made before. If I was going to take another go at this I needed to be sure that the tools I built were exactly what my audience needed and wanted.

So instead of trying to sell designers on the tools I already had, I took the time to speak directly with them and learn about the obstacles they faced when running their businesses.
The feedback they provided gave me the vital insights I needed to build customized design tools that addressed their specific needs.

When I had something ready, I’d invite them back to test the tools and share additional feedback. By taking the time to create this mutually beneficial relationship, I began to gain my audience’s trust.

I was able to show that I understood exactly what their biggest pain points were and they trusted me to build the tools to overcome those obstacles.

Getting people to KNOW, LIKE and TRUST you is the fastest and most reliable way to grow a loyal customer base.

In this post I’ll show you how you can use KLT content to build your image as an expert in your field and create a strong bond with your potential clients.

FYI: It’s important to note that if you don’t know who your ideal client is or what your area of expertise is, you WILL struggle to create content that resonates, which means you WILL struggle to land clients.

If you’re trying to market to everyone – you’re basically marketing to no one.

Choosing a specialty is essential and will give your business the focus, direction and targeted customer base it needs to succeed.

Related Article: How to Charge More & Attract All The Clients You Want by Specializing

With that preamble out of the way. Let’s get started.

So what exactly is KNOW, LIKE and TRUST (KLT) content?

In a nutshell it’s content that helps your potential clients solve a problem or attain a goal while positioning you as the expert in that area.

It’s important to note that you are not selling anything here. Your goal is strictly to create a bond between you and your reader.

Each piece of Know, Like and Trust content you create solidifies you in their mind as the go-to-expert.

What should your KLT content be about?

Your KLT content should address the specific problems or pain points your niche audience is dealing with and provide a solution to reach their desired outcome.

As an example let’s say you’re niche is specializing in designing ‘nurseries’ for ‘new moms’ who love the ‘simple-living’ lifestyle.

In this example your KLT content might include:

• The safest household paints for your baby’s nursery
• A 6 step guide to create a beautifully simple space for your new baby
• The Minimalist Baby – A guide for what you actually need to buy when you have a baby
• 5 Simple ways to detox your baby’s nursery

(note: these are actual guides that come up when you search for “simple-living nursery design” on pinterest. The designers that have created these guides know how to target their audience)

Consistency is Key

As I mentioned above choosing a specialty is essential and will give your business the focus, direction and targeted customer base it needs to succeed.

You can’t create an image of yourself as an expert in your field if you haven’t defined what that field is and the content you create is all over the map.

If that simple-living mom lands on your website or blog and there are articles where you describe your methods for creating the ultimate bachelor pad or your top ten list of extravagant dining rooms, she’ll immediately be confused and walk away. She’s not interested in any of that. She just wants a designer who excels at creating beautiful nurseries.

Think about it. If you go to Joanna Gaines website you’ll never see an article on ‘her favorite hot pink paint colors’ or her ‘top ten ultra mod dining chairs’.  Every single piece of content she creates will tie back to her simple, fresh and timeless design preference and enforce her image as the expert on making old things new and preserving and highlighting the character of the home.

How to structure your KLT content

1. Include a compelling headline

Ex. The safest household paints for your baby’s nursery

Why is this a compelling headline?

Because it immediately makes you think that some paints could be harmful to your new baby. Being the protective mother that you are, you’ll want to make sure you are informed and taking the needed steps to avoid exposing your baby to unnecessary toxins.

2. Content should be 500-700 words and easy to digest

People don’t want to read large blocks of copy. In fact they won’t. Large blocks of copy feel daunting and time consuming.

A great tip is to segment your content into easy to follow actionable steps (ex: A 6 Step Guide to Create a Beautifully Simple Space for Your Baby)

3. Mix it up

Your KLT content doesn’t always have to be an article. Create videos, top ten lists, downloadable pdf guides, cheat sheets or must have check-lists.

You want to keep it fresh and exciting for your readers.

4. End each KLT content with an enticing offer

Remember, your goal here is to create a bond. You are not selling anything. It typically takes up to 7 times for a person to interact with you and your brand before they choose to buy from you.

So to keep them engaged and coming back for more, create a special bonus offer that you can add to the end of your KLT content.

The bonus offer can be anything that is of real value to the reader.

Example: It could be “Your Ultimate Guide For: (fill in the blank).

Only this time they will need to provide an email address to unlock this special offer.

If they are willing to provide their email address to access more of your content, you’ll know you’ve started to gain their trust. You’ve just turned a cold lead into a warm lead that you can now add to your mailing list and continue to market to.

5. Get your KLT content out for all to see

Add your content everywhere. The more locations where your potential clients can stumble upon your content the better. If they find a piece on Facebook, another through Pinterest and another through Instagram, they will start to feel like your name pops up everywhere they go. This helps cement you in their mind as the go to expert in that field.

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Alright it’s time to get to work.

Knowing that it typically takes up to 7 times for a person to interact with you and your brand before they choose to buy from you, your goal is to create 7 pieces of KLT content that will resonate with your niche audience.

So let’s get started.

1) Create your first KLT content piece (it could be in the form of a video, top ten list, downloadable pdf guide, cheat sheet or must have check-list).

2) Share your KLT content on our private facebook group to get constructive feedback >> https://www.facebook.com/groups/235172344030161/?ref=bookmarks

3) Make final adjustments and get that content out for all to see (add it to your website, blog, facebook, instagram and pinterest accounts).

4) Get started on your next KLT piece and repeat steps one through three.

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A Final Note: Creating an image of yourself as an expert in a particular field takes time and a lot of work. This is why it’s so important to pick a niche that you are truly interested in. When you pick a niche you are passionate about, you’ll be able to speak at length on the topic. It will flow out of you naturally and you will enjoy the process so much more.

Focus on what you love, share it with the world and the clients and money will literally come to you.