Make Sales By Building Trust And Getting Found
If you want to build trust, get found, and make sales, you need more than a pretty website and a few random ads. You need a real plan for how people discover you, learn to trust you, and decide to work with you.
I have been on both sides of this. I started as a gym owner in the fitness space, got burned by more than one marketing agency, and eventually built my own agency after realizing most “experts” were doing what was best for them, not what helped me make sales. Now my team and I work with local service-based businesses to help them dominate online with clear messaging, sales funnels, and SEO.
In this post, I want to walk you through how to make sales the right way, using the same ideas I shared on the Business Bros podcast.
TL;DR
Most businesses do not have a traffic problem; they have a broken funnel problem that makes it hard to make sales.
A sales funnel is the full relationship journey, not just a website, and you need all the pieces working together if you want to make sales consistently.
Branding, a conversion focused website, a strong lead magnet, real follow up, a proper digital storefront, and a CRM are non negotiable.
SEO that actually works covers technical setup, user experience, content, backlinks, and local SEO so you get found when buyers are searching.
Video and video podcasts are one of the fastest ways to build trust and drive sales, because people connect with people, not logos or AI avatars.
Knowledge without execution will not help you make sales, so the next step is to stop guessing and get a real plan in place.
Why Most Business Owners Struggle To Make Sales
Most business owners I talk to are not lazy. They are busy all the time. They have a website. They are running some ads. They are posting on social media.
The problem is not effort. The problem is order and clarity.
If you are trying to make sales while:
Sending traffic to a weak or confusing website
Running ads before your funnel is built
Skipping follow-up and blaming “bad leads.”
You are basically pouring water into a bucket full of holes. You might see a sale here and there, but it is not consistent, and it definitely is not scalable.
There are also a lot of people who think they are doing “marketing” at a high level, but they have no idea what the true industry leaders are actually doing behind the scenes. You might think you are doing SEO, for example, but your top competitor is spending ten to twenty times more, creating content every week, building authority, and improving their user experience nonstop.
If you want to make sales like the leaders in your space, you cannot run “check the box” marketing. You need the full system.
Sales Funnel vs Website: What Actually Helps You Make Sales
A lot of confusion starts with this simple question: What is the difference between a website and a sales funnel?
Many people call any landing page or funnel builder software a “sales funnel.” In my agency, when we talk about a sales funnel, we mean the complete relationship journey that takes someone from not knowing who you are to becoming a super fan customer for life.
Your website is part of that journey, but it is not the whole thing. If you want to make sales consistently, your funnel needs six key parts:
Branding and Messaging
Not just logos and colors, but the words you use. I use the StoryBrand framework to create a “brand script” so every email, page, and ad is clear and consistent.A Website That Collects Leads And Makes You Money
Your website should do two things: collect leads and make sales. If it is just a digital brochure, it is not doing its job. It needs to be wired and structured for conversion and SEO.A Strong Lead Generator
Not everyone who visits your site is ready to book a call or buy. You need a lead magnet with a clear, catchy title that gives them a quick win and positions you as the guide.Follow Up That Actually Follows Up
The secret is not just having a lead magnet. It is the follow-up sequence after they download it. Usually, this is a series of emails or texts that highlight the problem you solve and lead into a strong call to action.A Complete Digital Storefront
This includes your Google Business Profile, Yelp, and other local listings, plus your social media profiles filled out with logo, contact info, and website. People check all of this before they trust you.A CRM To Store And Track It All
If leads are just sitting in your inbox, you are losing money. A CRM lets you capture, track, and follow up, so when people are ready to buy, you are there.
That whole setup is your sales funnel. When it is built well and in the right order, it makes it much easier to make sales from every lead that comes in.
Two Big Reasons Your Funnel Is Not Helping You Make Sales
From working with a lot of local service businesses, I see two big reasons their marketing does not help them make sales.
First, they are doing the right things in the wrong order. They are buying ads and trying tactics before they have the funnel built. They are filling a broken system.
Second, they are executing at a low standard compared to the industry dominators. They say, “I am doing SEO” or “I have a website,” but they have not looked honestly at how they show up next to their competitors. A “good enough” effort rarely leads to “great” results.
If you want to make sales like a real player in your market, you have to build the foundation first, then pour on the traffic, then keep improving.
How SEO Helps You Make Sales In A “Search Everywhere” World
SEO used to mean search engine optimization, and it was mostly about Google. Now I like to think of it as search everywhere optimization. People search on Google, social platforms, and even inside AI tools.
The goal is simple. When someone searches for the products or services you offer, your brand should show up as the clear, trustworthy choice.
To do that, you need five key pillars working together:
Technical SEO
The behind-the-scenes structure, like title tags and meta descriptions. Think of this as the foundation of a house. People do not see it, but if it is wrong, everything leans.User Experience
If someone clicks on “Dallas plumber” and lands on your site, do they stay or bounce? Search platforms track that. If people leave fast, your rankings suffer.Content
It is not about pumping out AI fluff. Search tools want to see your expertise, your unique viewpoint, and your authority. That means content that clearly covers your topics and is updated regularly.Authority And Backlinks
Other sites linking to you are digital referrals. They tell search tools, “We trust this site.” Guest posts, local directories, and press releases all help.Local SEO
A fully built and active Google Business Profile, plus consistent listings across local directories, gives you a huge advantage if you are a local service business.
When these pieces are in place, SEO becomes a powerful way to make sales because you show up exactly when people are looking for what you do.
Personal Brand vs Business Brand: Does It Matter For Sales?
One question I get a lot is whether you should build a personal brand or a business brand. My honest answer is that it depends on your goals.
Personal brands are easier for people to connect with because we relate to people, not logos. The flip side is that they are harder to sell later because so much is tied to you. Business brands take more work upfront, but over time, they become something bigger than one person.
For my agency, I called it Sean Garner Consulting at first because my personal brand in the fitness world carried some weight, and I wanted to leverage that. As the agency has grown, I want people to come to us not just because of my name, but because of the results our whole team gets.
Either way, your brand must be clear, trustworthy, and consistent if you want to make sales at a high level.
Why Video Is A Cheat Code For Trust And Sales
We live in a time where you technically can create “faceless” content with AI avatars and never show up on camera. But if your goal is to truly make sales and dominate your industry, hiding is not your best move.
People connect with people. When they see your face, hear your voice, and watch you talk about what you know, trust builds fast. That is why I love video podcasts and live shows.
In about 30 minutes of recording, you can:
Stream live to multiple platforms
Publish a long-form video on YouTube
Turn it into audio for podcasts
Cut it into short clips for reels and shorts
Use the transcript to create blogs, emails, and social posts
All that from one focused session. That is a smart way to make sales because your content is everywhere, and it all sounds like you, not a robot.
Knowledge Without Execution Will Not Make Sales
One of my favorite reminders for clients is this. Knowledge without execution is meaningless.
You can listen to podcasts, read blogs like this, and get a ton of ideas. But if you do not take action and build the funnel, improve your SEO, create content, or fix your follow-up, you will be in the exact same place next year, just with better notes.
If you are tired of repeating the same year in business over and over and want to finally make sales in a consistent, predictable way, it might be time to get help.
If you want clear eyes on your funnel, SEO, and online presence, and you want a real plan for how to make sales without guessing, I would love to look at it with you.
Schedule a call with me to discuss how we can help you build trust with your customers and make more sales.
