Trust; the most powerful tool in Business!
- waynefarran
- Jul 1, 2014
- 2 min read
Trust, it's a very small word, but when achieved it's the most powerful tool in business!
You may have noticed on the home page of this website I have the following statement.
" WORK VALUES
I always look to deliver a mutually beneficial result for the company that I work for and the customer/client that I service. When you continually aim to deliver mutually beneficial results for both parties you continue to grow a business relationship that can transcend a “last sale/purchase” foundation."
Quite simply put, the paragraph above is all about Trust.
So how do you earn trust, well you have to have your customers best interest at heart at all times, you only promise what you and/or your company can deliver and above all, be honest.
So what are my three tips on earning trust?
1) Focus on delivering what you promise and what your company offers.
Follow up on any aspect of a business transaction that may need a little more oversight than normal. In addition keep a list of any action points that you need to complete on a daily/weekly basis and don't forget to continually review the list.
2) Don't get too comfortable in any business relationship stay vigilant.
Building trust is an ongoing commitment; when you continually aim to deliver on each occasion you continue to grow a solid business relationship. All it takes is one or two problems to occur before you start to lose trust in the relationship.
3) Be honest and transparent about mistakes.
Let’s look at Peter Beattie the prior Premier for Queensland as an example; he served as premier for around 9 years. It seemed that he was literally on the news almost every week apologising for something that went wrong in his government.
Despite all of this the people continued to elect him back into government time and time again; not to mention that he held a good approval rating.
Why was this?
Well he came across as being honest; when something happened he would go on TV admit to the issue at hand and talk about what he was doing to rectify the situation.
Typically we prefer to hide and/or ignore our mistakes, but if our customers assume a level of dishonesty it will undermine their trust in us.
So when a mistake is made, own up to it immediately and advise what you’re doing to correct the situation.
Wayne~
