Earn trust and deliver. So what is trust, anyway? What makes us trust someone? In a recent Wall Street Journal article, "Trust Me," Robert Hurley, a professor at Fordham University and the author of "The Decision to Trust," outlined five principles companies can follow to instill trust in their customers. His premise is that, in the business world, we don't have a crisis of ethics, but rather a crisis of trust.
He further states that the most trusted companies have lower employee turnover and higher revenue, profitability and shareholder returns. What company wouldn't want that? Finally, we have a way to think about trust as not just something that's nice to have, but as something we can work toward building.
Here are five principles you can follow to develop trust:
- Show that your interests are the same. People trust others who serve their interests. What does this mean for salespeople? Always focus on your customers' needs as opposed to your own. Clients don't care about you and your situation. They care about what you can do for them.
- Demonstrate concern for others. Do the right thing, even if you do something counterintuitive. What does this mean? Be willing to walk away if your solution is not a good fit. Share information you've heard from others, even if the news is bad. Someone needs to report what's really going on. Be a trusted truth-teller.
- Deliver on your promises. Follow through and execute. How can you do this? Simple: Do what you say you're going to do. When you make a promise, deliver on that promise. Your fortune is in the follow-up.
- Be consistent and honest. Trust comes to people who always strive to honor their word. How does this apply to salespeople? Be reliable. Be dependable. No one cares about good intentions.
- Communicate frequently, clearly and openly. Because trust is largely about relationships, communication is critical. And what does this mean? Be forthright. Err on the side of frequent and open communication. That means not just email, but phone and in-person conversations.
In his book "The Power of Professionalism," author Bill Wiersma states, "Trust is to human capital what money is to financial capital. Of those few things to get right, trust is on the top of the list."
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Joanne Black is a professional sales speaker, sales webinar leader, and author of "No More Cold Calling: The Breakthrough System That Will Leave Your Competition in the Dust" from Warner Business Books. Visit www.nomorecoldcalling.com. © Copyright 2011 Joanne S. Black. All rights reserved.
