I went to see a craftsman at the weekend. I was not sure about what I needed. At the end of the discussion, he had talked me out of the most expensive options (saving me several hundred pounds) and had shown me two examples of his work. His quiet confidence in his own skills, coupled with a testimonial from somebody I trust already really helped me to decide to trust him. This made me think about my own business and the time it takes new contacts to trust me.

Before people will deal with us, they need to trust us. Just how much they need to trust us will depend on the nature of our business.

Things to think about

That trust upon which we depend has to be earned. It is not ours by right.

It takes time to establish trust with a new contact.

How much Trust is Sufficient?

Any new contact will have their own perception of just how much they need to trust you before they will confirm a transaction. Both the trust required and the time to achieve it will be a function of several variables:

• What is at stake;

  • Cost;

  • Non-financial impact of failure – falling off a cliff if somebody who I trusted with a rope lets go has a much greater impact than my new poster being slightly fuzzy – and this influences the way I make decisions;

• Complexity;

• The contact’s own knowledge and experience.

Credibility

To be trusted to do something is to be a credible supplier of that product or service. Credibility is derived from:

1. Integrity
   Your behaviour matches your motives.

2. Intent
   The intent, or motive that generates trust is caring about the quality of what you do and the outcomes for your customers.

3. Capabilities
   Can you prove that you have the skills and abilities that you are selling? Do you promote YOUR strengths?

4. Results
   Take responsibility for the outcomes of your work.

Marketing Trust

• Request testimonials from clients – and ask their permission to use these in your marketing materials and on your web site;

• Know your advocates – and make sure they have first hand experience of your work – if you are just starting out you might have to consider a discount;

• Opening offers – demonstrate your skills to people – some ideas to think about:

  1. No value no fee;

  2. First 20 customers vouchers;

  3. Give something for free – to the right people – in exchange for referrals.

Further reading:

Stephen M.R. Covey with Rebecca R. Merrill, The Speed of Trust, Simon & Schuster, ISBN-10: 0-7432-9560-9

This was a guest post by Paul Fileman of SPS who are a national team of proven senior management professionals, passionate about working to help businesses achieve their next level of development and performance. Whether they are facing market changes, financial problems, people/skills issues, or are preparing a major project, they offer dedicated support from a multi-disciplined team of experts.

Subscribe:
If you enjoyed this post and would like to be kept updated on future posts, then please Subscribe by Email or subscribe to my RSS Feed.