The Importance of Trust

Have you ever stopped going to a business because of a bad experience? What about a business that you have enjoyed and trusted for years? There’s a big difference in how you approach your relationship with a business that depends completely on trust.

I have some favorite hotels and restaurants, and I know that I will have a positive experience 99% of the time. How do I know? Because every time I have had a less-than-stellar experience, they have made it up to me and shown me that it was a fluke. They have developed that trust.

Now there are a lot of different types of trust in a business – trust between you and your team as well as trust between your business and your customers. But at the end of the day, both are necessary to maintain a successful business.

Trust Between A Business And Its Customers

We all know that Yelp and Google are big ways that businesses bring new customers in. But Yelp has developed a reputation for basically selling five-star reviews, and Google tends to be populated by only the most opinionated reviews.So what is the best way to bring customers in? Trust. If you treat your customers right every time they interact with you, they will know that they can rely on your business. Don’t worry – none of us is perfect, so you’re going to have messes once in a while. But those should be the rare exception rather than the rule. And if your customers trust you, they will tell their friends about your business too. That organic flow of business is priceless.

And what’s more important is how you respond when one of those messes happens. Make it right! People can understand that mistakes happen. What they can’t understand is why the business didn’t take the time and effort to make things right afterward.

That opportunity to solidify trust is invaluable. I’m not saying you should go screw things up just to fix them. Far from it. But having a solid plan in place to handle mistakes and unhappy customers will ensure that you keep that positive momentum.

Trust Between A Business Owner And Their Team

I worked a lot of jobs before I found my success. And the key to my success has always been trust between myself and my employees. If I make sure they have the tools they need to be successful, then not only are they successful for themselves, but they bring success to the business as well.

Over the years, I have worked in environments where there was trust and where there wasn’t. Every one of them that had trust saw success and growth beyond anyone’s wildest dreams. Employees who know that they are trusted and supported will go out of their way to help the business. Because they know that you as the owner value them.

That’s more than just giving them free lunches once in a while. Tell them how awesome they are doing. Share the company’s success with them. Did you triple your profits this year? Give them a raise! Show them that you trust them to do their job by giving them everything they need, and they will become not only your employees, but a part of your team.

How Do I Build Trust?

Trust starts with trusting yourself. I believe that building a process that works without you directly meddling in it builds the strongest relationship with your team. By having a plan that everyone, including you, follows, you are showing your team that everyone there has the potential for greatness.

More importantly, if you are finding that you can’t trust your team – hire team members you can! Your business is built on your dream and vision, but it also takes the hard work and dedication of all of your team members to make it happen.

If you want to find out more about how to build the processes necessary to develop trust among your team and with your customers, you can check out my online training program, purchase and read my book The Power of Consistency, or find out more about our programs.