Page 110 - 100 Great Business Ideas: From Leading Companies Around the World (100 Great Ideas)

Quick Ideas 83 to 84

84

Building Trust

Trust is the most essential ingredient of all really great rela-
tionships, both personal and professional. Unfortunately, trust
must be earned over time by consistent performance. It’s very
rare that a customer will trust you on the first day and with
their first transaction.

Retailing giant Sam Walton recognized the value of trust as

he built the Wal-Mart empire. He said, “If I could stand trust at

the register, I would be home free. The reality is you must earn

a customer’s trust one cus-

tomer, one transaction, and

one day at a time.” One thing Assignment
you can do to gain more trust
is to keep your promises and Make a rule that a prom-
follow through, and then point ise made is a promise kept.
it out to your prospect or cus- Remember that your word is
tomer. For example, you your bond.

might say, “Bill, I told you I

would have these for you to-

day, and here they are.” Or you might say, “Mary, I promised I

would call you back on Wednesday, and today is Wednesday.”

When you do the right thing, make an issue of it, and wave your

flag in the air. It will help you accelerate the process of building

trust.

Epilogue

Trust is more fragile than an egg, and you need to pro-
tect it every day, with every sale, and with every prospect or
customer.

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