There is perhaps no more powerful tool in business (and life) than that of TRUST.
It’s what enables some businesses to thrive while others toil away in obscurity.
And it’s what allows some to sell, while others are forced to overcome objection, after objection, after objection…
But as great as trust is, it can be a challenge to find a way to start making “building trust” a key part of your businesses marketing strategy.
But make no mistake. It’s well worth the effort.
As trust is a powerful marketing tool that is absolutely crucial to your businesses long lasting success.
Businesses that are trusted get more customers, have happier customers, sell more, sell easier, and probably most importantly, business is just a whole lot more fun when people trust you.
Also like most things in marketing – it’s not what you are, but how you’re perceived by your market that actually matters.
So let’s dive into a few ways to prove your businesses trustworthiness so you can make more money, have more fun, and sleep better too.
The Strategy Of Preeminence
The most powerful advice on trust and marketing that I’ve ever heard was given by Jay Abraham on his “strategy of preeminence”.
Jay’s advice is to become your customer or clients most trusted advisor. A fiduciary.
- A fiduciary is a person who holds a legal or ethical relationship of trust with one or more other parties (person or group of persons). – Wikipedia
And this means always operating in their best interest. Always.
So if they are trying to buy the wrong product or service from you, you owe it to them to tell them.
And if they are trying to buy the wrong product or service from a competitor, you owe it to them to tell them as well.
I like to think of my clients like I do my Mom.
No, not in a weird way where I expect them to make me peanut butter sandwiches and drive me to baseball. (Though that would be convenient…)
But in the way that I would never let them do something I wouldn’t want to see my Mom do.
I’m their fiduciary, and I take that responsibility very seriously. (So much so that I still get stomach pains and can’t sleep if a client is going through a particularly difficult struggle or challenge. Their business, is my business)
Authenticity
While it’s a little embarrassing to sit here and admit that I still get a bit queasy or have trouble sleeping when a client’s going through a rough patch – it’s also the truth.
And by sharing that, I let down my guard and reveal the fact that I’m a real human being, with real feelings, and not just some robot working for a faceless ad agency.
And here’s the beauty. The simple fact of admitting that I care, and maybe even a little too much, actually helps to position me as authentic and therefore trustworthy.
After all, it would be fake to say that I’m bullet proof, nothing affects me, and I can sleep like a baby through a hurricane.
So why then do so many businesses still try to portray themselves as flawless.
My advice, is to let your idiosyncrasies and minor flaws fly free!
(Minor flaws only! If your business has major flaws you need to fix those puppies quick!)
Positive association
Another great trust building method is to leverage positive associations.
This is kind of a trust hack however, because the results are typically only as good and long lasting as the association you choose.
Essentially positive association relies on the fact that when no other evidence is present, we rely on surrounding people or objects to help us form impressions.
This is why influencer marketing works so well.
And what allows a celebrity to simply take a picture with a new (insert product here _____________) and it gains immediate buzz and traction.
But you don’t need a celebrity to take advantage of positive associations.
Charitable donations, volunteer work, testimonials, and referrals all work the same way to build trust and credibility for your business.
Providing value
A great way to build trust is to give before you get.
In fact, I’d even go so far as to say give with no intention of getting.
When you make “providing value” a cornerstone of your businesses marketing you can’t help but be seen as a “giver”.
And people trust “givers”.
In the same way that they distrust “takers”.
So what should you give?
Anything!
Give information, time, advice, samples, resources, guidance, entertainment, support…
Whatever best fits your capabilities and customers.
Everything you give will come back in equal or greater amount. It’s basic physics. And basic marketing.
Start small
Trust is important.
But it takes time to build.
And “walking the walk” is far more important than “talking the talk.”
So start small, and by giving first, acting as your customers fiduciary, being authentic, and associating your business with other trustworthy causes.
You’ll do better, feel better, and your customers will too.
