22 Ways To Build Trust

There are some things that money cannot buy.

And one of them is trust.

Trust is a complicated subject, with many different schools of thought.

My view is simple - you either trust someone, or you don't.

If you do, that means you're giving him or her a vote of confidence.

"Every sale has 5 basic obstacles: no need, no money, no hurry, no desire, and no trust"

-- Zig Ziglar

Trust in business relationships is fundamental for long-term collaboration.

Think about it, would you give someone your hard-earned money if you didn't trust the person or the product/service s/he is trying to sell?

Why? Because trust takes time to grow.

But once earned, it becomes a glue that binds a relationship together.

Recently, I've finished reading the book "The Trusted Advisor" by David Maister, Charles H. Green, and Robert M. Galford. (I'd strongly recommend it if your work involves directly interfacing with clients).

Here are my 22 takeaways from the book on how you can demonstrate trustworthiness to your customers:

1. Show you're dependable with your consistency,
2. Help them always see things from a fresh perspective,
3. Never force things on them,
4. Show genuine empathy & understanding of their perspective,
5. Honor that they make the decisions,
6. Your advice is not a substitute for their judgement,
7. Stay calm, and never panic,
8. Help them separate logic from emotion,
9. Correct them very gently, and lovingly,
10. Show that you can be relied upon to tell the truth,
11. You value the long-term relationship more than a short-term initiative,
12. Give them reasoning, and evidence on 'why' before drawing conclusions,
13. Give them options to choose from, explain those options, and then provide a recommendation,
14. Challenge their assumptions politely,
15. Show that you are personable, but also take issues seriously,
16. Don't play a character, be yourself (your true self),
17. Show that you are on the same side, and their best interest is ingrained in yours,
18. Show you remember details from previous conversations,
19. Never speak ill of anyone (including past or present clients and team members),
20. Put issues into context using storytelling,
21. Show your good sense of humor even in tough situations,
22. Share your knowledge in the right time, and right place.

These tips might take some time to put into practice.

But if you want to become a true asset & advisor to your customers, trust is essential.

"As tempting as it is to relegate trust to the realm of personal or romantic partnerships, the reality is that security forms the basis of every extraordinary relationship, including professional ones."

-- Tony Robbins

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Question: What tips would you share with others that helped you build trust?

I look forward to your thoughts below - @WahidChowdhury.

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P.S. - Check out more of my articles in My Library of Contents