Building Trust That Lasts

If you’re traveling along with us on the Partnership Path, Congratulations! So far we have done the math behind the formula. We have discovered our industry partners. We have done exercises to get connected to them and spent time getting to know them. We’ve had time to reflect and decide if we like those partners. Now we’re up to Stage 5: “Building Trust That Lasts.”

Let’s be honest, it’s been a little tough getting to know some industry partners and then trying to decide if you like them. It gets even tougher trying to build lasting trust.

Yes, Stage 5: “Building Trust That Lasts” is probably the toughest part of the Partnership Path. That’s ok. If it was easy, everyone would do it. You’ve made it this far. I’m confident you can go all the way!

If you are struggling to trust people and/or struggling to get people to trust you, remember the bigger the obstacle, the bigger the reward. Success is always found just on the other side of an obstacle.

Regardless of your struggles in building your network, building trust and developing an Alliance Team, you are not alone! BNF Leaders and members all work together to help one another build trust.

Once you are able to start building trust, the rest of the stages become easier. You will be on your way to building a referral bridge, making and receiving referrals and developing an Alliance Team.

“Trust is the glue of life. It’s the most essential ingredient of effective communications. It’s the foundational principle that holds all relationships.” - Stephen R. Covey

Without trust, you can not have a healthy relationship.  There are two main ways you can build trust. The first is over time. Time allows us to observe people in different situations. We can watch their actions. We can discover how they react. We can discover if they are congruent in what they say and do. The second way is through our experiences with people. Of course, trust also come with the combination of the two - time and experience. Time provides opportunities to experience more with individuals.

The problem with time and experience, for building trust, is we want everything now! In today’s world of instant gratification, we don’t want to want for water to boil or an oven to heat up. We prefer to microwave.

With people, especially in business and in your personal life, it is better to be safe than sorry. Your investment of time in others is well worth the effort.

It is also important to remember that trust is always in a constant stage change and must be nurtured during each experience.

For your future success in networking, it’s essential you understand how to build trust the right way!

Here are a few ways to build trust that lasts using time and experience:

1. Attend as many meetings as you possibly can: The repetitiveness of attending meetings, allows you to see people regularly. The more you see a person, the more comfortable you become, the more you'll trust them. You’ll also discover their commitment to building trust that lasts.
2. Arrive early to the each meeting: By arriving early to a meeting you spend more time interacting with members. The longer you spend face to face with a person the more you'll trust each other.
3. Enjoy a one-on-one with Partners or Connectors: Spending time with someone face-to-face will allow you to learn more about them; the more you know of a person the more you trust them.

For those of you that are saying, “there must be a faster way” I want to offer a couple of other suggestions.

“The best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them.” - Ernest Hemingway

1. Give a referral first. Following the advice of Mr. Hemingway, when it comes to networking, it is the quickest way to build trust. A referral is an introduction to a Person, Product or Process that will help their business.

While this is the fastest way to build trust, it’s also the fast way to lose a relationship. Remember, when you give a referral you are putting your reputation on the line to both people. It’s critical that the one you refer does what he/she says they will do, when he/she says they’ll do it. The same holds true for the recipient of the referral. If either fails on their end, it may have a negative effect on you with one or both parties.

1. Join the leadership team: When you become a leader, you gain instant credibility. Since you help others, others trust to follow you. Others will trust you with referrals. Becoming a leader is a nice boost in the trust department.

While these two ways will help expedite building trust, it’s still a slow process which takes time: days, months and even years. Building trust works. Never stop building.

Trust is an extremely fragile energy.

It can take years to build trust to only to be lost in seconds. It's precious to each of us, and we take it very seriously. Once it's given; it can easily be taken away.

I understand we don't have an eternity to build trust and that's ok. There is a way we can move it along. Please know there comes great risk when trying to rush trust.

Please take this seriously, your reputation and income are relying on it.

Take Massive Action

The best way to get started is to sit down with an Industry Partner this week and make an agreement to pass one referral to each other. It should be easy since you're both in the same industry. Simply provide the name and number of the referral and send an introductory email.

Each of you should agree to follow-up with your referral and handle the opportunity like your business depends on it because it does! Work together to keep each other informed of the progress.

You will develop trust with one another because you are putting your reputations on the line. You’ll share an experience with each other and you’ll help each other because it is helping you each add income to your business. How exciting is that?

Here's where it gets tricky.

If you both do a great job, trust is built and you can move forward to the plan stage.

If one of you drops the ball, trust is broken and you either have to move on or try again. This will be on a case--by-case situation.

#BNF tip: Clear and Open communication is the foundation to trust. It’s always best to be honest, up front and over communicate. It’s the only way to keep the trust alive.

Be sure to visit the training section at www.businessnetworkingformula.com and watch the video on “Build Trust That Lasts.” You can also download and print the worksheet to help you through Stage 5.

After visiting the training section, if you are still unsure of how to proceed, you can click on the “help” button in the lower right hand corner. You can also ask for help from the leader at any of the BNF meetings, one of the networking coaches, or through the BNF Members! Facebook page.

At BNF, we believe in you and your business.