Know, like and trust – what does it really mean?

(But wait, there’s more….)

These are terms we use every day in business, perhaps more so for those around me because the people I work with, understand that they form the foundation of consistent and quality business growth. But do we really understand what they mean and the implications they bring?

Here’s what I believe to be the real meaning of Know, Like and Trust.

Know – I know you and WHY you do what you do and you know the same about me. If you don’t truly know why you do what you do, people won’t buy from you because people need to know who you are - before they buy in to what you do. Just knowing you and what you do is not enough.

Like – I like you and you like me because we are alike. We have shared values, we have similar beliefs and our moral compass is aligned. They say we are the sum of those we surround ourselves with. Having people around us that are like us means that we have no need to try and be something we are not. Like means like-minded, not just like-able.

Trust – I trust you and you trust me, but it’s not as simple as that. Trust is both explicit and implied and unless we fulfil both, true trust cannot exist. Trust is doing what we say we will do when we say we will do it. Promises are kept (explicit) and we live up to the expectations of others (implied). Trust is like a game of Snakes and Ladders where the snakes are always longer than the ladders – go and find your old board game and you'll see it’s true.

For most, we always do what we promise; where some fall down is that they miss the importance of implied promises. A good example of this would be where pre-arranged meetings are missed or cancelled (with the exception of health and family reasons) because we believe that fulfilling a cursory demand on our time is more important than fulfilling the implied promises of those we want to trust us. Explicit promises are almost always fulfilled, don’t miss out on the implied promises you’ve made, if you want those that are like you, to trust you.

But wait, there’s more….

Know, Like and Trust forms the basis of any relationship, whether business or personal. What if our goal is to generate business; and not just more business but better business?

The next step is;

Educate – I have learnt from you what a great business opportunity looks like and you have done the same for me. This is actually a really simple step. The block happens when people try to share what they are looking for - before others trust them. In the real world, this often looks like what I call the “Accidental Referral” where someone says “do you know anyone who can help me with….” and this opportunity represents itself as a very low risk to reputation.

I have found that people will listen to and act on what you want when they trust you, and not before.

The final step is:

Refer – Real referrals for better quality business happen when you have all the above in place and not before. Most businesses say that referrals are an important part of their new client process. Why then, since they are so important, are we willing to just sit back and wait for them to happen? Why not develop a strategy that brings you a flow of top quality referrals?

An active strategy for referrals requires a plan; if you're tired of waiting for referrals to happen for you, now is the time to take action. Call me today on 07983 524479 and I will happily share what you can do to plan for better quality business referrals.

Know, Like and Trust, even in its simplest form, is wasted energy if you don’t do something with it. Simply sitting back and waiting for it to happen will ultimately lead to disappointment. We all need to add the Educate and Refer steps to create genuine results.