One of the greatest assets you can acquire from your customers is their trust. Let's look at some thoughts on trust from the Life of Joseph. In Genesis 39:6-9, we read the following, "And he left all that he had in Joseph's hand; and he knew not ought he had, save the bread which he did eat. And Joseph was a goodly person, and well favoured. And it came to pass after these things, that his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me. But he refused, and said unto his master's wife, Behold, my master wotteth not what is with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand; there is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?" As we read these passages, we see the amount of trust that Joseph's master had put in him. It tells us twice that Potiphar had put everything he had in Joseph's hand. Also, it tells us Potiphar did not know what he had except the very bread that was set before him when he ate. Finally, we see that Potiphar had put Joseph in a position of prominence when we read that Joseph tells Potiphar's wife that..." there is none greater in his house than I neither hath he kept back anything from me but thee,..." Let's quickly look at 2 points on trust.
The first thing worth mentioning is that at no time did Joseph misuse the trust given him. Joseph's stewardship over Potiphar's house included mindfulness to the trust bestowed upon him. Let us never forget the trust our client's trust in us. In the cleaning space, often times the client trusts us with keys to their building and to move freely in their building after hours without supervision. A fact that is often overlooked. The very nature of this industry demands a level of trust between the client and contractor. This trust should never be misused. For short, we shouldn't use this trust for any purpose but the work for which we are being compensated for. To violate this sacred trust is inevitably the death knell for any relationship. Guard it with an unparalleled fervor.
The second thing is to realize when opportunity presented to abuse the trust Potiphar had put in him, Joseph refused to abuse that trust by having physical relations with his wife. We need to understand the significant difference between misuse and abuse. Misuse is using something contrary to the purpose for which it was created. A client has a copier in their office for their staff, not for you to run fundraiser fliers for your child's school. Abuse is malicious, it implies an intent to damage or do harm. Theft, violence, breaking of items, and vandalism fall under this bracket. Joseph never abused Potiphar's trust in that he would not give into the temptation of Potiphar's wife, knowing the damage it would due to his relationship with God and to Potiphar when he discovered the infidelity. We must never abuse the trust of our clients' trust. We cannot allow anyone working under our banner to violate and damage our reputation by causing our clients any harm. It is a sure fire way to lose a client and soil your company's name.
Be mindful always to the amount of trust your clients place in you in all that you do for them. It is a key to fostering a great and long-tenured relationship that is mutually profitable for all.
