Your lack of authenticity is costing you business

63 per cent of customers would buy from an authentic brand

It is very difficult to establish a personal relationship and, therefore, a high level of personal engagement without being authentic. There are two very sound reasons for this:

• Consumers and, indeed, people, in general, are becoming increasingly sceptical and resistant to trusting people they view as inauthentic;
• Trust is rapidly eroded when your behaviour or utterances are not consistent over time, and consistency is almost impossible to deliver in the absence of authenticity.

The statistics on lack of trust in business are frightening. Few people can act consistently over time. Most human beings eventually revert to type, thereby revealing their true selves.

These observations are highlighted in the following statistics:

• 63% of customers claim they will buy from an authentic brand
• 91% of customers respond positively to honesty
• 90% of businesses in the US believe that trust impacts on their bottom line

There is an inextricable link between trust and authenticity. Authenticity, or the perception of authenticity, builds trust. The absence of authenticity, or the perceived lack of it, tends to erode trust. Trust is an essential precursor of effective personal engagement with customers. Few people are willing to engage personally with someone they don’t trust.

In my experience, trust in business and authenticity are in very short supply. Worse still, there is an increasing number of people in business who act, not as they are, but as they think others want them to be. I am reminded of the old saying – ‘Be yourself – everyone else is taken’. I never engage with people I consider to be inauthentic.

RECOMMENDATION - Place the highest priority on trust and develop trust through authenticity. This is a critical precursor to personal engagement and establishing relationships that drive business performance.

EXTRACT FROM - PERSONAL ENGAGEMENT - THE KEY TO MARKETING AND BUSINESS SUCCESS - To be published on April 01, 2019

Members of the D. John Carlson network receive

FREE daily NEWSLETTER with actionable THOUGHTS and TIPS

FREE access to the full catalogue of THOUGHTS and TIPS

FREE WEBINARS addressing contemporary marketing issues

FREE PODCASTS both audio and video focusing on practical marketing

FRESH IDEAS providing practical action to maximise performance

A 20% discount on advisory services

A 20% discount on speaking engagements

A 20% discount on content and writing service