We all use the term, and we all understand its importance. But, if we’re going to earn trust, we should have clarity about what it means.

In simple terms, we trust a person or company we believe will act well towards us.

But what does it take for customers to develop this belief about us? Here are some factors –

– Consistency – we behave in a consistent and predictable manner in our engagements with customers over time.
– Truth – customers must believe what we tell them is true. They aren’t naïve enough to believe they will get 100% transparency (who would believe that?). But they need to feel confident we will not misrepresent facts nor leave anything significant out.
– Fairness – they must believe we will act to balance our own company’s interests and their interests in a fair way. They understand we are in business, just as they are. And they must feel completely confident we will never act against their interests.
– Competency – this covers three components

* Knowledge – we must know our subject matter
* Gravitas – our people must have the personal presence for customers to believe their advice and be willing to follow it
* Insight – we show we can teach them things they didn’t know on our subject matter

If we can deliver Consistency, Truth, Fairness and Competency, we have a great chance to earn the trust of our customers.

#CS #outcomeleaders #outcomes #customercentric #CSM #incomefromoutcomes