In my business and marketing, trust is the goal. I was raised in a family business where we understood the know-like-trust factor very well. When people get to know you, then like you, they’ll trust you. And it’s much easier to engage in a transaction when trust is established than without.
One of the reasons why I have prospective private clients schedule a 20-30 minute chat with me before deciding to work together is so we can determine if the trust is there to work closely together… or at least if we show the beginning signs of allowing this to happen.
I see the word trust come up more and more. Trust Marketing is now a way of doing business, and Chris Brogan’s book,
Trust Agents, explored it in an even deeper way.
Lately the word trust has been popping up for me as I embark on a journey to discover my “meta-brand”, the big picture umbrella brand that encompasses all I do.
And in the discovery process,
I found out some interesting things about trust.
You see, most of the trust building practices we employ as marketers are about getting our prospects to feel OK with being vulnerable and then to come to us for help. We discover their challenges, then move forward with a solution (ie, working together.)
We, in turn, have no obligation to put our trust in them or show vulnerability. We can look perfect.
They can look all screwed up. They can cry on the phone to us.
We can look like we have it all together… even when we don’t.
I’m not saying you need to cry to your prospects and tell them what’s not working in your business… this isn’t about that at all. But I do want to say aloud (are you listening?) that
it’s time we start showing TRUST as we market and take risks doing things a different way.
- Trust that we don’t have to look perfect as we try new things. (For instance, if you’re just trying out video, be OK with it not being Academy Award material… or if you’re in a rebrand, you’re not afraid to show the process)
- Trust that we can be truthful and not fear that it will kill sales. (Example: not being afraid to say no to a non-ideal client so you can make room for an ideal client)
- Trust that perfection isn’t what people are looking for in a healer, coach, consultant, et al. (Example: “Here’s something new I’m trying and I’ll let you know what works and doesn’t work as I explore it”)
I already know some of you are disagreeing with me. “Who’d want to hire someone who isn’t perfect? You MUST craft a public image free of flaws!!”, I hear you saying.
This isn’t about you being you stumbling down the street in a drunken stupor and letting the world know about it. But it is about holding the trust that you really can be yourself… and the world will still buy from you.
