UNDERSTANDING TRUST

“Trust is a living, breathing, emotional bond that connects people to one another. It’s intimate, personal and powerful. In a world where it seems like everyone is out to pitch, scam, or screw you, it is also a rare and precious commodity.”

Trust is unique in that you have to be the person who creates the trust. When you trust a person or business completely, you place the person/business at the topmost point of your mind.

One way of creating trust is to hit enough trust touch points to earn the top position in someone’s mind. The following are the touch points as outlined in a book by John Hall, Top of Mind.

Authenticity:  People cannot trust what they don’t believe to be real. Many business owners pretend that they are something other than what they are. Exaggeration of personal or business accomplishments does not portray honesty.

Helping others: Always ask prospects and clients “How can I help you?” Ask this question without expecting anything in return.  You may offer an introduction or a solution to a problem without any benefit to you. This is one of the steps needed to climb the trust ladder.

Education: Educating others is one of the most useful tools in building trust. When you educate others you are empowering them.

Consistency: Be consistent in what you say and do. Don’t change your personality or message; stick with your true personal story and share your passion.

For myself, I have learned that listening and not judging is a trait that has to exist in order to earn trust. Even listening has to be genuine in order to be accepted; in other words, focus on the person who is speaking to you. Too often we rehearse our presentation along with a list of other preparation activities so that we can look good; this results on the focus being on ourselves instead of the other person.

The following are a few more from my own experience on building trust:

• If you don’t know, say so quickly and directly.
• Don’t tell lies, or even exaggerate.
• Don’t oversell yourself.
• There is no reason to show off.
• Speak from the heart about your business passion.

Always remember, building trust requires an ongoing effort, patience and willingness to give.

If people like you they will listen to you. If they trust you, they will do business with you.  Zig Ziglar