Build it and they will pay attention
Scientists have discovered the “trust molecule”: oxytocin. One whiff of this hormone and even people you were specifically told aren’t trustworthy will suddenly seem like Boy Scouts. But until the day we can purchase Parfum de Confiance, we are left inducing trust the old-fashioned way: we have to earn it.
This is no small challenge, especially for companies with no track record, such as start-ups or companies moving into new markets. I believe that trust is the most important thing you can cultivate as a business owner. Who cares if you sell the best widget if nobody trusts you? As Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg said in the October 2009 issue of Fast Company:
The message you get, in a lot of ways, is actually less important than whom you get it from. If you get it from someone you trust, you’ll listen to it. Whereas if you get it from someone you don’t trust, you might actually believe the opposite of what is said. I think that’s the basis of the value that people get on the site [Facebook].
So how do you encourage trust?
1. Commit to a promise. Define what you do, and don’t do. Branding helps, because it defines what customers can expect from you. An unclear brand sends mixed messages, and is inherently harder to trust.
2. Put your money where your mouth is. If you say that you are part of a community, follow through with that. Trident’s support of the Smiles Across America campaign to improve kids’ dental health is a good example.
3. Don’t expect social media to offer an easy way to build trust. There is a lot of talk about how social media can enhance trust, and there are advantages, but it is no panacea. If you try to pull the wool over others’ eyes, no matter the medium, it will come back to haunt you in the end. Who you are offline will come through online.
4. Network the old-fashioned way. Get out and spend time with others, and remember to look outside your community (market, geographic, et al). As Robert Menschel, who has had a successful career at Goldman Sachs for over a half century, says about personal networking with people from other professions, “It helped me to understand why other people do what they do—which is important in life and in business. You don’t learn anything from talking to sameness.” And he has built remarkable fruitful friendships—an ultimate definition of trust.
5. Show off your triumphs; practice shameless self-promotion.
6. If you are a start-up, take a token salary to start with. That shows commitment to the business, and reflects well on you and your commitment to something bigger than yourself.
7. Keep up appearances. Humans make snap judgments, so your first impression had better be the best it can be. Pay attention to your dress and demeanor, as well as your office’s location and décor. This is not to say you have to go over the top—not financially wise choice with a start-up—but everything about your operation should look professional.
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We Must, We Must, We Must Improve Our Trust
Build it and they will pay attention
This is no small challenge, especially for companies with no track record, such as start-ups or companies moving into new markets. I believe that trust is the most important thing you can cultivate as a business owner. Who cares if you sell the best widget if nobody trusts you? As Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg said in the October 2009 issue of Fast Company:
The message you get, in a lot of ways, is actually less important than whom you get it from. If you get it from someone you trust, you’ll listen to it. Whereas if you get it from someone you don’t trust, you might actually believe the opposite of what is said. I think that’s the basis of the value that people get on the site [Facebook].
So how do you encourage trust?
1. Commit to a promise. Define what you do, and don’t do. Branding helps, because it defines what customers can expect from you. An unclear brand sends mixed messages, and is inherently harder to trust.
2. Put your money where your mouth is. If you say that you are part of a community, follow through with that. Trident’s support of the Smiles Across America campaign to improve kids’ dental health is a good example.
3. Don’t expect social media to offer an easy way to build trust. There is a lot of talk about how social media can enhance trust, and there are advantages, but it is no panacea. If you try to pull the wool over others’ eyes, no matter the medium, it will come back to haunt you in the end. Who you are offline will come through online.
4. Network the old-fashioned way. Get out and spend time with others, and remember to look outside your community (market, geographic, et al). As Robert Menschel, who has had a successful career at Goldman Sachs for over a half century, says about personal networking with people from other professions, “It helped me to understand why other people do what they do—which is important in life and in business. You don’t learn anything from talking to sameness.” And he has built remarkable fruitful friendships—an ultimate definition of trust.
5. Show off your triumphs; practice shameless self-promotion.
6. If you are a start-up, take a token salary to start with. That shows commitment to the business, and reflects well on you and your commitment to something bigger than yourself.
7. Keep up appearances. Humans make snap judgments, so your first impression had better be the best it can be. Pay attention to your dress and demeanor, as well as your office’s location and décor. This is not to say you have to go over the top—not financially wise choice with a start-up—but everything about your operation should look professional.