Building Trust For Small Businesses

Trust is essential in life and a cornerstone for all types of relationships. It applies to personal relationships with partners, friends, and family. It also strengthens professional ties with colleagues, clients, and business partners. Building trust for small businesses, in particular, is crucial for fostering strong client relationships and long-term success.

Well, let me start by saying that the answer to this question would be different depending on the size of your business. If you’re an international company, whether b2b or b2c, people and businesses probably trust you by default simply because they know you well.

But what if you are a small or even mid-sized company that people don’t know? Does it mean that your product or service is inferior? Of course, it doesn’t but it does mean that you need to work hard to gain people’s trust. People will only invest their time or money in you if they believe you can meet their needs. Their belief in your ability to deliver is essential. Without it, they won’t commit. Hence, no trust equals no clients. And vice versa, the more people trust you the better the chances that they will come back to you. It means that you can build a portfolio of repeat clients and that in its own right will help you build trust with new clients much more easily.

In my own experience, I have found that several factors are fundamental for trust between you and your clients.  If you strive to incorporate them into your business, I know it will help you tremendously in the trust-building process.

Credibility

Trust factor number one is credibility and I am sure this comes as no surprise. For large companies, this is a sort of a given. For small companies, credibility begins with the clients they have served and the well-known companies they have worked with. It also comes from the recommendations they have received. Most importantly, it depends on the expertise they can demonstrate. Don’t try to be everything to everyone. Focus on what you are good at and what you know. Educate yourself, gain experience, and stay informed and up-to-date in that one area.

People will trust you when they see that you know your stuff. This is best seen in your ability to grasp the essence of their needs or problems and offer solutions that help them achieve what they want. Which brings me to the next point…

Listen to your clients. Do listen.

I know you’ve probably heard it a million times but being able to listen is important really. People are intuitive and they will feel when you are trying to sell and not give them the solution they need. Whatever way you twist the facts, once people sense that you are pushing them in a direction they don’t want to go, they will be turned away. Or worse, if your product or service doesn’t deliver what you’ve promised, people will be disappointed and they will never come back.

On the other hand, if you listen carefully, ask questions and truly try to understand, people will see that you do care about the situation they have at hand. In that case, you are much more likely to offer what you honestly believe is best for them and they are much more likely to go with you because they know you care. Whether you propose a tailored solution or you are honest in telling them you are not the right person to help them, clients will appreciate it and are much more likely to come back to you either way.

Listen to them, don’t forget that they are people first of all, and they need some sort of assistance, the way you do when you turn to a specialist. It will help your customer loyalty but also it might give you some interesting insights and ideas about services or products you could offer to other clients too.

Keep your promises

This ties in with the above point a little bit. Whatever you’ve promised your clients, it must be delivered. Send the promised information, stay within the budget, or handle tasks as agreed. Delivering on your commitments is crucial. Failing to do so reflects poorly on your reliability and trustworthiness.

This also applies to being punctual and returning calls quickly. Respond to their emails promptly. Answer their questions and queries honestly. People feel annoyed when they sense you no longer care about them after winning them as a client. It’s important to show ongoing interest and attention. Even if they like your product or service, they will remember your delays. They will also recall if you were unclear about details.

Be down-to-earth

Sometimes we come across experts that we know are credible and reliable but their personality bothers us. It can put you off availing of somebody’s products or services when they are egocentric, presumptuous, or worse, condescending. Self-preoccupation ruins many professional relationships. Arrogance, ego, and the need to be right often lead professionals to rush in with solutions when they should find out more about the problem.

Even when you are confident about what you do or what you offer, let your actions and results speak for your knowledge and skills. Treat people with respect and understanding. Don’t shy away from admitting that you need time to look into an issue or situation and you don’t have the ready answers.

People will understand and appreciate your honesty. Remember, you are the expert—that’s why they turned to you in the first place. However, you are also human, just like they are. Let your behavior reflect this.

My experience has provided me with solid evidence that people like to deal with down-to-earth, friendly professionals, not semi-God experts.

Make your offering as simple as possible

The last trust factor is clarity. If we cannot understand the service easily, we respond by asking questions. If, for example, the pricing is complex, or the service offering is unclear, clients have to ask more questions, as there’s more for them to understand. This can make them uncomfortable and as a result, they might be turned away or at the very least, they won’t be sure whether to trust you or not.

Make your message clear, and make your pricing clear. It shouldn’t be wordy, keep it simple and once people are interested, you can then explain any further details.

To sum up, when you deal with a client, don’t look at it as a one-off event. For many companies and especially for small ones, over 70% of the revenue comes from 3 or 4 loyal, repetitive clients. Keep in mind that every client has the potential to turn into a repetitive one.  If you are honest and you genuinely do your best for them, they might end up coming back to you every time they need assistance within the realm of your expertise.

Also, try to relate to your client as a person. Being an outstanding expert is not enough anymore; it has to be a pleasure to deal with us too. Your competitors are only a phone call or an email away, but every client who has a positive experience on both a personal and business level has an added reason to stay a client of yours.

It will help you build a portfolio of clients happy to recommend you, but also it will bring stability to your business.