What is the one thing that changes everything in business?
It has always been right in front of us. We believe it. We know it’s important. I am, of course, talking about TRUST.
Now, please don’t shake your head or discount this as something you already know and do. The importance of building trust is a principle that everyone agrees with superficially — but how intentional are we in making it happen? The more I look into this topic, the more interesting it becomes. Technology is a great tool which has advanced dramatically in the last few years. While I believe it’s necessary, I also believe it can be counterproductive in helping to develop trusting relationships. As a matter of fact, I would argue that the more technology has increased, the more real communication has decreased. Kind of interesting, right?
In his book, The Speed of Trust, Stephen M. R. Covey talks a lot about trust and how it is actually something we can build with one another. The book is a great resource to help develop trusting relationships, which I consider to be the “silver bullet” in business success. It is a ‘Must Read’ for any Entrepreneur, Business Owner, or Executive. Think about it. The less people trust us, the longer it takes to do business — and the more it costs in time and money. Conversely, the more they trust us, the less it costs and the more profitable we become. For that reason alone, this should be a priority in our leadership strategy and tactics initiatives.
I’m also a big fan of face-to-face communications. Consider this: 93% of communication is non-verbal and body language is 55% of that. This just isn’t possible with an e-mail. Video conferencing is great, but it’s no substitute for the professional intimacy created by spending time with someone. While the economy is strong and we are looking for more ways to grow our business and be more profitable, I believe getting together is the key. This can happen in lots of ways, including trade shows, sales calls, etc., but I think there needs to be an intentional strategy to whatever we do. There is a great benefit to weaving it all together in a tapestry which uses all every resource to intentionally create new opportunities for building TRUST.
After all, everything being equal, people do business with the people they trust. And everything being unequal, guess what? They STILL do business with people they trust.
Let’s continue building our relationships.