I recently had a meeting with a client where she voiced frustration that her marketing tactics weren’t bearing fruit. She was frustrated and overwhelmed by the work she was putting into it and the little positive feedback she received in return. It was time to reexamine her credibility in the market place and take a closer look at how she built trust before she promoted her business.
It is crucial to earn the trust of the people you would like to serve and that you are a credible resource in the market place. We discussed the myriad of trust and credibility builders out in the world, but, we came back to these 7 points. 7 Specific qualities that we agreed were imperative for her to maintain in her relationship with her clients and prospects.
- Remain self-aware, but not self-absorbed.
- Be intentional, but not blindly driven.
- Be responsive.
- Keep an even keel - even in the face of adversity.
- Maintain a relaxed focus.
- Acknowledge your humanity - we all make mistakes. Trust can be built through mistakes.
- Maintain boundaries - but engage with others.
My client acknowledged that she had lost her focus and sought the reward (more clients and more income) before establishing relationship with her potential clients. It’s an easy mistake to make - especially when fear and anxiety raise their heads a little higher. Best to acknowledge fear and anxiety and remain confident that building relationships builds your business.
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All great points.
One other fantastic way to quickly build trust and credibility is to give before receiving. Helping people without strings attached, whether they are in our target market or not, goes a long way to building trust.