The change in business, economy and marketing rests on changes in Trust. This Visual Marketing and Social Media Marketing blog has said a lot about trust and the need to understand your customer's needs and motivations.
To understand how to Market and Thrive today, your business must understand trust. Hype in advertising, lies in politics, and lack of integrity by leaders of all sorts has made trust a rare thing. People do not trust companies -- their web sites, their brochures, etc. Many companies have reacted by doing more and more advertising that is less and less effective. Even the most benevolent of businesses still have an obvious agenda -- to sell, to make money. Because so many scams have unscrupulously targeted the unwary, trust has been driven underground.
By that I mean, consumers do not trust the "frontmen" of companies. In a day in age where our president is little more than a game show host, smiles, handshakes and promises cannot replace integrity, follow through and results. Entire marketing budgets are wasted if they are not trusted -- whether they are online, on TV, in print or otherwise. The public has tuned out the increasing "sales noise".
So where have they turned? To whom do they give their trust?
The answer is to Friends. A friend has become the last bastion of trust. While some insurance salesman may simply tell me what I want to hear, a friend at least is in a longer-term relationship with me and looking out for my best interests. EVEN IF a friend's advice is not perfect, at least it is sincere.
The result is the massive explosion in Social Media online: MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, Blog Followers, etc. In the huge vacume of trust left by self-serving companies, there is a huge rush to get "more friends." The core reason for this is we need people and messages we can trust. We don't need advertising; we need truth. If a company has limited effectiveness selling to you; your friend still has your ear. (hence the dramatic rise in the number of direct marketing companies)
Simply look back and you will see that, as a society, we used to trust "experts" (before experts were shown to have lied and lied to us again and again for money under the table) -- doctors and scientists. They were "in the know" and were used by companies to sell us anything from tires to baby food. But in the eorsion of trust in "experts" our need for trust is so strong that we will trust a friend with less exertise than anyone with an agenda.
I am here to tell you that YOUR company can thrive.
No matter where your cashflow is today, you can absolutely thrive IF you are willing to be friends with your customers. When prospects are shopping around online for the services they will use, it is effortless for them to jump to your competition. The only thing that prevesnts this and brings brand loyalty back into the equation is trust -- and as we said, trust is built on friendship.
Corporations have been full of themselves, heady on the easier profits of the 80's and early 90's -- they got this attitude that it is all about them. They have given off the message that they are untouchable and their customers should be grateful to them, but that they are not accountable to thier customers. If you dislike a policy of your bank or cell phone company, can you really get your voice heard to someone who can actually make a difference in the situation? I never have.
Companies that are not loyal to their customers will recieve no loyalty back. In an era of distrust, it is probably true that not everyone you give to will trust you or give back. Even when Jesus Christ healed 10 individuals of deadly Leprosy, only one came back to thank him! Does that mean to return harsh distrust? No, it means to make a profound choice to give and keep giving despite anyone's reaction or the immediate apparent outcome. It means to choose contribution as a way of life, trusting that your business will then attract those it is best suited to serve.
One Customer's Loyalty
I have gone to the same bicycle shop now for 12 years. There are closer and cheaper shops to me. I go there becuase at my first bike purchase from that shop, I met and spoke with the owner. He went out of his way for me. He took the time to listen to my needs and purpuse for my bicycle and to direct me to the best product match for me. 12 years later and 3 bikes later, I still only go to them. Now, I do not see the owner; I see a different bike tecnician each time. They continue to be so busy that I have to wait longer to be served. But the store is thriving through superior customer service.
Even though I have not seen that owner in years, there was a personal enough connection made to keep coming back, and prefer that store to more convenient stores. That store's one act of trust has earned them $2,000 of my business and been referred 5 new customers. Just think if a company did that that was selling Houses!Rule of Thumb: the more trust a decision requires, the more personal the service is and the saleperson has to be more and more of a "friend."
I don't need anyone to be a friend when I buy batteries becuase they are a commodity. I still don't need anyone to fill the trust role when I buy a toothbrush -- a commodity but more personal since I stick it in my own mouth. But buy a car, and you have your own individual salesperson. Take it farther and buy a house and you need a personal real estate agent that you feel is looking out for your interests. There are countless examples, but each purchase ranks differenty on the trust scale. Where do your company's products and services rate? Where could you marketing change to better facilitate trust?
Some companies (a bridal planner for example) know each customer by name. Other companies that is simply impossible. The rule has been that the bigger the company is, the more impersonal it is. Well that does NOT have to be the case. Even the biggest company of all -- WalMart -- could benefit by giving each customer UNREASONABLE time, attention and care. Becuase even the biggest giant can fall becuase it only rests on thousands of little decisions to trust or not tru
Conclustion
What are you doing to EARN trust? To PROVE yourself trustworthy? How quickly do you want to reposition yourself for massive success?
Future posts will continue to address this Key To Prosperity, and how Promise Productions marketing services, social media and marketing consultation will make you Thrive and Love Doing Business!
Read about our commitment to you here. For personal service, call Promise Productions direct at 972-822-3587.
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