It's really easy to think the opposite. You might get told the opposite all of the time
If I mention it to an individual or group I am working with a lot of people believe that we do buy from people we know, like and trust. The truth is we have moved on and changed our buying habits so quickly many people haven’t paused to look at what is really happening in the client transaction. I thought I would look at this from a personal perspective. When I buy something from a major online retailer. I don’t know anyone there. Sometimes I don’t particularly like their business model or ways of working. But I do trust them. I trust their website will be secure. I trust they will do what they say they will (most of the time). I trust I will get the goods or service I have bought and paid for. I trust them to do something in the event of an error or an issue. In short, for many transactions we are moving beyond the know, we can cope if we don’t quite like someone, but it appears (certainly from my perspective) that we have to trust the person or business we want to buy from.
When buying into professional services, those with more of an ongoing relationship thought, we may change that focus slightly. It would be hard not to argue that trust was one of the most critical points when choosing an accountant, banker or solicitor. The nature of that relationship (and I think that is a key word here) is such that we want a little more of the know and like, but much less than many professionals hope for.
Now, I am hoping you are a friendly, engaging, effective and efficient professional in your job (that’s the minimum to start the relationship). But how about trust? How do you go about establishing and building trust in everything you do? How, ultimately do you become a trusted adviser to your clients? There is a really simple starting point and one you can make use of in every interaction with your existing and potential clients. It is based on the trust equation from Charles H Green. This is his trust equation:
Trust = C + R + I divided by S
Let me explain what the equation is and where you want to invest your time:
You need to increase the three areas across the top of the equation:
C – Credibility: are you and your organisation credible in the marketplace, your personal and professional brand and reputation
R – Reliability: do you do what you say you will, do you keep your promises. In short do you deliver for your clients
I – Intimacy: this is slightly more challenging, but I often describe this as “the relationship beyond the transaction”, it’s getting to know your clients and them getting to know you Spend some time thinking how you increase each single area to help you grow trust. The big wins you can make right now are by focusing on reducing the S on the bottom of the equation.
S – Self orientation: focusing on great outcomes for your client, focusing on their needs first, focusing on what is important in their world and not yours This is the area that so many professionals can demonstrate trust early in a client engagement and build this to a point where they become the trusted adviser. How can you do that straight away? Try this highly effective technique:
See things from your client’s perspective not your own.
Most people nod and say yes that’s what we do. In reality, seeing someone else’s perspective is a real challenge. You have a “curse of knowledge” and as soon as you start to listen to your client you start to shape ideas, solutions and approaches (from your perspective not theirs). To get beyond this you need develop your client curiosity and to ask more questions like:
-What’s most important to them in this transaction (not what you think or assume)
-How do they want to be contacted?
-When do they want to meet again? What format do they want a document in?
-What method of communication works best for them?
These simple questions (and so many more that link with them) demonstrate immediately that you are really client focused. I had exactly the opposite recently while looking for a new supplier for New Results. So many people messaged me saying, here’s my number call me. Now that is easy for them, but not easy for me the client. It’s lazy and it tells me you don’t value our relationship or the opportunity I was speaking to people about. Take some time out and have think about this. How can you shift your focus to be more curious? Ask more questions to understand this client and their specific needs in this moment. That is the foundation of building trust, the start of the journey to becoming a trusted adviser. It is also a great way to win new clients and develop existing client relationships.
Trust me, it’s a great place to start.
