A Successful Business Relationship Starts With Trust - A 5-Step Framework

A key component of success in any relationship is trust. I might even say that it is the most important component.

Trust can validate your worth.

Trust can assuage doubt.

Trust can open doors.

As founder of Idextrus Inc. I like to think that our success has largely been attributed to the trust that we've built and fostered with our customers and vendors over the past 20 years in business.

It is critical to note that in order to gain trust, we must give first. By “give”, I mean to provide something without expecting anything in return. This shows that you are both empathetic and confident enough in your approach.

Now that you have planted the seed towards gaining trust, you need to back it up with these five principles.

1. Transparency: Being open and honest about business practices, services, pricing, and terms of use. Transparency also extends to communicating any changes or updates to users and customers promptly. Additionally, it is critical that when something goes wrong that is your fault or your teams' fault, that you immediately take accountability and communicate what you are going to do to fix it.
2. Security and Privacy: Ensuring robust security measures to protect user data and privacy is paramount in any software endeavor. This involves using encryption, following industry best practices for data storage and handling, and providing transparent privacy policies.
3. Reliability: Providing consistent and dependable services builds your reliability. This includes minimal downtime, efficient and effective customer support, and delivering on promises made to clients or customers.
4. Quality and Expertise: Demonstrating a high level of expertise and competence in the products or services offered. This can be achieved through showcasing credentials, certifications, case studies, and customer testimonials. Social proof is critical here.
5. User-Centric Approach: Prioritizing the needs, concerns, and satisfaction of clients or customers. This involves actively listening to feedback, addressing issues promptly, and continuously improving the user experience. We have learned a lot in the 20 years we've been in business, but only the client really knows the problems that they face.

Adherence to the foregoing principles are critical in building and promoting your trust pipeline.