Good morning everyone,
We have finished up the trust equation so you now have an idea of each variable and how they all work together. Today I’d like to talk about why we need trust.
In every interaction that we have with others there is a level of trust associated with it. We trust medical professionals to prescribe the correct medication or surgery, the financial advisor to set up our retirement for success, our coworkers to help complete the job that we have. We trust our loved ones will be there for us to help us when we need them. We trust that our electronics will work when we need them to. Trust is all around us.
In sales rapport is built on trust. If the sales professional has no trust with the customer, then the sales professional will not be selling much of anything. Here is the funny thing…everyone is selling something so trust is needed for everyone. Whether you are selling a product or service, trying to get your team motivated, trying to convince others to go to that restaurant that you love, or convincing your spouse to clean the basement. You are selling an idea, position, preference, etc. In order to do that you need rapport and trust in order to influence others.
I remember when I was in training to be a volunteer fire fighter while living in Florida. While in a training the training Lieutenant shared a story about when he and a new probie (new recruit) were moving inside of a structure fire with the hose line. They were moving into position when the floor gave when under the Lieutenant’s weight (think linebacker in professional football) and he was trapped from the waist down in the floor. The fire flashed over causing a big flame and the probie jumped out the window. Literally trust went out the window… The lieutenant was able to eventually break free and made it out safely following the hose line. They unfortunately had to watch the residence burn completely to the ground.
In fire situations they require two people to navigate together so if one gets injured the other will be there to rescue. What would you feel if you were that Lieutenant and your teammate jumped out the window? Do you think you would trust them as much in the future to stick by your side?
Chances are that majority of your relationships do not require the amount of trust like that of the situation above, but you still have situations that you may have affected someone else. How do you think that customer, patient, or family member feels? I know I have spent a great deal of time over the past year realizing where I fall short on trust and relationships. I have been working to build up and make better on those relationships. I make more phone calls to catch up, I send notes of appreciation, I make time to visit more often. I also review the trust equation to gauge how I am doing with my variables.
The question is what are you going to do about improving trust? Is there someone that we have let down that we need to rebuild trust with? Did we not give our best effort for a project that effected the organization in a negative way? How about did we let down a family member on a commitment that we said we would follow through on? Take time to review any areas you may need to work on trust and apply the equation to improve the outcome.
We all need trust and we all need relationships to survive. Let’s make it a point to grow both and leave things better than we have them.
Have a great weekend everyone!
Sincerely,
Kevin Sidebottom