What’s in it for me? WIIFM. A common question posed several times daily whether in a business interaction or helping a neighbor out with yard work. As an individual, you may not notice you are asking yourself this question subconsciously but in business it is a prevalent question thrown out on the table. Clients, when looking to build on existing or new relationships, will always resort to this question. Ever thought about what it would be like to say ‘What’s in it for us?’ It would be music to your ears.
How can you get there? Trust. The status of every relationship, whether it is good or bad, is based on trust. Your significant other won’t make a commitment unless there is trust. Neither will your client. Uh-oh! Nervous you’ve made a bad impression lately or feeling like the trust isn’t mutual between you and your client? You’re in luck. Here are nine essential rules to building customer trust:
- Always be yourself
- Cherish the relationship
- Curiosity is key
- Be consistent and reliable
- Be truthful
- Keep an unbiased approach
- Listen to your customer and create real talk
- Keep it professional
- Be honest
Now that you have the rules it’s time to implement them! These are not a ‘one time, check off my list now I never need to do it again’ sort of thing. You need to consistently practice and follow through on these rules with every current and future client. Once the trust is mutual, the commitment will follow. Whether you are an ad agency pursuing advertisers or an advertiser pursuing consumers, the rules mentioned above still apply. Trust is a vital ingredient to your client stew. If you don’t have it, the end product tastes unpleasant.
At Mediaspace, we pride ourselves on the relationships and trust we have built and continue to build. What are some ways you build trust in your relationships? Let us know below.
