How to Build Trust in Your Company and Your Brand

Trust. It’s word we all know well. While it may be easy to say, it’s just as easy to lose. As someone who is in the workforce, it is essential in building a trusting relationship that can hold steadfast through good and bad situations. As a company, it’s also important to build and engrain trust throughout your brand. This isn’t a simple endeavor, it takes more than just words to prove you are a company that can be genuinely counted on.

Here are some crucial points that have proven to be instrumental in building trust in your company and in your brand identity.

Don’t over promise and under deliver

When working with a new client or when trying to obtain a new customer, it can be tempting to get overzealous and make promises you shouldn’t make. That is a critical mistake that I have seen backfire, and only hurt the company who makes these over confident promises.

Be honest and upfront right away. This may seem like common sense, but it’s easy to get a little ‘excited’, especially with the potential of wooing in a big client. However, by showing honesty without overpromising will go much further than being caught in a lie. Simply be confident in your work, that will override any advantageous promises you feel the need to tell someone.

Aside from just overselling a promise that is beyond your company’s capabilities, it can also lead to your clients feeling under delivered and unsatisfied with the whole company. Keep the expectations real, and even if you do not score the big deal, at least you leave the impression that you are truly one of the good guys.

Speak openly and eloquently

If there are issues or your company has made a mistake, be truthful about it. If the customer is unsatisfied, be available to them, listen to their side, and be open about the issues at hand. Make it a conversation, as opposed to a battlefield where someone is trying to win or overpower the other.

Use respectable language and speak professionally, even if the conversation gets heated. Certain words are not worth the time to use, especially when it reflects the company and the people who represent it. You will only regret saying them and it only diminishes the credibility of those who chose to use them.

By inviting a conversation and listening to each other, it will only promote your company’s goal of wanting a strong partnership with your customer. They will not feel like another number or client, but someone who truly is cared for by your company.

Always do what you say you’re going to do

You want your word to mean something, so your actions have to back it up. Make sure you always follow through on your statements and on your company guarantees. If you say, “We will fix your delivery issues by making more regular customer service visits to ensure we are meeting your needs”, then make good on your promises. Do not let your words become empty to the customers.

As the old saying goes, “actions speak louder than words,” that also holds true in the business world too. Prove your words mean something to your client, and that will enhance a stronger foundation that is built on trust.

Embed subtle cues of trust within your website & social media presence

You probably don’t look at a website and think, “Wow, this company is totally trustworthy.” As unlikely as that can be, it does help to build upon trust by offering subtle hints of why you are a company of action and honor.

Include sections such as, “Customer Testimonials” and highlight your industry certifications and accreditations on your website. Show your customers you have gone above and beyond to be the best in your field, and you have others who would be sure to back up those sentiments.

Ensuring you control your web presence and creating a cohesive thread of trust throughout your online brand can establish trust while keeping it fairly maintained on the omnipresent internet.

Create your own team mission statement

If you want to build trust with your client base, then you must have trust within your team. If you don’t feel 100% confident in the people you are surrounded with, then how can you promote trust to an outside audience? Growing trust is essential, both internally and externally, within a company.

Your company may have a mission statement that lays out the goals and ‘mission’ that you want your employees to understand and follow. If you work within a company as a smaller unit, it may help to have your own mission statement that best represents your team and direct reports.

Have your team send what they feel is the most important part of their job and why they do it. Combine all their ideas and create a general mission statement which brings everyone together. This is a great way to boost team morale, and ensure your team can depend on each another and feel confident in promoting trust to those on the outside.

Final Thoughts

Building trust does not happen overnight, it has to be nurtured with time, effort, and care. These principal ideas are a great start and can be used as guidelines for enhancing the trust among your clients. Once your company has established that bond of trust among its customer base, you will find out how powerful it can be in your favor. Trust is a huge factor in what grows your business and upholds your reputation among others. Always keep it as a priority and never let other goals get in the way of losing it.

Summer Anderson

Staff Writer: Summer Anderson is a mother, wife, writer and long time lover of the game of golf. Her passion lies in writing from the heart, and on topics that are most important to the Millennial generation. She hopes to impact those through her writing and advice on marketing and social media communication. When she is not on the golf course, blogging or watching "Frozen" with her little ones, she can be found designing websites in her home state of Pennsylvania.