By Charles Weathers, Lexington Chronicle
October 7, 2010
Have you ever been disappointed by someone who does not keep their word?
Have you been angered by indifferent sales people or a business that failed to deliver what you paid for?
Without trust and confidence, you and your business are destined to fail. That’s the assessment of Charles Weathers, a business consultant, author and professional speaker. Weathers shared his views on trust with S.C. Small Business Chamber of Commerce members in the first of a series of programs for business owners arranged by President Frank Knapp.
Trust, Weathers said, depends on two factors:
• The competence to do what the client paid for on time and in budget.
• The character to do what you promised to do.
Trust is invaluable in winning the client and keeping costs form running away.
Weathers observed:
• When trust in you is high, work is done quickly and the cost goes down.
• When trust in you is low, it takes longer to get it done and the cost goes up.
Cost can be the deciding factor in who gets the work.
Weather prescribed seven steps to building trust:
1. Talk straight. We live in a society in which people lie.
2. Ask good questions. Prospects need to be heard.
3. Keep your word. Do what you say you’ll do.
4. Be transparent. Hide nothing from the client.
5. Right all wrong. Admit mistakes and fix them.
6. Show loyalty. When something goes wrong, take the blame. When things go well,
credit those who did it.
7. Show improvement. Be effective and efficient.
For more about Charles Weathers, call 400-1991 or seewww.weathersgroup.com. For information on the S.C. Small Business Chamber and its programs, call Frank Knapp at 252-5733 or go to www.scsbc.org
For other local Business News, check www.LexingtonChronicle.com