Trust is important in every part of life, including your business. But trust goes beyond telling the truth and being authentic. It’s about showing up, following through, being on time, and just generally being there for someone when they need you.
And sometimes that’s really hard to do. We all have our own stuff going on and things happen that prevent us from doing the things that help to foster trust. At the same time, there’s a lot we can do, even when work and life get difficult.
This week on the podcast, I’m sharing why trust is so important in your business, what it looks and feels like when trust isn’t there, and what you can do to set yourself up to be in a position where you’re doing what you can…when you can.
I’m definitely not an expert in this, but I felt really pulled to do this episode this week. It’s an important one for your business life and maybe your personal life too!
Mentioned in This Episode Podcast
Transcript:
Abby Herman 0:09
Hey there, and welcome to episode 222 of The Content Experiment Podcast, a podcast for service driven business owners who know that content is important and that there is so much more to marketing and business growth. Here we talk about showing up for your audience in a way that they want to hear and in a way that’s sustainable for you. This might mean publishing a weekly podcast or blog. But it also means paying attention to your email list, leveraging other people’s audiences, building relationships, and getting over the limiting mindsets that often hit when we’re reaching for the next level in our business.
Abby Herman 0:45
I’m Abby Herman, content strategist and podcast manager for business owners who want to make their marketing feel easier and more streamlined, so they can get back to serving their clients and making those sales. I’ll show you how, or I’ll do it for you while you do business in a way that works for you. I can help by supporting you through building a content and marketing strategy, taking care of the podcast management for you, or giving you the tools and resources to take this on yourself. Today, we are talking about trust as a business owner, you want and need people to trust you that you know what you’re talking about, that you can deliver on your promises that you’ll be there for clients, should something go wrong, that you won’t disappear on them.
Abby Herman 1:28
As I was outlining this episode, I thought a lot about experiences that I’ve had both personally and professionally. I think trust is one of those universal things that we all need. What’s true in your personal life, or personal relationships carries over into business. I’ve been burned on both sides were someone a client, someone I’ve hired, someone in my personal life has completely disappeared. They didn’t live up to their promises. They promised more that than they could deliver, et cetera. I’ve had clients in the past who just completely disappeared in the middle of a big project. I had one who I was writing their website copy, and we got down to the last round of edits, I needed two little tiny pieces of information, and they ghosted me, and I didn’t get paid for months and months, because I couldn’t finish the project. It’s really frustrating. And my guess is some of you can probably relate, it doesn’t feel good, it hurts your livelihood. And quite honestly, it leaves you feeling jaded and less likely to trust the next person, which is why I now get paid up front, at least a portion of it. I follow a lot of relationship coaches and therapists on Instagram. And I think the lessons that we learn and internalize in our personal relationships and how we talk to people in our personal lives carry over into business. Because those conversations, those ways of dealing with communication, they are an ingrained part of us.
Abby Herman 3:07
So as a business owner, it’s important to remember that the people we’re working with and for they all have stories that they tell themselves about how you communicate with them, and how you deliver on your promises or how you don’t deliver. Because sometimes we don’t deliver, it happens, life happens. But when it happens too often it can start to impact whether or not other people trust you. So why does trust matter at all? Well, let’s talk about what trust is. First, the definition of trust, according to Google search is it’s a firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something. So let’s think about that reliability, telling the truth, ability to do things strength. It’s all trust people rely on you, as a business owner to share information. They rely on you to do the work that they have hired you to do, and they want to learn from you. They want information from you. Think about the people who you trust in life, what do they all have in common? So some of the things that I came up with when I was thinking about this was they show up and not just when things are good, they show up when things are not good, too. They help you they support you through challenges. They do what they say they’re going to do they communicate especially when it’s hard when they have to have difficult conversations. When there’s an issue when they have a problem with something that you’ve done or said they speak up rather than just completely disappear. You feel comfortable being vulnerable with them. You can share things with them and know that they they’re trustworthy. They don’t try to hide their flaws. So they’re not trying to pretend to be someone who they’re not and they don’t belittle you for your own flaws because We’ve all got them. Does that sound about right? Does that sound like the people in your life that you trust?
Abby Herman 5:08
Well, let’s talk about why it matters. So, like, why does this matter in business? Well, with your business, you’re building relationships with other people, you need to show up to do what you say you’re going to do to support others to speak up, be vulnerable, avoid talking about others, you need to be able to show your flaws and not feel the need to be perfect, and so on. These are the things that build trust, and it helps others feel really good about following you and working with you, because it shows that you’re real and that you value them. Without trust, your business likely won’t grow. Or maybe it will, but it’ll fill up with clients and business connections, who maybe aren’t who you really want to be working with at all. So think about your own life and your business. Does everyone trust you? Are you are you trustworthy? So there are some reasons why people might not trust you, you haven’t been consistent in showing up. And that doesn’t mean that you need to publish something. Every single day, or even every week, it’s about picking a cadence that works for you and the time available that you have, and making it work. People may not trust you, because you don’t show up to calls on time or you miss deadlines. Maybe you aren’t communicating with people in and around your business, or you only communicate when there’s an issue never when something has gone really well. And I know we’ve all had bosses like that before you ghost employees, contractors, team members, even clients not responding to their communication, or you’ve had that discovery call with someone either as the prospective client or the prospective contractor, and never follow up. We have all I’m sure been on the receiving end of seven sending a proposal to someone and never hearing back from them, not even for them to ask questions, they just disappear.
Abby Herman 7:12
And I’ll be honest, and tell you that I have been that prospective contractor before and forgotten to follow up with a prospective client to leaving money on the table, you guys, it’s not a good feeling. People may not trust you, because you talk down to people only pointing out their flaws or making them feel degraded. We’ve all had bosses like that, right? And you change up how you work with people or what you do often, so that people aren’t sure what it is you do at all. And I’m not saying that it’s not okay to change your offerings or shift in your business. I have done that multiple times over the years. But it’s important that you don’t make big changes every quarter so that you’re confusing people. If you felt a twinge of, oh, that sounds a little like me in that, then there’s probably some truth to that thought you’re having. I think that we’ve all been there. And I’ve already admitted to being there before. I know I’ve done a few of the things that I just listed, it doesn’t feel great.
Abby Herman 8:22
And yes, if these are a habit for you, it’s a problem that’s likely impacting your business, your business relationships and your personal life. And that doesn’t mean that you’re a lost cause. Because there’s a lot that you can do about it, maybe it’s time to take some baby steps out of this and start reestablishing trust with some of the people who are important to your clients or team, even those in your household in your personal life. So here are just four quick ideas for tips for establishing trust, or reestablishing trust in your business. Number one, try not to over commit, we are all really busy. And there are so many shiny objects out there, that it might be hard to say no or turn away from the shiny objects. But think about how much you’re already committed to how much downtime you personally need each day or or week to kind of revamp and how much available time you really truly have to take on anything else. Basically, you can’t say yes to everything and the commitments that you already have should take priority. And if they’re not going to be a priority for you, that’s okay. But you need to take steps to walk yourself out of that.
Abby Herman 9:44
Number two, if you say you’re going to be there, be there and be there on time. I know that stuff comes up preventing you from following through on a commitment. Kids get sick, cars break down, weather happens. Internet goes down. There are things that are big beyond our control. But there are few things more frustrating than being on the receiving end of a no show appointment or a very last minute cancellation. And to be honest, multiple cancellations and no shows. And the last week is actually the reason why I’m doing this episode right now. The more you cancel or failed to show up for people, the more likely that person on the other end will come to believe that you won’t show up next time and that you can’t be counted on. Don’t get that reputation. Number three, create a schedule and stick to it as much as you can. Now I live by my Google Calendar and full focus planner, I’m not going to go into details of how I structure them. I know I’ve talked about it a little in the past, and there might be an episode coming up in the future about it. But I will tell you that if it’s not on my Google Calendar, it’s just not going to happen because I won’t remember it. And if it’s not in my full focus planner, it’s not going to get done on time. Everyone has their own way of working and structuring their time, find what works for you and use it.
Abby Herman 11:08
If you’re highly distractible Amber Hawley is a great person to follow for tips on getting some of your focus back. Everyone has their own way, I want you to find yours. And number four, have a content and visibility plan and stick to it. I’ll be sharing in a few weeks about how to stick to your content and visibility plan. And I’m going to give you some tips. But here is the thing your audience is expecting to hear from you. They want to see you don’t not show up. I know it’s hard. And I know that it’s time consuming. But with the right schedule and structure to your day, week or month. And with prioritizing current commitments, it is possible. Now I’m far from perfect, I have moments where I commit to way too much or I fall off the structure that I’m trying to put in place for myself. And then things don’t always get done the way they should it happens. I recommend doing some research to find out how others show up and build trust and their businesses. Think about who you follow right now or who you’re working with? Do you trust them? Do you feel really secure in your relationship with them? Do you feel confident that they will be there for you in a time of need? Then look at how they’re showing up? Are they consistent? Do they follow through? Do they show up when and where they say they’ll show up? Or are they always leaving you wondering?
Abby Herman 12:34
I’ll tell you that the wandering part is probably the trickiest most triggering feeling for me, is it for you to if you want to build trust in your business, the four big tips I want you to leave here with are don’t over commit. If you say you’ll be there or that you’re going to do something, do it on time. Put some structure in your day or week so you can get done everything that needs to be done and have a plan for your visibility and stick with it consistently. And if you need help with this last piece or you want to talk through any of the other tips, my door is open, let’s talk you can book a free 20 minute call with me at thecontentexperiment.com/chat. If you found value in what you learned here today, be sure to share it on social media. Take a screenshot of the episode on your phone and share it over on Instagram stories. You can tag me out to thecontentexperiment or head over to LinkedIn and connect with me there. Be sure to tell me you found me on the podcast when you send the connection invite. The more you share this podcast with others, the more we can get it into the earbuds of more business owners just like you who need to hear the message that they are not alone. Until next time, take care.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai
