Most businesses require some level of trust from customers in order to be successful. The challenge exists in creating a relationship of trust with people who have never done business with you before. How can you prove to customers that you run a trustworthy operation?TestimonialsWhen people read testimonials from other satisfied customers, they are heavily influenced in a positive way. Whether the testimonial is from a trusted friend over a cup of coffee in the morning or published online from a stranger, testimonials can turn a lead into a sale by instilling trust in your business. To garner testimonials, ask past satisfied customers outright if they’d be willing to write a short blurb and allow you to publish it on your site. In exchange, you can offer to let them link back to their business in their signature line.Transparency
Don’t try to hide the way you do business, where your business is located, or that your company uses outsourced customer service companies. You don’t have to give away all your trade secrets, but it is helpful to offer some layer of transparency to your business. Offer up a list of employees, outsourced customer service companies and a simple explanation of your business model. This will go a long way toward instilling trust.Background ChecksRun background checks on your employees and contractors to ensure that they don’t have a criminal background or a negative employment history. Announce this practice as a benefit of doing business your company. When customers see that you are making sure that all your company representatives are people with integrity, they will feel safe and secure doing business with you.These three tips will be very effective at instilling customer trust in your business For best results, use a combination of all three strategies.
