I’m sure many of you watched The Leader’s Debate on Sunday night, Julia Gillard vs Tony Abbot. I did and it got me thinking. Being Swiss, I’ll stand by our ‘neutrality’ and avoid taking sides here (yes, yes you can make fun of the Swiss ‘neutrality’). Nevertheless there are a couple of things I’d like to share with you.

Choosing a political leader is really difficult (not to say being a political leader). Who will deliver on their promises? Who will have the courage to stand by their decisions? Who is a better leader? Who will give us what we need and want? Who is fair dinkum (I had to sneak that one in)?

It all comes down to trust. Trust is the biggest reason people will choose one leader over the other. We choose a leader we trust.

One of the questions we ask ourselves when we buy a product or service is: Can we trust this person, product or service?

Your aim in business should be to give your clients opportunities and reasons to trust you. The more people who trust you, the better your business will do. A client who trusts you, will come back to buy your products or services rather than your competitors’ and he will most likely refer others to you too.

Trust must be earned and it can take (a long) time. Unfortunately if trust is not constantly nurtured and guarded, it can be damaged within a few seconds and take a long time to rebuild.

The big, trusted brands out there have spent millions of dollars to build trust and so have our politicians. One step with the wrong foot and trust comes crumbling down.

Now how can you build trust?

Deliver on your promisesalways. If you are unsure of whether you can deliver or not, don’t promise. Standing by your promises is crucial and something so easily done, yet so often neglected. It should be one of your ‘non-negotiables’. If for example you promise to deliver your product on a certain date, then make sure that you do or even before that expected date. Your clients will love you for that.

Understand what your clients want. Understanding your clients, what their needs and wants are and how you can satisfy them, will help you build trust. Be a good listener, ask questions to find out more about your clients and try to see the world through their eyes. Conversations with your clients and giving them what they need and want (which can be two different things) will help you build trust.

Be fair dinkum: Being honest, reliable and genuine is key to building trust. A really simple example here, imagine a dishonest sales person, would you ever be able to trust them and buy their products, no, never, you’d go somewhere else. On the other hand, it’s so much easier to trust people that are honest and genuine. Trusting means feeling like you are in good hands and that’s what clients are looking for.

To building your trust,

Franziska Iseli-Hall

PS: Looking forward to seeing who will be able to gain people’s trust in the upcoming elections, Julia or Tony?

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