‘I trust you becauseyour customer service is great.
I trust you becauseyour product is good quality and reliable.
I trust you becauseI know I can get in touch with you if I need to.
I trust you becauseyou clearly value my custom and I feel special.
I trust you becauseI like you.
I trust you becauseyou keep me updated with news and ideas or products.
I trust you becauseyou don’t always want to just ‘sell’ to me.’
………said the happy customer to the customer-centric, modern day business.
If you have many customers who are saying the same thing to you, stop reading. You’re clearly aware of what sort of marketplace we live in in 2016. Otherwise read on!
It doesn’t matter what business you are in, if you have customers, this year you will be prioritising ‘trust’. ‘Trust is earned, not given.’ We know the mantra and we also know its value. And yet many businesses are still operating under the illusion that the customers are out there and that business will arrive at their door, till or webpage as if by magic.
They won’t.
This is the age of the customer. Google the phrase ‘customer-centric’ and you’ll have enough blogs or articles to read until 2017. The customer is in the driving seat. Your customer will know all about you, the good and the bad, and will know all about your competitors. Your customer won’t hesitate to seek out the best deal or offer and will use reviews, social media and referrals to assess your credibility.Your customers’opinionof you will be based on data, whether accurate or not. Your customers’reactionto you will be emotional.
According toForrester Analyst Anjali Laito, “Emotion is often the primary factor influencing customer loyalty and the strongest driver of customer retention, enrichment and advocacy”.
One thing will drive your customer back to you and keep them close – TRUST.
“The most credible advertising comes straight from the people we know and trust. For that reason, it should come as no surprise that more than eight in ten global respondents (83 percent) say they completely or somewhat trust the recommendations of friends and family. But trust isn’t confined only to those in our inner circle, as two-thirds (66 percent) say they trust consumer opinions posted online-the third-most-trusted form of advertising.” -(Nielsen, 2015 report)
If your customer trusts you, they will love you. If trust is there, you will have earned an advocate, a raving fan and a lifetime supporter. Trust is a belief in the reliability, truth, or ability of….; it is an expectation of faith and consistency. That expectation is not granted as a ‘default’.
Judy Randon
