Succeed with Ethical Marketing Practices

Marketing Viewpoint by Ruth Winett

Ten Guidelines for Gaining
Customers and Partners Trust

Relationships-personal, business, political, and diplomatic - depend upon establishing mutual trust. People end relationships with people they can't trust. Customers and business partners do not want to work with businesses they cannot trust.

The media is full of stories of people and companies that have lost the public's trust. Some companies have sold contaminated or ineffective drugs; others have accepted tax breaks but not hired more employees when it was part of the deal; and still others have polluted water or land.

How Do You Gain Customers' and Partners' Trust?

Gaining trust is important not only when you deal with customers, but also when you deal with suppliers, shareholders, and your entire community.

First, your customers and partners must think you are authentic. They must believe that they can rely on you as an individual. In other words, they can depend upon you to do what you promise to do.

Second, your customers and partners must think that they can trust you and your company to:

Respect them and their business goals.
Offer high quality products and services.
Understand their industries and their needs and problems.
Sell them what they need, not just what you want them to buy.
Provide the best possible solution(s) to their problem(s).
Deal with them honestly from proposals to finished work.
Make honest claims on your web site and in other marketing communications.
Deliver on time, within budget, and according to specifications.
Respect their desire for confidentiality.

Follow these guidelines, and you will get repeat business. Fail to follow any of these guidelines, and you will jeopardize the relationship, perhaps permanently.

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Have an enjoyable summer!

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