Trust is highlighted as a core principle in the book The Hawke Method: The Three Principles of Marketing That Made Over 3,000 Brands Soar, by Erik Huberman. Along with awareness and nurturing, these core principles have helped a multitude of brands successful and can be applied to business of any size. Building trust through outstanding customer service can lead to increased sales as well as customers leaving positive reviews. 
Huberman cites that 75% of consumers won’t buy from a company they don’t trust in his book for good reason – trust is one way you can engage with customers and prospects to ultimately boost sales.
But how can you build trust? It is not something that a simple Facebook ad or email can create. Trust is often earned over time, partnered with consistency of actions and experiences. Let’s think about a few ways your business can earn the trust of your customers:
- Provide outstanding customer service. No matter the situation, think about the perspective and emotions of your customer. How would you want to be treated in this instance?
- Follow through on your word. If you say you are going to do something, charge a price, or offer a promotion – do it.
- Share honest customer reviews. No one is perfect, but if you have good reviews, or those that started rocky but you were able to course-correct, share them both for authenticity.
While you might be a business owner, you are also a customer. Think about the last really good (or really bad) customer service experience you had. Did that change your view of the company or business? Did it make you want to engage with them in the future? What did you tell your friends and family?
When customers like your services or product, they are more likely to buy from you again. But when a customer trusts your brand, they are more apt to leave public reviews for others to see, while personally recommending your business to family, friends and coworkers. How can you start building trust with your brand today?
