To earn a client’s business, you first must earn their trust.
That is true for every business, every contractor, every corporation – without trust, there is no business!
And the line of trust with a client begins before they ever contact you – with your reputation or Google listing or website or Facebook page.
Therefore, it is vital that any and all ways your clients find you are accurate representations of what your business provides – and who you are as a contractor or consultant!
Consistency is key, here. Across all platforms and billboards and ratings.
Because by the time a person contacts you, they likely believe – based on one thing or another – that you are a good fit for their spray foam or petroleum project.
Are you an oil and gas contractor who consults for big businesses? Don’t forget that even the largest corporations are run by people!
And securing a spray foam bid or an oil and gas consulting project often comes down to building trust with your clients – from the moment they hear about you until long after the transaction is complete.
So, how do you pick up where your website or advertising campaigns have left off?
By doing what you say you’ll do, having clear boundaries and sticking to them, and providing great customer service, you can build trust with your clients and ensure lasting customer satisfaction.
Do What You Say You’ll Do For Your Clients
One of the best ways to build trust with your clients (and anyone else in your life) is to do what you say you’ll do.
That means follow through on your commitments!
And keep your promises!
It also means that if you can’t do something, you don’t promise that you will!
That being said, all well-meaning people can get themselves into a bind if they don’t think details through thoroughly – so make sure to educate yourself on procedure and give yourself some wiggle-room with job bids or deadlines if you’re new to the industry…
And then, do your very best to deliver on your promises to clients!
Now, obviously, no one is perfect. Sometimes, life gets in the way of even the best intentions.
So, in case of emergencies or inevitabilities, communicate with your clients. Keep them in the loop, and be honest about any changes that must be made to your services.
Even if bad news is received poorly, it is better for clients to be informed, so they can act (and react) from a position of understanding, not ignorance.
But don’t only communicate with your clients when things are going downhill – your clients will be glad to know when things are going well, too!!
The whole idea here is to keep an open line of honest communication with your customers, building trust and a great reputation for your business.
Successful businesses are built on solid reputations, delivering quality products and services that are what they were advertised to be.
If you promise your clients the world but only give them a rock, they’ll be disappointed…even if it’s a cool rock!
And unsatisfied customers are the worst kind of advertising.
So.
Instead of suffering the Wrath of Karen or the Rage of Bill, make sure that you communicate well with your clients!
Mean what you say, and say what you mean. Be as methodical about that as possible, but when you say you’ll do something, honor your word.
And it may seem counter-intuitive, but one of the best ways to stay true to your word is to be clear with your clients about your business policies and stick to them!
Set Clear Boundaries in Your Spray Foam or Oil and Gas Business
Setting clear boundaries or business policies is one of the simplest ways to build client trust.
Let’s examine business hours, for instance.
Business hours let your customers know when you will be available to them – and also that, outside of those hours, you have other commitments to attend to.
Part of doing what you say is showing up for your stated business hours.
If you don’t show up when you say you’ll be there for them, clients won’t believe you’ll show up for their project, either. That’s a great way to lose business. No bueno.
But the other part of upholding business hours is not being available to your customers (except for emergencies) when they try to reach you outside of your clearly-stated business hours!
In this way – by honoring your business policy and doing what you said you’d do – you build trust with your clients.
The point: be clear with your business policies, and stick to them like a fly to fly paper. Be who you say you’ll be – and just like *that* – you build client trust.
Keep in mind, you can shift your boundaries when changes are necessary.
Every business evolves with time. Changes to business policies are normal!
Your boundaries protect you and let your clients know where they stand with you and your business.
You don’t need to bend to every client’s whim to do a great job or deliver quality customer service.
Strive for Quality Customer Service
The old adage says that “the customer is always right.”
But that’s not true, and you know it!
Luckily, quality customer service is NOT about letting yourself get walked on.
Instead, it’s about doing what you said you’d do, following through on what was promised to your customers.
And it’s about representing the change you want to see in the world.
If a customer complains about something you cannot change and couldn’t have prevented, know that their problem is not with you. It’s with the circumstances.
And remember that your clients are humans, too.
They make mistakes. But so do you!
That’s why you should stick to your guns when you’re not in the wrong…
And work to make things right when you are in the wrong.
Because sometimes the customer is right!
In any case, do your best to stick to your word and deliver the best work possible.
Because your word is all you have.
And your clients will appreciate the effort they see from you.
Conclusion
In a market riddled with greed and lies and schemes and cons, it can be difficult to trust any business.
Your clients have been through a lot to find you!
That’s why it’s vital that you run a spray foam contracting or oil and gas consulting business that your clients can trust.
You can strive to be different in this crazy market.
You can say what you mean and mean what you say!
And you can follow through on your commitments!
That’s how you gain the trust of others and build a business worth running.
If you have questions about how to make changes to protect your business, or you need to purchase some stellar spray foam from a supplier you can trust, give Freedom Consulting a call.
We’ve got your back.
Always.
