How to Build Trust and Keep It

By Executive Scheduling Associates CEO Mitch Santala

Trust is a critical factor in any financial relationship. As professionals who help families secure their financial futures, a top priority is building and maintaining client relationships that include this attribute.

Many elements help us build trustworthy business connections. For example, most clients want to know that we have industry experience, credentials, knowledge, achievements, and a proven track record. Those may be some of the more obvious examples. An unavoidable element of trust construction is time. Gaining confidence in a new relationship is never instant – especially when a family's financial security is on the line. Although we cannot bypass this necessary ingredient of the trust formula, we can perhaps accelerate it by means of the practices above.

That brings us to one of the least discussed aspects of building trust, serving. I often wonder if working with a servant's heart might be the most powerful tool when fostering an expectation of positive outcomes in our business relationships. We frequently use the term "service" casually, as in “We offer excellent customer service.” But the highest form of customer service occurs when we actually act like servants when we focus on client interests regardless of the payback.

Here are four simple ways to carry a servant's heart:

1. Put the "serve" back into customer service.

2. Put the client's needs before your own.

3. Personalize your service to each customer.

4. Come in low and humble. Don't allow your title or status to obscure your attitude of service.