The Law of Trust

“I’m not upset that you lied to me. I’m upset that from now on I can’t believe in you”- Friedrich Nietzsche

Sometimes in October, I received a call from a former client who had been out of the country for almost a year.

He is not a Nigerian but had just secured an appointment with a company. His first statement was “Bayo, I need to pick your brain on this because with you I know where I stand. I know you’ll not deceive me”.
After our discussion, he told me he had already informed his Chairman that their banking relationship had to come to me. I’ve signed it on since.
I’ve had cause to reflect over his statement many times since then. Here was a man whom sometimes I had very difficult conversations with. I’ve had to tell him no when I knew his requests were not possible. Sometimes, the relationship was stormy.
I never fail to tell my colleagues that the major currency for transaction is integrity and this will only be sustained in an atmosphere of trust. Never lie to customers in order to make a sale.
We are all under pressure to make a big sale but do not capitulate to making false claims about your products or service. You may make the first sale but you won’t make repeat sales. In all my years selling, I know that the first sale is neither the biggest nor the best.
Tell your customers the truth even if you have to lose that particular sale. I prefer to lose that sale than lose the customer. You lose the customer when they walk away and never come back because they found what you told them to be false.
I agree that it’s not easy to have difficult conversations with customers. However, when you lie so as to make a quick buck or find an easy way out, you destroy your reputation and that of your organization. Lying can only work short-term and is never a long-term strategy.
When you lie about what your products or service can do, it’s called mis-selling and is criminal in some climes. Don’t create a false impression about what you can do. Once your clients find out, they’ll never come back. You can only sell a bad product once.
If you deceive me once, shame to you. If you deceive me twice, shame to me. Once bitten, twice shy.
So how do you build trust with your customers to such a level that they find you reliable and are comfortable with you?
1. Don’t create a false impression about your products or services. If you’re on social media, use the right pictures of your products. Don’t put the picture of bone straight hair and supply something else. Give the proper credits.
Be honest. If you don’t offer a certain service, be truthful about it- even if it hurts.
2. Honour commitments. Be a ‘talk and do’ person- and not ‘talk no do’. Go out of your way to honour your commitments. Walk your talk. Be a credible person.
I’ve had an Igbo customer call me ‘Ekwueme’ before. It was later I learnt that the name means the person who does what he says. Psalm 15:4 calls that kind of person ‘ one who sweareth to his own hurt’- ‘who makes firm commitments and follow through even at great cost’ (TPT)
The Amplified Bible says ‘he keeps his word even to his own disadvantage and does not change it for his own benefit’. The Contemporary English Version says ‘they keep their promises no matter what the cost’.
3. Be responsive. Respond to your customers requests immediately. The same thing applies to emails, letters, phone calls and text messages. When you respond, you actually let your customers know you value them.
4. Refer your customer to another client when you cannot offer what they want. Many think this will make you lose the customer. Not true. This will actually make your customer understand you have their interests at heart. They will come back to you for sure when you’re helpful.
5. Be consistent. Maintain your standards at all times. Don’t be a yo-yo.

No one is going to buy from someone they don’t trust.

Bayo Adeyinka

@threadreaderapp unroll

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महर्षि कश्यप की तेरह पत्नियां थीं।लेकिन विनता व कद्रु नामक अपनी दो पत्नियों से उन्हे विशेष लगाव था।एक दिन महर्षि आनन्दभाव में बैठे थे कि तभी वे दोनों उनके समीप आकर उनके पैर दबाने लगी।


प्रसन्न होकर महर्षि कश्यप बोले,"मुझे तुम दोनों से विशेष लगाव है, इसलिए यदि तुम्हारी कोई विशेष इच्छा हो तो मुझे बताओ। मैं उसे अवश्य पूरा करूंगा ।"

कद्रू बोली,"स्वामी! मेरी इच्छा है कि मैं हज़ार पुत्रों की मां बनूंगी।"
विनता बोली,"स्वामी! मुझे केवल एक पुत्र की मां बनना है जो इतना बलवान हो की कद्रू के हज़ार पुत्रों पर भारी पड़े।"
महर्षि बोले,"शीघ्र ही मैं यज्ञ करूंगा और यज्ञ के उपरांत तुम दोनो की इच्छाएं अवश्य पूर्ण होंगी"।


महर्षि ने यज्ञ किया,विनता व कद्रू को आशीर्वाद देकर तपस्या करने चले गए। कुछ काल पश्चात कद्रू ने हज़ार अंडों से काले सर्पों को जन्म दिया व विनता ने एक अंडे से तेजस्वी बालक को जन्म दिया जिसका नाम गरूड़ रखा।जैसे जैसे समय बीता गरुड़ बलवान होता गया और कद्रू के पुत्रों पर भारी पड़ने लगा


परिणामस्वरूप दिन प्रतिदिन कद्रू व विनता के सम्बंधों में कटुता बढ़ती गयी।एकदिन जब दोनो भ्रमण कर रहीं थी तब कद्रू ने दूर खड़े सफेद घोड़े को देख कर कहा,"बता सकती हो विनता!दूर खड़ा वो घोड़ा किस रंग का है?"
विनता बोली,"सफेद रंग का"।
तो कद्रू बोली,"शर्त लगाती हो? इसकी पूँछ तो काली है"।
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https://t.co/9Z4oJmkcKj


@NBA @StephenKissler @yhgrad We adapted a clinical isolate of SARS-CoV-2 by serial passaging in the ... Thus, this mouse-adapted strain and associated challenge model should be ... (B) SARS-CoV-2 genomic RNA loads in mouse lung homogenates at P0 to P6.
https://t.co/I90OOCJg7o