Perspectives That Serve # 25 - Trust

To be successful in selling or anything else for that matter you have to trust other people. You even have to trust yourself. And I believe you have to trust God. In the case of trusting other people you have to do it in spite of the fact that some of them will let you down. Like Lucy’s running gag with Charlie Brown where she repeatedly pulls the football away, some will even intentionally mislead you.

Another way to say this, is that you have to be vulnerable. Vulnerability suggests that you risk being hurt, even that you will be hurt. But the reward of vulnerability is that you develop wonderful relationships in business and in life. Vulnerability is worth the risk.

I don’t think this means you have to trust everyone carte blanc. I think it makes sense to use judgment and discernment. When trust is violated, it must be earned again. Sometimes it means as Ronald Reagan said in negotiating with the former Soviet Union, “Trust But Verify”.

Former Dallas Cowboy quarterback Roger Stauback, has built a very substantial commercial real estate firm. They have a very unique guarantee in their industry. If a client is not 100% satisfied with their service, they will negotiate the commission down as low as zero. That takes a lot of trust. But when you trust other people like that you build trust. I have worked for Olan Mills, a national portrait company for about 15 years. One of the things I'm proudest of is our unconditional guarantee. We will retake, retouch, or refund an Olan Mills Portrait with no limitations on time. We do this in an industry that has a standard 30 day return policy. Over the long haul, trust is reciprocal.