Business has switched from “nailing down the sale” to establishing relationships and TRUST with your clients. Whether you are a blogger or selling shoes.
It reminded me of Goldie.
Goldie was a commissioned salesperson for a travel agency I managed before I opened my own. She did not work in the office.
She was a manicurist. She sold travel to her clients as she was doing their nails and toes.
HER CLIENTS TRUSTED HER.
Every Monday morning, I would find something like this on my desk:
IT WAS ON THE INSIDE OF A MATCHBOOK COVER.
169 – Feb 7 (a-w) 170 –Feb 14 (a-w) PM –old ocean king George/Julia xxxxxx csh pu Tues. tel#xxxxxxxx
We had rhemes of paper in the agency to keep track of client trips but they did not give us any more information that Goldie did.
Translated by anyone who understood her hieroglyphics -
George and Julia wanted to fly to Acapulco on American 169 on February 7th and return on February 14th on American 170. They requested seats on the two side aisle and window. They wanted to stay at the Pierre Marquez Hotel in the old section of the hotel in a room overlooking the ocean with a king bed. And they were paying for it in cash and would pick up their documents on Tuesday.
WE TRUSTED GOLDIE THAT THEY WOULD SHOW UP AS SCHEDULED.
And they did. Goldie was the first to discover texting. She should have been paid for it by the cell phone companies.
Goldie loved jewelry. When she had some extra money she would ask a client to buy her some earrings or a bracelet while they were there.
Not from a store.
There was a peddler on the beach whose “territory” was in front of the Pierre Marquez.
HE WAS KNOWN ONLY AS “DAVID THE GONIF.”
He was respected for his honesty, quality and his no questions asked refund or exchange policy. If you changed your mind or wanted something different, the next person who came down would contact him. He worked on the beach for years.
I don’t know what happened to these people. I have been out of the travel business for quite a while.
For one thing – it is hard to find books of matches anymore. I wonder what Goldie uses now.
As far as David the Gonif is concerned, he probably has a website and a laptop and does all his business on the Internet. Mexico is seeing hard times as a tourist destination.
HE IS PROBABLY STILL IN BUSINESS BECAUSE HE IS TRUSTED.
They are examples that you do not have to own a big company or be a Captain of Industry to recognize the value of good public relations.
There are small business people who have known the secret of TRUST and good relationships for years. It is nothing new.
Not for Goldie and David The Gonif.
Glad it is back in style.
N.B. Book pick: I’ve been reading Chris Brogan and Julien Smith’s book, Trust Agents. Highly recommended. You can buy it by clicking on the link here.
Chris Brogan walks the walk he talks. Do you know he will let a blogger copy any of his great articles at Chris Brogan.com.? Just have to give credit. Nobody does that.
(And yes, if you buy the book from the link they will pay me a very few dollars. Buy it anyway)
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
it is all about relationships. That is the one piece that keeps coming back. p.s. you get a few dollars from your amazon link? more like 40 cents. If I hadn’t already bought Trust Agents I’d buy it again from you…
Michelle Vandepas´s last blog ..Life Purpose In One Sitting?
Re Chris Brogan. There are article directories full of stuff that people let others use just for the credit. This isn’t unusual I don’t think. I think Chris’s stuff is quite good.
I once enrolled in a course because a couple of bloggers I respected endorsed it. It wasn’t terribly good – their credibility has never recovered. Trust is difficult to win and easy to lose.
I think trust is especially relevant in the blogosphere – credibility is the currency of the web I think.
I think there is more to selling than having people trust you – products that meet perceived needs and so on. But I think trust is essential.
Thanks for a thought provoking post.
Evan´s last blog ..In Praise of Contentment (critiquing ambition)
Dear Michelle -
You are right. You cannot buy trust and relationships. You have to earn them.
I know we don’t make money to speak of when we link to Amazon. But the FTC makes us say it now. No matter how little.
When I link to a book or to a website, it is a courtesy to someone I admire and want to share with my readers. Not for the money.
Hi Evan -
Lots of free goods to put up on a blog if you want – but Chris Brogan does not need the publicity. He has all he wants now. So I thought that I should mention his generous nature.
Most of my emails are from people who are telling me they can teach how to make millions on a blog. I agree that there are few that are reliable. And they are not shy about charging a fortune for their information.
Yaro is one of the good ones. I bought his Blog Mastermind course and found it invaluable. Especially, when I first started out blogging.
Three years ago, I wasn’t sure what a blog was. And I am still learning!
Thanks for stopping in and your thoughtful comment. You are one of my favorites and I follow your posts all the time and promote them.
Lord, I love seeing that you have written something…anything, really. Your last question: “Have you noticed?” is what caught my eye. Yes I have noticed. And since I have gotten rid of my tv and no longer read any of the “news” in any form, the good is all I see. I see it in actuality every day.
Corinne, you have a way of bringing the minute into the sublime in ways that can bring a tear to my eye and then have me laughing out loud the next sentence.
Thank you so much for all the wisdom you impart and for telling me about Yaro. Even though I don’t follow what he says to do to bring money in from blogging, I would trust that young man with my life.
Sharon
Sharon Beck´s last blog ..It’s getting even better!