Establishing business trust is an iterative journey between two or more organizations. Each party is continuously asking and re-asking itself the following questions:
Motives
How do I feel about your stated and unstated motives?
Do I believe you are stating your true goals and intentions?
Do I believe you are seeking an outcome that benefits me?
Do I disagree with your intended or perceived gains and outcomes?
Believability
Do I believe you understand my needs?
Do I believe your stated actions coincide with achieving my goals?
Do I believe your words and actions to be for my benefit, our benefit, or your benefit?
Credibility
Do I believe you have the skill and ability to do what you say you can?
Are your successes verifiable?
How do I confirm your stated competency and success?
Do I believe you will deliver on your commitments?
Predictability
Can I foretell how you will respond in a given situation (positively or negatively)?
Can I easily guess what you will do in any given situation?Are you consistent in your responses and actions?
Are your reactions consistent when facing similar situations?
Reliability
Do you do what you say you will?
What does your track record indicate?
How do you handle failure or non-performance?
Data shows that we do not expect 100% performance as a requirement for giving our trust. We know that there will be disappointments and can forgive. Doing what you say you will, about 8 times out of 10, is an acceptable track record for most business partners.
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