ARTICLE

There are many ways to build trust with your clients. Some ways are easier than others, and some ways are actually rather obvious.

Simple things can help build trust, for example, doing what you say you are going to do, phoning when you say you are going to phone, arriving at meetings on time and with the all the information that you said you would bring. Being reliable builds trust as it makes most people feel their needs will be met and they will feel that they can depend on you. Another way of building trust is to ask questions and then be prepared to listen fully to the answer.

With how many businesses have you had contact with that provide you slow service, are late with their delivery or, worse still, provide no service at all? Have you dealt with businesses that say they will call you back, but never do? Or perhaps they do so days later, saying that they 'forgot'? And what about the business that finally delivers its product and it isn't what you wanted, being different in size and appearance to the product you ordered last time, when it was supposed to be exactly the same!

Clients need consistency in their experience with your business. This means they need to see the same thing each time. If a client experiences one thing the first time and something different the next time and the time after that, what message does the client receive? That you are disorganised and consequently that you can't be trusted!

If you want your clients to 'trust' your business, you need to get 'organised' so that the service and delivery that clients see each time meet the expectations that you have established - by being the same. We all know the McDonalds story, but just to highlight its moral, a large part of McDonalds success is its ability to replicate experiences across a large number of outlets, so that your experience is the same no matter which McDonalds you enter.

So how do you get organised to build trust? It starts firstly with you, the individual. You need to lead by example and create a chain of events that will directly affect the product and service of your business. Your business is the sum of individuals who work in it.

If your business is disorganised, it is because you are disorganised. How you work will be reflected throughout your business and your clients will see and know it. Have you ever changed suppliers because you weren't getting the service you expected? I know many people who have.

Why are you disorganised?
Are you disorganised because of your habits? Is it tradition? Or perhaps you were trained that way.

Habit
What is a habit? The Australian Collins English Dictionary describes a habit as being 'an acquired pattern of action that is difficult to break'. Sometimes we are disorganised simply because of a habit we have learnt from a colleague, something we picked up at school or college, or something that we learnt on the job. By performing the same action or tasks without even thinking about what we are doing, why we are doing it, or for whom we are doing it, we demonstrate that we working on 'auto-pilot' - without thought.

So what does it take to break a habit? It requires change. First of all you need to clearly identify what that habit is that you want to change, and then search for a better way of doing it.

Tradition
'That is the way we have always done it here'. How many times have you heard this? Those few words can be very expensive words for any business. 'Tradition' is not necessarily compatible with 'keeping up with the times' and helping you stay organised. With the affordable availability of information technology items available today (personal organisers, computers, phone and message systems), the 'traditional' way of working may in fact be what is holding you back from getting organised. Breaking out of tradition requires a new way of thinking and for you to identify better ways of working.

Training
When you originally started your job, you may have been trained to perform activities in a specific way, either by a colleague or a team member. This one-on-one training can be effective for getting you 'on the job' quickly, however it may also mean that there is no one, right way for the job to be done. Until questioned, you no doubt continued working away happily thinking that you were doing things the right way. When asked why you are doing an activity 'that way' when it should be done 'this way', you explain that this is how you were taught. On further investigation it is revealed that you were 'trained' the wrong way. How many times have we heard this story? Often something as simple as clear written instructions can help prevent any misunderstanding and provide the best possible training.

So, are you disorganised because of habit or because that is the way you have always done it here, or is it simply because you weren't given the correct training in the first place? No matter which reason applies, if you keep working the same way, you can continue to expect the same results.

Making Changes

Are you ready to overcome whatever is holding you back and make the changes to become more organised? Let's start by asking five important questions:

1. Do you know what is holding you back from being organised?
   Do you fear change, or are you perhaps a little ashamed to admit that you don't know what to do, or where to go to for help? Or are you an expert in your field and feel that you should know how to do everything, so seeking outside help could be perceived as a weakness? But would it? Remember, 'when the student is ready, the teacher will come'. So just ask for help, and it will arrive.
   
   
2. Are you concerned about how much time it will take to get organised?
   Yes, it will take some time, but the benefits will more than justify the investment. How much money are you wasting now by doing the ordinary things the hard way, when you could so easily be doing ordinary things the exceptional way?
   
   
3. Do you 'procrastinate' about getting organised?
   The solution to procrastination is action, any action, as long as it is moving forward. Look at what small things you can do to make tasks manageable rather than being overwhelmed by the bigger picture. Doing a lot of small things can add up to doing one big thing. Take one step at a time.
   
   
4. Do you spend 'extra energy' trying to cover up how disorganised you are?
   When your client calls for the third time asking when their product is going to be delivered, do you make a feeble excuse as to why it has not arrived, or do you own up to the fact that you have misplaced their purchase order? Do you then go into panic mode that uses extra energy to process the order immediately so that this time you don't forget!
   
   
5. Are you disorganised because you haven't done the simple things?
   Could some of your disorganisation be easily fixed by doing the equivalent of simply tightening a screw. Do you need better filing systems, more storage, or just need to find a home for everything, and put everything in its place? Could you be making your work much easier than it currently is with just a few simple solutions that don't cost a penny? For most people the answer is yes!

Are you ready to take the big leap of faith?

Here are five strategies that will help you to get organised and will ultimately help you to build trust.

1. Tasks: maintain a master list of all the tasks you have to do
   We recommend you use a contact management program such as ACT! or Outlook. By using a computerised system, you can easily keep it updated and schedule due dates and reminders.
   
   
2. Timetable: maintain a weekly timetable
   Give yourself an overview of the week ahead. This helps give you a good overview on where your time is going during the week and why you don't have time to get organised. Only use your timetable for scheduled events, not to track items on your task list. As well as allocating time for all work-related meetings, make sure you schedule time for yourself to actually complete your work.
   
   
3. Paperwork: maintain the flow of paperwork
   Clear the clutter on your desk and sort out your paperwork into files for example Monday - Friday or, if you work on projects, then create files relating to how these projects work. Create a system that you like and one that works for you.
   
   
4. Prioritise: decide your top five priorities each and every day
   Decide what your top five priorities are for the day, decide how long these top five items will take to complete, and then decide if you will be able to complete them during the day. Check your timetable for available time, and then see if the top five priorities can be accomplished in the day.
   
   
5. Review: make reviewing points 1-4 above a habit
   It takes time to get organised, and while it may take you 15 minutes to plan for the next day, in truth, it could save you an hour or more. Or worse, if you don't, you could lose a client. Which would you prefer? I know which one I would prefer. The reality is that even with the best-laid plans for the day, clients may need your urgent attention and you may have to drop everything and deal with the situation. If this is the case, then reprioritise your top five plans and review your time available for the next day. Don't ever stop.

Improving how you work is about making choices. You need to realise the areas in which you need to change how you work. The road to being organised can be challenging, however, with the right support to guide you to make changes one step at a time, you will climb further up the ladder of organisation than you ever expected.

Get organised and build trust!

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