Trust=Speed
This is the salesman’s mantra.
Whenever you’re in charge of dealing with the public, you are always selling. And when you’re selling a product– be it an ‘09 Focus or something less tangible like confidence, hope, passion, excitement, understanding, ease– the fastest route to making that sale is to build your public’s trust.
Stakeholder management is a communications function, and it’s much more than that. It’s about building relationships, and relationships are built on a foundation of trust. This takes time, and so it’s important to realize that you cannot build a stakeholder relationship over night.
Often, stakeholder management and branding become allies in this cause. This is because both rely on the relationship with their public and, therefore, are governed by the level of trust they have with these groups. Think about the most successful brands in the world– Coca Cola, McDonald’s, Wal Mart– all have had their share of scandal that could shake consumer confidence. So why do they succeed? Each of these brands has gone to great lengths to build the trust of the public: Coca Cola is renowned for it’s initiatives in building 3rd world country’s infrastructures, McDonald’s has proven a champion in the quest for healthy fast food choices and Wal Mart is a global leader in price point.
Have you ever trained a puppy? The most effective way to instill good behaviour in your dog is to praise its good behaviour and punish the bad behaviour. These organizations are doing something integral to the stakeholder management process: they are listening to their public and adjusting their approach based on their needs. They are very big, obedient dogs in a world full of owners.
The fastest way to build trust in a relationship is to put in the face time. Simply put, people respond best to open, honest two-way communication. Two way communication for most organizations is relatively new. The most progressive organizations, though, are leveraging the social media space to connect with their public, gather feedback and build relationships. More than ever before, stakeholders are being heard and a new relationship dynamic is being built. Note that the most successful organizations, including the ones above, are aggressively involved in the two-way communications process.
Want to “sell” your public on your initiative? Use the trust=speed equation and zoom past the competition.
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