Many times over the years, I've written about the power of trust. Most shop owners already know that customer trust is a major key to continuing business from that customer. 

Franklin

But I was inspired to take a deeper look at this subject when I noticed that Stephen M. R. Covey, the author of the best-selling "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People," has now focused on a new book and seminar entitled, "The Power of Trust in Business." He tells us that "Trust is the root of all leadership influence," and "there is nothing as profitable as the economics of trust." It seems he is suggesting we put trust as the very first quality to strive for in our business. 

The elements of trust

A while back, I wrote about an unpleasant experience with a service provider. It wasn't that his work was bad. He was a good craftsman with state-of-the-art tools and equipment. The quality of his work was good, but he lacked the most important quality we all look for when we choose someone to serve us: trust.

When most of us look for a doctor, a dentist, a mechanic, or even a hair stylist, we want to be able to trust them

*to do the best job possible;

*not to overcharge or cheat us; and

*to keep all agreements and commitments or to notify us immediately of any unavoidable changes.

This individual was able to provide good work. As far as we could tell, he wasn't overcharging or cheating us. But he completely destroyed our trust on number three. He estimated a week to do the job, and three weeks later it was still not completed. Worse than that, he allowed us to make plans based on his commitment and didn't notify us so we could adjust our schedule. And after that, he agreed to a new completion date which he didn't keep, and promised to notify us if there was a change, and he didn't do that either.

This one quality that was lacking completely nullified all of his other good qualities. When trust is gone, there can be no possibility of continuing a business relationship.

One shop I deal with has made the three elements of trust their top priority. Their motto is "Quality, Honesty, and Express Service." By quality, they say they mean they will do the best job possible and they constantly upgrade their equipment and the skills of all technicians to be certain they can do that. By honesty, they say they mean that they will never overcharge or cheat a customer. And by express service, they say they mean they will do whatever it takes to meet or beat their promised time commitments. They say they consider the trust of their customers to be their most important asset and they are willing to invest every resource they have to keep that trust.

Trust is a rare commodity

Trust seems to have become more and more rare these days. It's hard to find employees we can trust to show up on time, to not steal from us, and to not cut corners that reduce the quality of their work. It's little wonder that we so highly value a trustworthy person when we find one. One of the few reliable ways to find a trustworthy service provider is to call a friend for a referral. That's why building referral business is so vital for every body shop.

It's likely that your shop turns out quality work. Your customers are happy with the appearance of their cars when they pick them up. Judy picks up her red mustang and she's pleased as punch with the way it looks. You feel confident if a friend of hers asks for a referral to a shop, she will recommend your shop without a moment's hesitation. But you could be wrong.

It may be a couple of years before one of her friends or family members has a collision. Time marches on. She may have changed cars. When asked for a referral, perhaps she can't remember the name of your shop or exactly where it was located. Your great opportunity for a referral just got away.

Is there something you could have done about it? Absolutely yes!