PLANNED TELEVISION ARTS

A Business Model for Trust

During the global recession we hear a lot about how sales, branding, staffing, and other key components of
any business in any industry must be reexamined and improved. But perhaps the core element behind any
workplace or business relationship comes down to issues of trust. One business consultant shows us how
to use trust as a valuable business tool in her new, provocative book, The Truth About Trust In
Business.

Author Vanessa Hall defines what trust really is and puts into perspective its vital place in business – from
workplace interactions to corporate sales, branding, and marketing. ―Trust changes the way people
interact with each other,‖ notes Vanessa. ―It is changing the way managers and employees have
conversations, the way executives lead their companies, and, the way a company promotes the products
and services it offers.‖

Her model for trust-building is called ENP – short for expectations, needs, and promises. If there is a
breakdown in any of these areas, the trust is broken, and likely the relationship marginalized if not
completely severed. She defines ENP as follows:

Expectations

Each time we enter into a relationship or interaction with a person, a company, a product or service, we
take a whole heap of expectations with us. The trouble is, we are often not aware of them, and we usually
don’t tell the other party. Some expectations are more important to us than others and everyone ranks
their expectations differently.

Expectations come from a number of places – previous experiences; things others tell us; things we read,
hear, or see; and similar experiences with someone or something. Vanessa advises:

1. Take time to understand your own expectations and those of others.

2. Assume nothing because what you expect from a relationship could be very different from what
someone else expects.

3. You don’t have to meet everyone’s expectations but you do have to manage them. Be clear what
people can’t expect of you, your company, your products or services.

She concludes that expectations drive behavior. ―If we expect a positive experience, we behave
accordingly,‖ she writes. ―If we expect a negative experience, we behave negatively.‖

Needs

We all have certain needs. We may be aware of some of them, but often we are not conscious of them.

Vanessa advises us on needs, by writing: ―Our needs drive us into our relationships and interactions. We
seek people, companies, products, and services that we think can meet our needs. Don’t put all your eggs
in one basket, for looking at a single relationship to meet all you needs can be dangerous. By being
conscious and honest about our needs, we enhance our choices of who we turn to meet them.‖
1110 Second Avenue, New York, New York 10022
Tel 212-593-5820 Fax 866-771-0381
 PLANNED TELEVISION ARTS

Promises

Implicit promises are unclear and in themselves create more expectations. Explicit promises leave no
room for confusion or misunderstanding and offer a real test of whether you’ll honor what you offered.

While expectations and needs are what we have going into a relationship or interaction, it is the promises
being made to us that draw us into that particular relationship with that person, company, product, or
service.

Vanessa warns that: ―The most important thing to realize about implicit promises is that they create
different expectations in different people’s minds – they are open to interpretation, and this can be
dangerous from a trust perspective.‖

Keeping promises builds trust. Start small and work your way up to bigger promises. Make sure you
realize what promises you are making when it comes to your branding, ads, Web site, mission statement,
values statement, contracts, policy manuals, press releases, meetings, and memos. Someone is always
watching that you deliver on a promise, whether implicit or explicit, small or big.

To understand the ENP’s of trust, one needs to understand what trust means to most of us. ―It is fragile,‖
says Vanessa ―and it can break easily. Once it breaks it is usually irreparable.‖

The entire process of trusting is placing this fragile ―trust egg‖ on a balance of our expectations and needs,
and the promises the other party has made to us, hopeful that all will remain in balance. When some of our
expectations are not met, or some needs are not met, or some promises are not kept, bricks in the
foundation of the relationship – and our trust- are in danger of crumbling.

So just how do we build trust – and keep it?

―Building trust is fundamentally about three things,‖ says Vanessa. ―You must:

1. Manage people’s expectations of you, your business, your products, and your services.
2. Meet people’s needs.
3. Keep your promises.

―Sounds simple? In some ways it is, but it takes awareness, discipline, understanding, and consistent
processes, efforts, and communication to get it right.‖

------------

1110 Second Avenue, New York, New York 10022

Tel 212-593-5820 Fax 866-771-0381