A lot of being a successful business owner is about building trust with your clients and customers. Genuineness is such a huge part of this, because people what to feel as though you are a true, honest, and real person. When people view you this way, they feel more connected and trusting of you. This also means that they will be more likely to hire you, as well as support and promote you.
In dealing with a truly genuine person, what you see is what you get and there is no mystery. You want your business to appear this way as well, because transparency is so important when it comes to establishing comfort levels with potential clients and customers. No one likes for a fast one to be pulled on them, and people want to know in working with you that this won’t happen. The bait and switch is never a good business practice, in addition to it being plain out wrong, you will earn yourself a fast reputation of being a fake.
Earning yourself a good reputation is essential in growing your business, and I’m sharing a few ways in which you can do so.
Be Yourself
I saw a quote on Instagram a while back that went something to the nature of, “you can be million people, but there’s only one you”. Basically, you are the only you and trying to be someone else will never get you anywhere. Bring your own originality, talents, and skills to the table. Be confident in who you are and what you do and people will appreciate you for it. No one ever anyone appreciated anyone for being a copy of them!
[Tweet “Be confident in who you are and what you do and people will appreciate you for it.”]
Stay Grounded
The last thing you want to do is come off as if you’re better than someone else. Think about some of our most popular celebrities today and why people have love/hate relationships with them. Yes, from an entertainment standpoint they might be interesting, but on a personal level a lot of people know they’re not real and that they really don’t care about their fans. In owning a business, people realize that its there to make money, but if they feel that all you care about is the money, then they will quickly see that and not support you.
Be Reliable
Don’t be a flake, keep your promises and commitments. No one likes to deal with someone that they can’t depend on. This hurts the trust that may have been established and makes you appear unprofessional. The last thing your business needs is word getting around that it has an unprofessional, unreliable person running it. Also, be honest about your skills and services, don’t promise someone a particular service when you know you don’t have the skillset to provide it. You risk getting yourself into a situation where you can’t come through for the customer, or if you do the product or service isn’t good quality.
[Tweet “Don’t be a flake, keep your promises and commitments.”]
I recently read about a situation in which certain web designers tend to promise design related things to clients that are outside of their skillset. Basically, they try to outsource the job to a more experienced designer and at times they’re not available or won’t do the job. The original web designer ends up getting upset with the more experienced designer and not being able to satisfy the client. Loose/loose situation, because two relationships just got ruined all out of dishonesty and over-promsing.
Leave Boastfulness At the Door
I spoke a bit about this in my False Demand post, but more specifically speaking let your skills speak for themselves. You don’t need to drag or boast if you’re the real deal. People who tend to drag and boast are typically trying to boost themselves up, because they feel less than. When you’re confident in your skills and who you are people will see that, and they will do all the work for you. This is not to say that you still don’t need to promote your business or skills, just have humility in doing so.
[Tweet “When you’re confident in your skills and who you are people will see that, and they will do all the work for you. “]
Stay Objective
Look at things from the outside in, because subjectivity is limiting. By having a subjective mindset or view on something, you could miss out on potential clients and business, because you’re choosing to see things from only one perspective. Be open-minded, non judgmental, and positive. People will see this in you and know that it is a part of your business as well.
[Tweet “Be open-minded, non judgmental, and positive. People will see this in you and know that it is a part of your business as well.”]
Consistency is a huge driver of success and trust. The more genuine you are, the more consistent you will appear to be and will become. By being genuine you are the same person all the time, so it leaves no room to be anyone else and in turn you build trust. People will know that because you are genuine and consistent that you’re not trying to swindle them. Its a sign of respect and authenticity, and I’ve never meant a person that didn’t value or appreciate that.
[Tweet “Bliss & Faith is discussing why genuineness is so important in your business and how to foster it.”]
How do you insure you have genuineness in your business? – What are the qualities your look for in a genuine person or business? Have you ever meant someone you felt wasn’t genuine, and if so how did you deal with them?
Source: Entrepreneur.com
AMEN! You are so right, there is nothing more unappealing to me than a person who seems fake or flaky. If you flake on me once I may cut you some slack, twice I may be done, because you’re starting to lose my respect. When it comes to running a business I wish people would KNOW this already. If you cannot provide what you’re offering, than don’t offer it. If you cannot commit to something don’t, it’s okay to say NO.
You’re spot on here, m’dear!
XOXO