Is Your “Umbrella Policy” Up To Date?

I just read a great little article entitled 7 Little Words That Sum Up the Entire Marketing Machine. It was a great read on a snowy afternoon. One of the little words mentioned was trust. Of course trust may be a little word as far as length is concerned, but don’t let the lack of letters fool you. Trust is an umbrella that covers all aspects of your marketing plan and business performance.

You can think of trust as your umbrella policy. An umbrella insurance policy shields or protects your assets more broadly than your general liability policy. It plugs the holes or gaps in your regular coverage. In other words it is your fail safe. If you have a reputation of trust with your customers and prospects, then those honest mistakes we all make now and then won’t cost you nearly as much as they should. If your customers and prospects trust you, they’ll give you the benefit of the doubt and they’ll know they can depend on you.  The bottom line is trust is capable of compensating or making up the difference for our imperfections.

Unfortunately trust is not usually won in just one singular event—although singular events do build (or destroy) trust. Trust is something that’s earned over time. So, how do you build trust? First of all, be who you say you are. If you have a company motto, live it! If you have policies and procedures (and I hope you do), follow them! Secondly, build relationships and reputations. When in contact with your customers and contacts be genuine and responsive. Each individual employee within a company is vital to building relationships and trust. Make sure as managers and employers you are hiring those “marketing asset” employees. Word of mouth is key to any business or marketing plan, so always putting your best foot (or manners) forward is important.

So, before you start this New Year’s marketing plan, take a look at your “Umbrella Policy” first and make sure that you are up to date in paying for that coverage!

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