In this business lesson, Dr. Gary North asked: “How important is trust in establishing long-term business relationships?” I am here to make the case that trust is the cornerstone of long-term business relationships.
The antithesis of trust is distrust, and we do not maintain relationships when distrust is present. To assume that someone would purchase a product from a salesperson they distrusted is downright ludicrous. Of course, there is a middle ground between trust and distrust. Yet, I do not believe anyone can stand on the fulcrum perfectly in between trust and distrust. Rather, during first impressions, the buyer places them somewhere else on the scale, leaning them towards one side.
With that presupposition in mind, it is the salesperson’s duty to instigate trust in the buyer. They can achieve trust through various tactics such as listening to and solving the buyer’s problems, developing a relationship with them, or even something as trivial as not being overly pushy. But that’s not this piece’s topic. Rather, the topic is to demonstrate the vital importance trust has in building long-term business relationships. We cannot make relationships without trust. It’s impossible. By removing trust, the very fabric of that relationship is being undermined. Without trust, it is not a long-term relationship.
To answer Dr. Gary North’s question directly, trust is one of the most important elements of building a long-term business relationship. Well, any relationship, actually.
Asher Sisneros 