How building trust can get you more customers.

People do not trust the home service industry. In a recent poll by the Better Business Bureau, less 40 percent of homeowners said that they have “some level of trust” in the industry. That makes it tough to land new customers. Fortunately, you can begin building trust with potential clients in a sustainable way that will return new customers throughout the life of your career.

Sound great? There is just one caveat. Your intentions must be genuine. There is no faking it.

1. Get personal referrals from past and current customers

Ninety percent of people say that they prefer to hire a home service provider with a “personal referral” from someone they trust. This beats all other options, including Angie’s List, Yelp, Craigslist, and even reviews from the Better Business Bureau.

By starting your relationship with a personal referral, you are already on a higher level of trust that is yours to lose.

What this means for service providers: You are operating your business on limited resources. Focusing your efforts in the right places could make or break your company. Getting personal referrals from current and past customers is the best way to drive new business. Customers who come from referrals require less of a sales pitch, less lead time and are higher quality customers.

Want to read more? Here is the source: Which contractor listing service do customers trust the most?

2. Involve your customers in all important decisions

When customers are involved in the decision, even if they don’t make the final call, they are more likely to support the decision. Customers are also less likely to complain if the outcome is not satisfactory.

Make your projects collaborative with your customers. Working collaboratively will foster a partnership and increase your customers understanding of the project.

Involving your customers in the decision making also creates a sense of ownership in the project, which will have a tremendous impact in their appreciation of the result.

3. Give referrals for complementary services

It is likely that your customers are looking for other products or services that you do not offer. Providing customers with referrals builds trust by showing expertise in your industry. Your referrals make you memorable by acting as a new valuable source of information for your customers.

If you give high-quality referrals, your customers will have another reason to contact you in the future. As a result, you will remain in the forefront of their mind for home service projects.

If they feel that you have over delivered by helping them with a quality referral, they will likely return the favor by personally referring you to their friends and family

Want to read more? Check out these 3 ways to create expert status in your field.

Do you have any tips on building trust with customers? We’d love to hear them. Please start a conversation in our comments section below.