Trust isn’t easy to come by these days. In the age of fake news and alternative facts, and with public confidence in government, the media and large corporations having fallen dramatically, establishing customer trust as a business owner may seem daunting. However, the task may not be quite so tough if you’re a small business with roots in the local community.
Two-fifths (41%) of people recently surveyed by Yell said they were more likely to trust smaller, local businesses than large enterprises – with dentists, hairdressers and gardeners identified as the most trustworthy. Car dealers, estate agents and letting companies were deemed less likely to provide a good service at a fair price.
For many small business owners, particularly those in the service industry, gaining trust is paramount to winning and retaining customers. If you have little to no advertising or PR budget, you may rely on positive social media posts and referrals, which will only arise if you’re providing the best service possible and gaining customers’ confidence. Flashy marketing may draw consumers in for a single sale, but keeping them requires delivering a service to the highest standard. There are, however, several more strategies that can help build customer trust.
Understand your customers
It sounds obvious, but customers and their needs must be the focus of your business, which can be easy to forget when you’re prioritising the bottom line. “Word of mouth and repeat custom will create a strong foundation on which to grow your business,” says Vicky Griffin, managing director of Goji Hair, an organic salon in Cardiff. Griffin has deployed an IT system to help the business understand its client demographic, which enables them to anticipate and fulfil their needs more easily. “Every decision we make is for the benefit of the client,” she says. “This can mean anything from opening early to accommodate their schedule, to making it easy for mums to bring their children with them.”
These close customer-staff relationships can extend beyond the business premises, too, says Toby Dicker, founder and managing director of The Chapel branch of hair salons. As well as fostering close communication between stylists and customers, The Chapel also promotes trust via marketing. “We regularly survey our customer base, and we use our blog and expert advice pages to publish information relevant to customers and package the best bits into a monthly newsletter.”
Treat your staff right
Ensuring staff are happy is key to building relationships with customers, says Tammy Koslowski, owner of Glasgow’s beauty and nail destination NAF! Salon, so it’s imperative that employees receive adequate resources and support.
“It’s been easy to build bonds [between customers and staff] because we focus a lot of energy on our staff and services, which is the hard part,” says Koslowski. “We value our staff and pay the Glasgow living wage and above, hold training sessions every week, and ensure we’re always available to support them. Happy staff equals happy clients and when everyone’s happy there will always be great energy in the workplace.”
Frankness and transparency
Giving customers a glimpse into the inner workings of your business can also work wonders for initiating trust. Café Miami in east London has an open kitchen so the cooking process is visible to customers. Its owner, Sophie Wright, also takes great pains to provide detailed information about the ingredients and dishes on the menu. “I’m a really fussy person myself, so I understand it from customers and try to cater to their needs as much as possible,” she says. “We always offer to alter or exclude ingredients if people request it.”
Clients may also be drawn to your business because of its ethos, so hammer it home. “We’re an organic salon and this is very important to many of our clients,” says Griffin of Goji Hair. “The term ‘organic’ can be misleading, so we’re very open and clear about the provenance of the ingredients in our products.”
Myla & Davis, a hair salon with three south London locations, contributes to the community by recruiting trainee apprentices locally and donating vouchers to school fairs and events, which also raises its profile, says Louise Prett, a company spokesperson. It uses social media to give customers an insight into the business and make them feel more invested in its philosophy. “Our clients love to see pictures of the team and salon life,” she says. “An online presence also helps to connect with clients outside the salon and even reminds them to book an appointment.”
Customer perks and loyalty schemes
Free tasters and loyalty programmes are a straightforward way to make existing clients feel valued and increase the chance of loyalty among new customers, says Wright. Café Miami offers loyalty cards for coffee and often gives freebies to regular customers, either while they’re waiting for their food or at the end of the day. “I also love asking their opinions on cakes or dishes I’m experimenting with, and I find that most customers really appreciate being involved in that, too.”
Giveaways can also encourage customers to buy more products or services than they otherwise might have done, says Prett at Myla & Davis, which has a points scheme its clients can use against hair products and salon services. “We also give away complimentary samples, which clients love, particularly if they’re going on holiday. It’s a small touch but makes them feel valued and often results in them purchasing the full-sized product.”
Take criticism on board
Another element in building customer confidence and maintaining a dependable reputation is taking feedback on board and modifying your offering accordingly, says Dicker of The Chapel. “We have an internal policy called ‘positively encouraging complaints’, in which we encourage customers to give feedback – even if negative – so we can learn and respond before they get out into the wider world.” Koslowski, at NAF! Salon, concurs: “Customers need to trust you to be honest with you. If you get a complaint, you want them to come to you instead of plastering a bad review all over the internet and dismissing all of your hard work.”
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