Everything thrives in trust

 

Last class, Professor Julie showed us the 100th anniversary's short movie of L.L.Bean. I

was impressed and moved so deeply by the sincerity of the products and the brand

expressed from the video. I found out the video and watched it more than one time, and I

was moved again and again. I start to think about why the brand are that famous and

popular all over the world. The answer is that there is solid trust built up in the

relationship between customers and the brand.

 

 

Where dose the trust come from and how a brand can build up the trust?

 

1. Focus on customers and customers' feeling, not you or your products or services. 

 

A great number of companies and Salespeople have a tendency to focus on spending too 

much time talking about their company, products and services. They have a strong belief

in what they are selling and desire to communicate features and benefits with a passion. 

What they are doing is destroying trust, at least impairing trust. 

 

For example, I have checked the official websites of Timberland, The NorthFace,and 

Columbia, which sells similar products as L.L.Bean, including outdoor equipments and 

wearings. However, only L.L.Bean offers customers the stage to share their own stories and

experiences as an owner of L.L.Bean products. Meanwhile, the other three brands mostly 

are eager to introduce their products, tell about the benefits, and clarify different kinds of 

policy, although they also provide the link to FaceBook, Twitter, and YouTuBe. 

 

 

There is a statistic showed in the book, <<Groundswell>>, more than 50% people will believe 

the strangers' comments on Internet. People are leaning from each other. Therefore, listening 

to your customers' feeling about your products will be helpful to build up the reliable 

relationship with your customers.

 

2. Open yourself and create transparency to show your honesty and humility. 

 

Some people believe that to be transparent is dangerous to expose themselves in people, 

which probably cause negative effects on imagine of products. In my point of view, 

however, companies totally are able to take advantage of transparency as long as you never 

lie and mask truth to your customers. 

 

Take my favourite brand, 

Forever 21, for example, it offers 

customers online shopping on its 

official website. It is one of the most 

popular brand in America, selling

various of apparel, shoes, beauty 

for girls, which has been spread 

into China and other countries. 

Customers who have paid for stuff 

online can write review about it. 

The review will be showed on 

the webpage, both positive and 

negative, whose percentages will 

be compared by statistic. Everyone 

is able to check all the reviews 

and know much better about the 

product. Even if those negative 

comments will effect 

on products' selling, the company

can take action to fix the problem. 

Be willing to admit your own 

mistakes and corrects the 

mistakes show your sincerity to 

customers, which is a process of 

building up trust and confidence.

 

3. Do what you say, never exaggerate, and keep your commitments. 

In order to catch more customers, a great number of companies will make up some 

attractive policies and services, such as no reason returning, full refound and so on. 

Unluckily, most of these words are proved to be unfaithful. Therefore, those companies 

which can keep the commitments always are the winners. 

 

Take my own experience for

example. I ordered a face lotion

on Amazon.com on Sept.5th,

and the e-mail sent to me showed 

the stuff delivered on Sept.10th. 

However, I didn't receive the 

lotion on Sept.15th. I left a 

message to require a call 

from Amazon. After I told them 

the situation, they gave the full 

refound for the lotion. Finally, 

I got the lotion on Oct.3th 

as a gift from Amazon. Doing what 

they say, keeping their words, staying behind customers, rather than focusing their own 

benefits, I think this is the reason why it becomes the world's largest online retailer. 

 

Besides, L.L.Bean also is a outstanding representative of keeping commitments. 100%

Gurantee is a promise which the brand has kept for 100 years. Just like the customer says in the video:"They stay behind what they are selling. They give you condifence that everything you wear, L.L.Bean stays behind."

 

 

If you do a good job building credibility, reliability, intimacy, caring about customers satisfaction and happiness rather than your benefits, trust results. "They trust me, just like I trust them",a customer said in L.L.Bean's 100% guarantee video.Trust is a relationship and a bond between brand and customers. Everything grows up and thrives in trust.