Does your field trust you?

Do you trust them?

Do they trust that you are making the best decisions every day that will help them reach their goals and guide the company into new uncharted waters?
Have you given them any reason NOT to trust you?

Trust is a HUGE thing.
Many companies cannot honestly say that their field trusts them.
There is some sort of underlying feeling that the company is saying one thing and doing another. Or, maybe the corporation took them down a path and then, suddenly, changed the rules.

Maybe the field has a legitimate reason to feel the way they do.
When you make a mistake, do you admit it? Do you tell your field you messed up and offer corrective measures?
When a product has a problem, do you explain it and make sure the right people in the organization are aware of the problem AND solution?
When you’ve had to make a comp plan change, did you take the time to share the reasons why and help mitigate the negativity that could build up around it?

Misunderstanding leads to negativity and impacts trust.

I’m not sure who said it first but the phrase, “Leave me in a void and I will expect the worst” is absolutely true.

No matter how long trust has been an issue, It’s not too late to correct it.

The First Step – Communicate EFFECTIVELY!

People are willing to forgive as long as you prove yourself.

I’ve watched several companies build trust within their organizations by providing simple communications on a regular basis.
Companies have utilized “Message-of-the-Month” programs for over 50 years to build trust, share training, edify leaders, talk about products and much more.

By providing information that is helpful and doing it consistently, you can prove to your reps that you really do have their best interests in mind.

It is not hard but it does take commitment.

By showing your reps you care and talking directly to them (even if via DVD or CD), you can “win over” the doubters and propel everyone to achieve great things. Combine that with your regularly scheduled leadership conference calls, events, blogs, Twitter, Facebook and other touch-points for you, and you can gain the trust of an entire organization in less time than you might imagine.