Trust is at the core of every relationship. In the aftermath of the economic crisis, our common challenge in bringing business relationships out of the proverbial tank and back into the light is renewing a level of trust with our customers, employees, and shareholders.

So how does a company do that? At the core, it’s about making offers that build trust–offers of stress-free service that really is stress free. Offers of discounts that are actually discounts. Offers of personal growth to employees that are made good. Each time we in the business world “make good” on a promise, trust is enhanced and deeper bonding occurs.

Here are three additional steps that organizations can take to enhance trust:

1. Offer customers/employees something unexpected
2. Deliver on the offer quickly without conditions (a.k.a. fine print)
3. Repeat as often as you can

Case in point – A few years ago, Bell South implemented a “just ask” program requiring every customer-facing employee to ask customers a simple question at the conclusion of every interaction: “Is there anything else I can do for you?”

The result was a rise in overall customer satisfaction and customer loyalty because a little offer goes a long way and sales increased based on that little question, adding $100M in the first year. Additionally, reward points were given to service people to be used ot choose from a catalog of goods enhancing the quality of work because they had to qualify for the opportunity and follow up with the sale.

Bob Caruso, Managing Director, Endeavor Management