Last week, I extended for three years the contract with a loyal client with whom we have worked for 15 years. At such moments, you can see me walking around all day with a big smile. After all, what could be better than a long-term relationship? Just think of your own experiences: that car garage you have been visiting for 25 years because you know the service is top-notch and that you can trust it completely. Or that restaurant that you go to regularly because of the beautiful menu, but also because of the super-friendly staff.
Following that contract extension, I was having a chat with a peer from my network, with whom I have also worked for over 20 years. ‘Why do people trust you?’, my interlocutor asked me at one point. ‘I actually don’t know,’ I replied immediately, because I had genuinely never thought about it like that before. In itself, it’s tremendously nice when people sometimes ask you very simple questions (I recommend everyone to do that from time to time). After all, such questions force you to think about things you actually always take ‘for granted’.
And so now it was about why people trust me. I thought that was a nice topic for a column. A little uncomfortable, perhaps, because before you know it I might come across as vain or self-righteous … But then, when I started this column series, I resolved to write not only about the business side of my work, but also about my personal worries, and if you say A, you have to say B.
The conversation with said peer continued, as he was not satisfied with the answer ‘I don’t actually know that’. While talking, we arrived at the concept of authenticity. There is a big difference between someone playing a role and someone just being themselves. A client notices immediately whether someone is making a slick sales pitch or is really looking for a substantive match. In an earlier column, I wrote that my professional passion lies in sales and therefore also in relationships. For me, conversations with relationships actually come naturally, mainly because I enjoy them so much. I regularly exchange business cards at the gate at the airport. I love the conversation and have an intrinsic motivation to get to know people and look for opportunities together to make each other stronger.
So the answer to the question ‘Why do people trust you?’ is probably because I do things that suit me well and that I feel comfortable with. If you are naturally enthusiastic and interested, you don’t have to play that you are enthusiastic and interested either, right?
Being interested in the other person, by the way, also means as far as I am concerned: don’t play games. Be open and don’t beat around the bush unnecessarily. If something goes wrong once? Have a conversation and find a good solution together.
That interest also ensures that I regularly go out to speak to people or go over a situation on site. For example, if we need to deliver to a number of shopping streets in Madrid’s busy city centre, I go on site to see how best to fix it. I meet our relations and together we look for the best solution. I have an awful lot of confidence in my staff, but sometimes it’s just nice to go out on my own and not delegate everything.
Back to the initial question ‘Why do people trust you?’. My interlocutor and I came to the conclusion that the answer to that question (unfortunately 😉 does not lie in the fact that I possess some kind of mysterious super-talent, but that it is much simpler: I do things that suit me well and that I like.
The moral of this story? It may be a bit of an open door, but it is good to reflect on it sometimes: as professionals, we all have our strengths and weaknesses. We come into our own when we are in a place where our strengths are called upon, the things we are good at. And: for most people, the things they are good at are also the things they like. How beautiful is that! As Confucius said, ‘Choose a job you love, and you won’t have to work another day in your life.’
On regular base I write a column about my experiences as founder and director of Van Duuren. This column can also be found on our social media. Would you like to receive my column ? Let me know by sending an e-mail to jeroen.van.duuren@vanduuren.com and I’ll send it to you from now on.