And why that’s important. Insights on Bob Burg’s concept, “Know. Like. Trust.”
Do you want to be the business leader everyone trusts? Do you wish to be the one they go to when they have a problem to solve? Would you like people to seek you out for your special skills and talents?
Experience tells us that you’ll go further in life when you show yourself to be the kind of person that people trust to be their confidant or partner.
If people trust you, you can prosper through the good times and endure through the rough times that come with any relationship you build.
Trust. It’s what insulates you from all the bad stuff. It’s the fuel that helps you enjoy and celebrate all the good stuff that happens when you build strong relationships.
Know. Like. Trust.
This is a phrase we talk a lot about at Mavidea. It’s creator, Bob Burg, was a big Zig Ziglar fan.
In his book, Endless Referrals, Burg talks about the way business and sales relationships are started and cultivated. As a person who tends to overcomplicate, and who has a tendency to de-simplify ideas or concepts, I really latched on to the simplicity of the Know Like Trust model.
Let’s break it down…
KNOW. Burg illustrates that in order to create a successful business relationship, or any relationship for that matter, the other person must get to know you before they can form any type of relationship.
The question is, “How you get a person to get to know you and how do you get to know them in a similar fashion?”
At Mavidea, we talk about being transparent in the way we manage our businesses and the way we work with our clients and serve our community.
We try to be easy to know so people can move on with their decision about whether to like us or not. This leads to the next step of the process, Like.
LIKE. To build a long-term relationship, business or personal, the other person must get to like the person you are. If they like you, they will seek a deeper connection and continue to build upon the relationship you started.
What does it take to be likeable? At Mavidea, we feel it’s about being genuine and open. This helps us relate to other people. And, it provides a platform for them to relate to us.
- It’s about being truly interested in your customers and their businesses.
- It’s about being excited to help them succeed.
- It’s about focusing on the other person more than you focus on yourself.
If another party believes that’s the case, how can they help but not like you? That likeability eventually transcends into the third and final layer for a growing relationship. Trust.
TRUST. If the other party trusts you, you will be the one they seek out when they are looking for the skills, talents and experience you possess. Earning trust opens other opportunities to deepen a relationship. At this point, they begin to trust you as their confidant. You become a friend or partner.
Bettering your world with Know Like Trust.
As you think about deepening levels of relationships you hold with people, consider how you can introduce the advantages of the Know Like Trust process. Think about how you can make them a part of your marketing and growth strategies.
Explore how this approach can help you build support for an initiative — or deepen buy in from your team members.
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