Customer Trust: Building Credibility As A Startup

Whatever industry you are in, it can be very difficult to develop your startup to be a credible option for your customers. When you are coming from nowhere, the simple truth is that prospects and consumers have no reason to trust you – so why should they?

Many startup owners believe their ideas can solve a problem, but fail to understand that credibility plays a huge role. And failure to work on this – from a very early stage – will mean that you also fail to build up a loyal audience that trusts what you say, do, and offer.

The good news is that there are a variety of solutions for status to explore, and following these guidelines can result in your new business developing a loyal customer base and a strong foundation for success in the future. Let’s take a closer look.

Always act in your customer’s best interest

Here’s the thing about offering services or products – you can’t please all the people all the time. With this in mind, startups should try and avoid selling solutions to problems that don’t exist or offering their products and services that don’t work in the customer’s best interest. When you are desperately trying to attract customers, it can be tempting to be all things to all men, but the reality is that you will only leave people disappointed – and your brand will suffer as a result.

Be truthful

The claims on your website should be clear and honest. Misrepresenting or pitching your product as having benefits that don’t actually exist is a big problem for startups, and you should never make promises that you cannot possibly deliver.

Be secure

Consumers today are more aware of security than they have ever been before, and many will discount your product or service at the drop of a hat if they feel it is unsafe. So make sure it is a big focus of your pitch, and that you are screaming about your safety and security from the rooftops. Whether you are using products such as Jumio’s identity verification service or displaying payment security badges on your website, it’s important you are clear about your safety concerns. Customers these days will head straight to the competition if they feel your business is not secure.

Face up to complaints

Customer complaints are a natural part of running a business, but the problem for many companies these days is that everything is so visible online. Whether it’s commenting on your social media websites or nasty reviews on sites like the BBB, it can have a damaging impact. It’s important to you as a business to respond to these complaints. It’s not necessarily the customer moaning that affects your business reputation – it’s the way you respond that counts.

Keep your promises

You will find that as a startup you have to make a lot of promises and compromises when you are trying to establish your business. But if you don’t keep your word, it won’t be long before people start talking – and your reputation could end up being tarnished. Make sure that you always honor your relationships, do what you said you would, and keep your promises.

Photo Credit: WOCinTech Chat

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