The L and T factor

From the desk of John Brandow

Do you have the L and T factor ? Whatever product you are selling or whatever service you deliver or whatever fancy marketing and sales strategies you employ at the end of the day you must put these two questions to yourself : Do I have the L factor ? Do I have the T factor and does my business and my staff have it ?

Not too difficult to figure out is it ? The L factor stands for Likability factor and the T factor stands for the Trust factor. Do my clients like me and do they trust me ?

This also links up to the ethical part of your business. Do you run it in an ethical way and do your staff subscribe to the ethics of the business. Referring to the "Unashamedly ethical" campaign of the Power Construction group how many businesses will actually be willing to subscribe to the decree of the campaign? I am not here advocating or marketing the campaign. The message being that if you have the L and T factors you do not have to subscribe to anything.

If you are liked by your clients and they Trust you they will do business with you.
They like you because you are an approachable person and they Trust you because you have earned their trust and proven to them that they can trust you. Referring off course to "you" it applies to your whole business.

A recent incident with a very well known gym group (it is not Virgin - it is the other one) just emphasized my point. They cannot be Trusted and their staff are everything but likable. Why is that ? For one : They are greedy. They will try to enforce their contract to the letter, no matter what the circumstances of the client is. (even to the extend that they do not care of you call them names - Just remember that if you are happy with a business you might tell one other person but if you are not you will tell 10 others and they will tell 10 others and.........)
(I have told about a 100 how untrustworthy and unlikable I perceive them to be)

Ever thought of not signing a contract for a monthly service ? Like the Gymnasiums and Security companies.? I am prepared to bet you that you will have a path beaten to your door. Show your clients you Trust them and they can Trust you. Become a likable business.