Being an authentic person in business is important but running an authentic business, well, that’s stepping up your game. Delivering an authentic business is playing the long game of credibility and reaping the rewards.
An authentic business is a trusted business – which leads to word-of-mouth, organic growth
Trusted. Authentic. Genuine. What do these even mean to a business when we live in a time of soaring costs, ghosting, saturated markets? Does it matter if you get a job done using sub-par products? Will anybody care if you were a week late finishing the job? At least you finished it and you got paid. Right? Actually, No! How you conduct business matters a great deal. Not only will it help you sleep better at night by being a good human but it means you will get vital repeat and referral business!
Do what you say and say what you mean
You may have heard your grandparents say this back in the ‘ol days. Yet, this is something that is just as important now. Creating trust is about following through on what you say you’re going to do. If your brochure says you give a free product with every quote, then you need to give the free product. If you don’t, you’ve broken their trust right at the gate and likely lost them as a client.
Being prompt and arriving when you say you’re going to, or calling back when someone leaves a message – essentially not ghosting someone – is a simple way to build trust. Trust is authenticity. Being relied upon is authenticity. Saying what you mean and then delivering on what you’ve said, is a simple way of being an authentic business. Make sure your staff know these policies too so that your good service continues through the business. Continued good service and reliability means repeat business and more success in the long run. As they say, ‘Short term pain (or extra effort) for long term gain’.
Don’t overcommit, do overdeliver
In the drive to gain a paying client and make your hard work pay off, it’s tempting to promise everything the client’s asking for. Can you come through with all their requests? Maybe, maybe not. Don’t hang yourself, or them, out to dry by saying Yes to something you know you can’t make happen. It’s better to only commit to what you know you can deliver and then make sure that you do!
Giving an agreement to look into what clients are asking for and then making them happen if you can, gives you the opportunity to overdeliver on their expectations. How good is it to be expecting a bagel and you get a whole cake instead? Overdelivering when you can leaves a fabulous impression of what your business can do. If you weren’t able to deliver on something you hadn’t promised, then there’s no bad feelings involved; the client is still happy because they’ve received what they were expecting all along. Service that meets or exceeds expectations creates recommendations and referrals from happy clients.
Communicate well
We all make mistakes or get delayed, that’s just life! How you manage those hiccups can either create or destroy your authenticity. When mistakes occur, own your errors and fix them. Running late to an appointment or running behind on your schedule? Be open that you are going to be late, or that you may fall short of your schedule. Being honest and managing expectations is way better than not delivering at all or lying. People respect you for being truthful and making amends when things don’t go according to plan.
Authenticity in business is also about having business objectives beyond just making money. Is there a greater purpose to what you do? Often we’re just in business to pay the bills and get the kids through school. But is that really true? Perhaps you started your business because you wanted to use your gift for decorating, or you wanted to see people get skilled in job interviews, or maybe you hope to leave a legacy when you’ve passed on.
If so, share this part of you and your business so people get an insight into who you are and what your business stands for. Maybe you have a love of cars from watching your grandpa work on his Corolla and that’s why you’re a mechanic now. If so, add a history page to your website. Your authentic story is a key aspect of your business.
Sharing the story of who you are and what your business is about is a crucial part of being an authentic business. Communicating this well is essential, so it’s worth doing it right. Why not engage someone to help who knows the business of writing for peak engagement. A good copywriter can make all the difference to buyer conversion. Reach out to Janine Wilson Copywriting for a free 15-minute conversation about how your messaging can stand out – hello@janinewilsonwriter.au.
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