Cirkla Notes

Photo Credit: Good Karma on Flicker

Trust is a critical factor in any business relationship, but probably most critical in professions that deal with very personal issues such as healing arts professionals do. For this reason, finding ways to develop trust with new clients will help you when you are working to grow your business.

So much of business networking these days is done online. When you are meeting people online through social networks such as Facebook, Twitter or MySpace, there are a number of ways that you can bridge the gap to help develop a sense of trust with your new friends who may someday be potential clients. One way is to make sure that you always add your photo to any site or profile that is representing you. It should look professional. There are many photo centers available where you can go and have your photo taken for a small fee. This will go a long way in giving a lasting first impression of who you are to the client. You may want to even have a friend with a good photographic eye to shoot some photos of you outside or doing something that helps you to represent the image that you are trying to create through your business.

Another thing that you can do to develop a sense of trust online is to be responsive. If someone emails you to ask you a question, answer it as soon as you possibly can. Choose a limited number of social networks and visit them frequently so that your new friends start to get to know you. Building a good network online is not immediate. Trust develops with consistency over time.

If you have a good idea for building trust online with your clients, we would love to hear it! Please leave a comment and let us know what is working for you! (Plus, it’s another great way to get to know some more interesting people and to put your name out there!)