There’s a massive class action lawsuit against Poland Spring Water up here in Maine. It alleges, the company has been making fraudulent claims and the water doesn’t actually come from a spring at all.
The lawsuit says the company collects water from areas in Maine that are near a “former human waste dump, refuse pit, landfill, ash pile, salt mound, farm where pesticides were previously used, fish hatchery or toxic petroleum dump site.”
#Yikes
In 2003 the company settled a $10 million dollar false advertising lawsuit. The brand has basically sold a billion gallons of ordinary well water to 13 million Americans every year.
#Ouch!!
I was just meeting with a coaching client and he asked I believe is the biggest obstacle to building a business.
I gave him this Poland Spring example and said my answer quite simply is…
T-R-U-S-T
We’ve become a nation of skeptics. And rightfully so. It’s never been worse.
The Gallup Corporation conducts an annual survey of the least trusted professions. And each year sales is the #1 least trusted profession.
Make no mistake about it THIS concerns YOU…
Because regardless of what industry you’re in, you are in sales.
We are all in sales in some way, shape or form.
The million dollar question is how do you bridge that enormous trust gap in the marketplace?
The quick answer is, show proof that you “deliver the goods”.
How? Via what I call your “trust resume”. People buy from people they know, like and trust. Today more than ever trust is currency and your trustworthiness is your public resume.
Here’s a small sample of the list I’ll be sharing with the members of my Yesterday’s Underdog community this month:
- Client Endorsements (written or preferably video)
- Before and after stories and images (if relevant)
- Case Studies (The more challenging or dramatic the better)
- Statistics demonstrating results others have achieved using your methodology
- Expert Positioning
How many of these do you have?
The more you have and the higher the quality they are — the faster you get to bridge that trust gap.
This is one of the primary areas I work with my private coaching clients and the members of my Yesterdays Underdog community. And it’s some of the most important work you can do.
Want to see the “full monty” of the trust resume and want help building up yours?
Join my tribe of game changers: www.YesterdaysUnderdog.com