Trust is The New Currency

Price is not everything. You can sell something for RM1 and still nobody wants it. So don't tell us that, Cheap is enough.

Then I come across an article with the sentence, TRUST, NOT MONEY, IS THE NEW CURRENCY.

When I read that the other day, I was startled at the sentence. Something hit me hard because I've been meaning this for  a while and never got it right. I always knew it that Price tag is not everything. I mean, people will admit that they are looking for a good price, but then when they deal with it in front of them, something else will decide for them. Trustworthiness, that is.

I think I always lose when it comes to price. At once I thought I lost it altogether.  Still I don't take any desperate measure trying to compete with them. I still stick with mine. Then I saw who come back. And keep coming back again. And those who made a u-turn. What happened to the cheapest price in town? Hey, why are you all coming back, I asked silently. I love that feeling when I found out the verdict of the experiments of customers' loyalty. And why you have it when you are not cheap. Then I try to remember back what my customers said.

Thank you for your commitment. Thank you that you never complain. Thank you that you always find a way to get it done. Thank you that you are not full of excuses. Thank you that you understand. Thank you that you stay up late just to get this work done. And wait, despite all that, I still don't expect them to be loyal cos I'm too imperfect to please people all the time. I might be able to do it once or twice but prepare to be let down by me. It's also too easy to let me down I don't want to make it worse with my expectation. I expect no loyalty from my customers. Sometimes I even give them the idea where to go so they can try and find out if someone else can do it better. "Just go away and be free!!" Because I am a customer too. I want my options. And I will pick one and choice is mine to make.

I believe that TRUST is the word. When you do it right a few more times, one of two mistakes they will pass and forgive. It will not be easy to shake. I remember this one most loyal customer I can name, they have made a mistake and I firmly made my self heard - which could be the end of us.  But no, they just kept coming back. They never told me why. They just said their boss love my work but then No, I'm just average. So I didn't believe it. Then I remember how I went extra mile to make research, to the point of arguing who is correct than who. Then in the end they actually acknowledged how seriously I took the job. Maybe they could see how I have my own standard to meet. Such a burden to me but an advantage to them. Maybe that's how I got their trust. 

Another one customer with the biggest impact. My own bestie. She is the bestie without mercy. It took her years before she could trust me to do something for her. But she saw how I keep doing my thing. She saw what I have done. The next thing she said, "Do whatever is right for you. I trust that you will have the solution to my request." She totally trusted me and never asked for the price first.  And I carried out my work, she was impressed (thanks to years of trials and errors) but then tell me again what's the currency for business nowadays? Yeah, IT'S TRUST!!

I'm very tired as I'm writing this but still manage to write this long. I need to let this go. To all of you out there, Trust is not just the currency for business, but also to LIFE. Trust is not something you can ask from people. You will only get it when they want to give it. And they need time to evaluate you. They might give it to you freely the first time, but once you prick it heartlessly like a balloon, it will be broken. It's difficult when there is no Trust. And if you are not able to be trusted, YOU LOSE. 

Now that we know this, we should do something about it, right? :)