Let’s Put Trust on the Table
In the never ending "polling" business, one of the latest polls that came out was that American’s trust of anything hit a new low.
Now these results are very interesting considering the fact that more American’s socialize online than in real time and isn’t everything you read online true?
They don’t trust product reviews because they think they are rigged to sell the product. They don’t trust product ratings because they think the seller makes more money on 5 star rating products than 3 star rating products. They don’t trust what companies write on Facebook and Twitter since they think its for the own company’s good. And this is just online data.
They don’t trust the government, elected officials and now they don’t trust Obama to deliver on the economy and health care although now they trust Obama on the Afghanistan issue. This is strange indeed because Obama wasn’t elected because of his foreign affairs expertise.
Now they don’t trust Tiger and most likely other athletes. They don’t trust banks and other financial institutions. This poll didn’t mention if they trust family members. But I wonder…..
Trust is an interesting word. It’s printed or engraved on every piece of currency and has been well before we were born. In fact, "In God we trust" is actually the official USA motto and has been since 1956 although it was used way back in the 1850’s. Perhaps it’s a good thing the motto wasn’t "In people we trust."
What is trust? Is it important in 2009? People bought Crest, Tide and Jif because they were trusted brands. Today people are buying generics because they are cheaper. People trust the stores they buy from more than the brands they purchase.
Or do they? Kroger is the largest supermarket in the USA. Most likely more American’s have the Kroger Plus Card than any other membership card in their purse or wallet. But Kroger’s sales are down and its customers are shopping at Walmart, Target and Aldi. Where’s the trust when you need it?
For sure, trust is earned. It takes hard work and plenty of time to earn it. And in a flash, all the hard work and time could be worthless over one incident. But in today’s world of reality TV when people will do the strangest things to get attention, trust is out the window and 15 minutes of fame is in no matter the price to get it.
Here’s what I know: Trust is part of our credo which includes honesty and integrity. Without all three, what does one really have?
Happy Wednesday!
December 9th, 2009 at 1:43 pm
OH so true. I just don’t think people trusted as much in the 80’s and 90’s so much as they accepted things that they didn’t understand, and didn’t need to understand. But as times change, we all saw people and orgnizations for what they were worth. From the Bush botched election (with Florida) to the Enron incident. The problem is people are scared because the world isn’t sugar coated and its not going to be like it once was. Dirty little secrets are popping up, and now you have a whole new universe (cyber space) where more and more people are trying to escape to, but truthfully you have just as many (if not more) predators, thieves, and sickos lurking around. In essence we are a victo of our own success. We want bigger, better, faster, and in the expansion of that knowledge we also must accept the negativity to come with it. I mean look at the movies today that literally give you a whole break down of a criminals action. And then people wonder where kids get it from. As far as I’m concerned there is really only one person I trust anyways…..Love you God.
December 9th, 2009 at 8:05 pm
The consumer should not be loyal to the retailer. It’s the retailer that needs to be loyal to the consumer.
December 10th, 2009 at 11:24 am
100% customer service…the building block of trust and respect
December 14th, 2009 at 5:50 pm
As for trust itself, GOD is indeed the ONE to trust.
The issue of consumers changing shopping habits isn’t necessarily one of trust, but of a multitude of factors including economic impact, product availability, shopping experience… the list goes on.
My last “change” for salons was due to the experience with my stylist over two consecutive visits.
My last “change” in car dealerships due to quality of service (or lack thereof)
My last “change” in doggy salons due to convenience and operating hours.
There are times, when I work with businesses (including retailers) that I see organizations resting on thier history, assuming that the customer SHOULD be loyal. That’s usually an early sign of the organization faltering.