In the last Best Business Blueprints article, I discussed the importance of truthfulness for aspiring business owners.
I went over how something as simple as honesty can actually make you thousands of more dollars!
To make it even easier on you and give you more concrete steps to take, rather than just general concepts, I’ve developed 5 incredibly easy habits that you can incorporate to increase your profits!
I’ve already told you the ways in which incorporating truthfulness into your small business increases your wealth, from repeat clientele to dedicated and loyal employees.
Now, I’ve made it even easier by telling you exactly what traits you need to exhibit to fulfill the level of truthfulness that will garner you those extra profits.
Here is my list of 5 easy habits and how to incorporate them for your small business:
1. Demonstrate that you trust others.
Having trust in others will encourage them to have trust in you.
Be generous and forgiving when people make mistakes, at least within reason.
Give people the benefit of the doubt until you have information that proves it wrong.
2. Create relationships that are mutually beneficial.
Don’t just think about what you can gain from your employees or your customers.
Think of how you can also help them, and what services you provide that they’re not getting elsewhere.
Business owners often forget this point when it comes to their employees, or they have the attitude that what they’re providing is a paycheck.
While that is certainly true, employees can get a paycheck at any job.
You need to give them something more if you want to attract and retain quality employees.
If you recall from the last article, each time you train an employee results in costs of well over $1,000, so it’s your prerogative to nurture loyal employees.
3. Directly address issues.
This habit ties into the importance of being open and transparent.
Don’t make people try and guess if they’ve done something wrong or not.
If an issue arises, address it directly and efficiently so it can be avoided in the future and your business can run as productively as possible.
Don’t beat around the bush or simply “hint” at something you want to discuss.
Your ability to deal with problems and concerns is what makes people trust you.
4. Tell the truth.
Seriously—tell the truth.
Be as honest with your customers and employees as you expect them to be with you.
If you’re caught lying, no one will trust you.
Remember, you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression.
Don’t commit to a promise you’re unable to deliver. Breaking a promise is equivalent to not telling the truth.
5. Be flexible and patient.
This ties into the first habit of demonstrating trust in others.
Trust your employees to get the job done that you’ve assigned.
Trust them to handle the situations you’ve trained them for.
Also understand that the perfect employee isn’t going to be formed overnight.
You must be patient and allow the employee to make mistakes and correct them.
Be flexible with people’s learning styles and understand that people are unique and individual, and you can’t see all employees (or customers, for that matter) as the same person.
Being flexible will garner far more trust than being strict and rigid will.
This information may seem overwhelming, but if you can break them down into the individual habits, you’ll see it’s not that difficult.
Chances are, you’re already incorporating a lot of these things into your day-to-day life anyway.
And unlike in your personal life, where the reward for truthfulness and openness can be a bit blurry, the reward for these traits in business is MORE MONEY.
So, hopefully this gives you the little push you need to start your business off on the right leg.
A bonus tip I’ll leave you with:
Deliver the unexpected.
The best way to deliver trust is to surprise and “wow” your customers and employees.
Deliver more than what they’ve asked for, whether that’s more time, more convenience, etc.
I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the results (and your profits!).
