Jan
06
How can organizations ensure that
red lights turn green in 2019?
Please share your ideas.
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Archive
Archive for the ‘Sales’ Category
Dec
22
In celebration of the 10th anniversary of Trust Across America-Trust Around the World, our global Trust Alliance “elves” have spent the year hammering away at new (and free) tools to elevate organizational trust in any organization regardless of size, location or industry.
We are happy to provide our readers with “12 days of organizational trust resources.”
- Our special TRUST! Magazine spring issue focused on the intersection of trust and good governance. It’s a gem and should be read by every Board member everywhere!
- Several members contributed to our growing case study library called Trustlets.
- Dozens of hours of collaboration lead to the publication of TAP (Trust Alliance Principles)
- Our “Million Taps” campaign launched with an inaugural group of fifty signatories. As of this moment 29,544 global professionals have accessed TAP, with thousands joining our movement ever month.
- Through our global network, TAP is now available in 16 languages. Our readers can download the translations at no cost. English, Arabic, Chinese, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Hebrew, Hindi, Italian, Japanese , Portuguese (Brazilian), Romanian, Russian, Spanish, and Swedish
- The July issue of TRUST! Magazine focused on TAP with many Alliance members weighing in.
- Our first annual Country Trust Index was published with the help of our global members. The index was the most popular download on our website in November. Switzerland wins!
- The 4th annual Showcase of Service Providers was published in October, featuring the work of some of our members.
- This “2 pager” can be accessed under the Research tab on our website. It is a sample of the material contained in our 10th anniversary report “Trust & Integrity in Corporate America” made possible by the Alliance warriors working collaboratively to elevate trust during the past 10 years.
- Our members contributed to the publication of many articles on various organizational trust topics.
- With the help and support of our members, our 9th annual Top Thought Leaders in Trust nominations have been a huge success. Honorees will be announced in the winter issue of TRUST! Magazine at the end of January 2019.
- Our 2019 calendar “Building High Trust Teams” is now available simply by registering for our Constant Contact mailing list. It is the beginning of Phase #2 of TAP with monthly discussion questions provided to elevate trust in your team during 2019.
Our website welcomes over 20,000 visitors every month. If you use our resources and would like us to continue to provide more at no cost in the future, please consider making a donation so that our elves can maintain their tools in tip top shape in 2019.
Our plans for 2019? Our Trust Alliance members will be building and benefiting from a new tool every month throughout the year!
May 2019 be the “Year of Trust.”
Barbara Brooks Kimmel, CEO & Cofounder
Copyright 2018, Next Decade, Inc.
Apr
04
This story starts with an increase of 30% on our monthly business phone bill for no apparent reason, and with no explanation. I set aside five minutes to call the company since this particular landline exists primarily to accommodate unsolicited robocalls, and not much more. Eighteen minutes later, I was still on the call.
Why?
- First 2 minutes: A customer service telephone number is not displayed on Page 1 of the bill. (A number is buried on Page 4 as I was later told by Rep #2). Thank goodness for Google who popped the number right up on my screen.
- Next 5 minutes: Listening to a recorded message and series of prompts with no way to bypass and speak directly to a rep.
- Next 5 minutes: Speaking to Rep #1 who advised that our “special” rate had expired and she could not extend it. When I suggested that I might discontinue the service, she asked if she should connect me to the “disconnect department.” I suggested that perhaps there was an alternative and…
- Final 6 minutes: Speaking to Rep #2 in the “loyalty department” who reinstated the discount, but “just for 12 months.”
I don’t think I need to name all the ways this company is busting trust and loyalty under the heading of “customer service” but I did share a few thoughts with #2. She had a rebuttal for every suggestion yet asked me to stay on the line for a customer service survey.
It’s hard to believe that ANY organization still operates in this manner, yet so many do.
Approximately 50,000 employees currently work for this public company. In September 2014, the stock traded at $41.00. Today that same stock can be purchased for $16.75. Are you surprised? I’m not.
PS- The CEO, who has been in this role for over 25 years, recently announced his early retirement.
Barbara Brooks Kimmel is the CEO and Cofounder of Trust Across America-Trust Around the World whose mission is to help organizations build trust. A former consultant to McKinsey & Company, she also runs the world’s largest global Trust Alliance and is the editor of the award- winning TRUST INC. book series. In 2017 she was named a Fellow of the Governance & Accountability Institute, and in 2012 she was recognized as one of “25 Women who are Changing the World” by Good Business International. She holds a BA in International Affairs from Lafayette College and an MBA from Baruch at the City University of NY.
For more information visit our website at www.trustacrossamerica.com
or contact barbara@trustacrossamerica.com
Follow us on Twitter @BarbaraKimmel and @TapIntoTrust
You may also join our Constant Contact mailing list for updates on our progress.
Copyright (c) 2018, Next Decade, Inc.
Mar
12
Have you noticed that as LinkedIn has grown, the user focus has shifted away from relationship building to individual advertising? I don’t know about you, but sometimes I feel like I am rowing alone in a sea, and it’s not the Caribbean.
As a LinkedIn user, have you considered the benefits of first building trust with your connections? After all, LinkedIn is a great way to develop relationships that may lead to new business or collaborative opportunities down the road. Under the theory that trust is built over time and in incremental steps consider adjusting your LinkedIn “strategy” using some of the following trust-building suggestions.
Connecting
- Before accepting a new connection, take a minute to view the profile of the party who is reaching out. If there are no clear personal or professional synergies, consider passing on the invitation.
- When accepting, send a note indicating that you have spent a few minutes reviewing the profile to get to know the new connection. Ask whether the other party had a specific reason for wanting to connect.
- When sending an invitation, add a personal note showing some level of interest in the work of the potential new relationship.
Posting
- First consider the usefulness to your connections of your next post. Are you posting for your benefit or for theirs? Cheap advertising isn’t always the best marketing strategy! (Same goes for posting to groups.)
- Drop the insincere platitudes like “honored and humbled” when trumpting your minor successes. Save those words for the appropriate occasion.
- Review your past posts. How many times do you use the words “Me, my, I?”
- Don’t forget to acknowledge every comment on your post and also to reciprocate.
Networking
- Periodically review connections and send a note to those who you might want to get to know better.
- If you haven’t had any interaction beyond the first connection, never send a private message that is nothing more than an advertisement (usually an invitation to attend an event that involves paying a fee.)
- Do not use your connections to create a mailing list. Ask for permission first.
What other suggestions do you have for building trust on LinkedIn? Please leave your comments below.
Barbara Brooks Kimmel is the CEO and Cofounder of Trust Across America-Trust Around the World whose mission is to help organizations build trust. A former consultant to McKinsey & Company, she also runs the world’s largest global Trust Alliance and is the editor of the award- winning TRUST INC. book series. In 2017 she was named a Fellow of the Governance & Accountability Institute, and in 2012 she was recognized as one of “25 Women who are Changing the World” by Good Business International. She holds a BA in International Affairs from Lafayette College and an MBA from Baruch at the City University of NY.
For more information visit our website at www.trustacrossamerica.com
You may also join our Constant Contact mailing list for updates on our progress.
Copyright (c) 2018, Next Decade, Inc.
Feb
24
According to this recent article from the Stanford Social Innovation Review, 9 out of 10 consumers want to make purchases that reflect their values. If trust is an important value to you, read on.
In 2010 Trust Across America introduced the FACTS® Framework, a holistic unbiased barometer of the corporate integrity of America’s largest 2000 US public companies. The Framework identifies companies whose leadership is going beyond doing what is legal to choosing what is right in meeting all stakeholder needs. This, by order of magnitude, is the most comprehensive and data driven ongoing study on this subject. We analyze quarterly and rank order by company, sector and market capitalization. We are particularly interested in tracking individual companies and sector trends over time.
Understanding that brick and mortar retailers face increasing challenges, we took a closer look at how some retailers stack up in our Trust Metrics. These are our findings.
This chart reflects 5-year average (2012-2017) scores of corporate trustworthiness. Trust Across America will be completing its 2018 analysis in April. Given this knowledge, I might choose TJX and Target over Dillard’s and Abercrombie. How about you?
Barbara Brooks Kimmel is the CEO and Cofounder of Trust Across America-Trust Around the World whose mission is to help organizations build trust. A former consultant to McKinsey & Co., she also runs the world’s largest global Trust Alliance and is the editor of the award- winning TRUST INC. book series. In 2017 she was named a Fellow of the Governance & Accountability Institute, and in 2012 she was recognized as one of “25 Women who are Changing the World” by Good Business International. She holds a BA in International Affairs from Lafayette College and an MBA from Baruch at the City University of NY.
Join our Constant Contact mailing list for updates on our progress.
Contact me for more information.
Copyright 2018 Next Decade, Inc.
Nov
01
Five years ago tools to assess and build organizational trust were rare and difficult to locate online. Trust Across America-Trust Around the World was formed to serve as a clearinghouse for these tools and related resources.
The most progressive companies are already implementing trust as an intentional business strategy, knowing it is a competitive advantage. Leaders of organizations interested in elevating trust and proactively practicing it as a business strategy, will be interested in these links:
Trust Alliance: a group of global professionals working to elevate trust and share resources.
Trust in a Box: A “do it yourself” solution for professionals and organizations interested in elevating trust, ethics and integrity.
Trust Data: Public companies can review the level of trust within their organization and compare their performance to their peers
2017 Trust Poster: Weekly Do’s and Don’ts to Foster Organizational Trust
White Paper: The State of Trust in Corporate America 2016
Books: An entire Reading Room dedicated to organizational trust.
TRUST! Magazine: a digital magazine, dedicated to helping leaders and organizations place trust on their strategic agenda.
If you lead an organization, serve on a Board or in any management capacity or work with others, and you continue to ignore trust as a hard asset, you are losing out to your competitors. Trust works. Give it a try.
Barbara Brooks Kimmel is the CEO and Cofounder of Trust Across America-Trust Around the World whose mission is to help organizations build trust. Now in its seventh year, the program’s proprietary FACTS® Framework ranks and measures the trustworthiness of over 2,000 U.S. public companies on five quantitative indicators of trust. Barbara is also the editor of the award-winning TRUST INC. book series and a Managing Member at FACTS® Asset Management, a New Jersey registered investment advisor.
Nominations are now open for the 7th annual Top Thought Leaders in Trust.
Copyright (c) 2016, Next Decade, Inc.
Feb
18
Last night was a “late night” in the office so I was surprised when the phone rang at 9:00 PM.
Trust Buster #1: A business call after normal business hours raises immediate red flags.
The caller ID announced “Private.”
Trust Buster #2: A legitimate business would identify the name of their company, providing the recipient with information about the caller.
The call went to voicemail and this was what I heard from the female robo caller.
Trust Buster #3: A legitimate business would never expect another business person to answer or listen to a robo call.
The robot said “Hi this is Cheryl from XYZ Roofing.” Not “Hi Barbara”
Trust Buster #4: A legitimate business would know the party’s name or the business name that it was calling and would address the party appropriately.
The message went on to say: “Someone from your office called to get an estimate on a new roof. We will have an estimator in your area next week and just need a little more information. Please call this number so we can schedule an appointment.
Trust Buster #5: A legitimate business would never lie to attract new business… and this message was an outright lie. Nobody in my office had called about a new roof.
The sad part of this story is simply that the owner of XYZ Roofing signed off on this sales pitch campaign as a good idea. What was that person thinking? If a business owner lies to get his/her foot in the door, nothing they say after the lie should ever be believed.
People want to do business with other people they trust. Businesses want to do business with other businesses they trust. Very simply, trust is not built through lies and deception.
Barbara Brooks Kimmel is the CEO & Cofounder of Trust Across America-Trust Around the World whose mission is to help organizations build trust and integrity. She facilitates the world’s largest membership program for those interested in the subject. Barbara also serves as editor of the award winning TRUST INC. book series and the Executive Editor of TRUST! Magazine. In 2012 Barbara was named “One of 25 Women Changing the World” by Good Business International.
Copyright 2016, Next Decade, Inc.
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