Building Trust

Why go watch a movie in a theatre?

We almost always know what’s going to happen, yet we enjoy the movie anyways.

Why is that?

Is it because throughout the movie we’re getting to know the hero? By understanding their situation, their challenges, we’re able to relate to them? That’s part of it, but there’s more to it.

It’s because there’s trust. We trust that by the end of the movie we’ll have received something of equal or greater value than the price we paid for the ticket. Without trust, we don’t go see the movie.

It’s the reason we keep seeing remakes and sequels come out of Hollywood. Those new films we’ve never heard of rarely see the same returns at the box office. However, remakes and sequels keep bringing in more money. We know what to expect from them because they’re familiar. And with that familiarity comes trust.

It’s the reason we stick with one brand over the other. If it’s worked for us in the past, we trust it will work for us in the future.

Another example is money. What’s the value in a piece of paper or the numbers on a screen that tells us our bank balance? Inherently very little, yet when someone hands us a $20 bill, we trust we’ll be able to use it to buy something.

It’s with trust that great brands are created. And with trust, we have the ultimate shortcut to influencing customers’ buying decisions. It’s no wonder companies work so hard to attain it.

The question now becomes, how do we get it?