Trust is an elusive thing. It can be the hardest thing to gain from your customers, but it is also the easiest thing to lose. A single action that undermines the trust your clients have in you can destroy that trust.

   Yet, that trust that customers have in your company and your technicians is powerful. Most of the decisions we make in a day are based on some level of trust. In fact, surveys have shown that 93 percent of your customers' buying decisions will be based on how much they like and trust your company.

   With so much riding on your company's ability to establish trust with your clients, every action your team takes should help to strengthen that trust.

   How do you do that when you come into their home and have to present them with the probability of thousands of dollars in repairs? Here are a few quick things you can do to build and foster that sense of trust with your clients.

Whether you like it or not, everybody judges a book by its cover to some degree. People make judgments based on what they see. How your company looks in the eyes of your clients will have a profound effect on the amount of trust they place in you.

      Think about being wheeled into an operating room. Which doctor would you trust more to operate on you? Would you trust the doctor who looks clean cut, sounds professional, wearing crisp surgical scrubs, or would you trust the one who appears unkempt, smells like something that spilled off the end of a bar, and reads all your charts upside down?

      That's an extreme situation, but you would trust the one who looks and acts more professional. Your clients are the same way. They are going place more trust in the technician who looks like he can be trusted. Look at your company with a critical eye, and ask if your team looks trustworthy.

      How do your technicians look? Do your trucks, tools, and uniforms look professional when you show up at the home?

Go back to our medical scenario. Let's say they both looked the same this time, but as they explained the procedure to you, one stumbled through it, glanced at his paperwork or the floor most of the time, and nearly broke out in a sweat, while the other doctor told you exactly what he was going to do and why in a calm, confident voice. Which would you trust more?

      Again, you'd trust the one that sounded trustworthy. Your technician's presentation in the home is just as important to your business and its clients. Most of the time, your clients don't know what needs to be done to their home or why it needs to be done. That's why they depend on your technician to assure them of what is in their best interest and what will protect their safety.

      Of course, a lot of technicians get nervous about their presentations. Many are technical masterminds, but they clam up when it's time to describe the work and quote the price to Ms. Jones. For that reason, role playing is critical. Be sure to practice with your team so they are able to deliver a calm and confident presentation when they are in the client's home.

      And, if role playing with their fellow technicians becomes too easy, shake it up a little. Hire an actor, a temp, or a retired individual to come in for a few hours and stand in as your homeowner. Let your technicians go through a role play with them. It'll give you a clearer idea of how they do in the home, because they won't have the same familiarity with the "actor" as they do with their fellow technicians.

      Give your technicians the confidence they need before they go into the home, so they sound professional and trustworthy when it counts the most.

The ultimate way to reassure your clients, in this day and age, is to confirm that you are who you say you are. Crimes committed by technicians seem to happen too regularly, and homeowners are becoming more and more wary of who they let into their home. How can you establish trust and put your clients at ease?

      At Plumbers' Success International, we developed a program called the Technician Seal of Safety (www.mysafetyseal.com) that has gotten national attention for some of our members. It's a program that shows your clients that all of your team members have had background checks, have been drug tested, and have been professionally trained. The seal can be proudly displayed on trucks, advertisements, and ID badges.

      Even simple ID badges offer your clients some assurance that you're who you say you are. Another great way to instill confidence in clients is to let them know who to expect at their door. Have your dispatcher notify the homeowner of the technician's name and/or e-mail a photo of your technician to the customer before the home visit.

      There's nothing more important than the trust of your clients, so be sure to do all you can to earn it and protect it. Doing so will lead to great rewards for your technicians and your company.