This week I was thinking about Trust, because every relationship works best when it’s based on trust.
I think women understand this best. We trust someone to cut our hair, color our hair, we trust our kids to caregivers, total strangers, who will be partially educating and raising our kids, to the cat sitter who has keys to the house, and more. If you have ever been divorced you know the work you have to do to trust again on that level to get married again.
The work I do with clients is best when there is trust. Why? Because financing anything, especially the largest purchase of your life, requires that you know a lot about finances or trust someone who does. The hardest transactions are when people don’t know me, and therefore don’t trust me, and vice versa.
If I don’t know a client I have to get to know them to see if their goals are realistic, healthy, and something I can actually help with. I have to trust that they are being honest, and will follow through in getting the mortgage with me. The reason being, I don’t get paid until the loans go through.
That could take 1 month, or in some cases, 5 years or more. I keep the relationship going advising them, coaching on credit, etc., all for the free until the loan goes through.
A long time ago (1998), I decided that I would offer an initial consultation, so I could get to know the potential client, and the client could get to know me my principles, and how I operate in helping them reach their goals. That has served both myself and the potential client well in establishing a grounds for the trust to start and build.
In Conclusion: The best advice I can give you is do business with people you TRUST, because the law doesn’t protect you against the “grey” areas of legal but not moral, charging to the limit, or taking your business and ignoring you when you really need advice, not just a product.
So here are my quotes for trust:
“Trust takes years to build, seconds to break, and forever to repair.” – Unknown
“Breaking someone’s trust is like crumpling up a perfect piece of paper. You can smooth it over but it’s never going to be the same again.” – Unknown
For financial advice:
“Never trust the advice of a man in difficulties.” – Aesop
For due diligence:
“Trust but verify.” – Ronald Reagan