Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/68012
TRUST AND THE BOTTOM LINE Have you ever thought about why you choose to do business with some companies and not others? You may not have thought much about it, but I suspect you'd have no trouble coming up with your own answers to that question. If you're like most of the people interviewed for this article, your reasons would include such obvious things as advertising that caught your eye, an image that suggests quality and reasonable price, convenient location, stocking the brands or types of items you prefer, friendly employees, and so on. However, when it comes to intimate services such as personal care and healthcare, my informal poll highlighted another important reason people choose one provider over another. It is a subtle, less frequently discussed reason: when we are in the market for a highly personal service we tend to seek out people we trust. Because of the intimate nature of healthcare services, the element of trust tends to play a bigger role in our selection of the providers of those services than it might in other types of transactions. So how does a massage and bodywork practitioner go about building an image of trustworthiness? As a first step, you may want to remind yourself that the elements required to build trust between a buyer and seller are precisely the same as those that are necessary for building trust between any two individuals. Unless you've mastered the basics of developing trust in personal relationships, you'll have a difficult time gaining trust in the professional services that you provide. Consider the characteristics that are present in the people you trust. LIKEABILITY At best, this may sound like a vague, subjective term. Still, psychologists agree that likeability is a critical characteristic in developing trust. Over the centuries, human nature has evolved in a way that makes it almost impossible for us to trust someone we don't like. It makes sense; if you want people to trust you and your practice, you must learn to help people to like you. Among the more important ways to do that is developing the habit of making good eye contact when you're talking with another person. Do you know someone who avoids looking you in the eye during conversations? If you do, I'll bet you don't trust that person. As you move through these following traits, you'll see how other characteristics can help you in this area, too. BELIEVABILITY In some ways, the terms believability and trustworthiness are synonymous. If you have difficulty believing a person, you aren't likely to trust In any service business, believability translates into one simple dictum: never promise something you can't deliver. visit massageandbodywork.com to access your digital magazine 21