Trustability: How Proactive Service Builds Client Loyalty and Long-Term Relationships
Trustability: How Proactive Service Builds Client Loyalty and Long-Term Relationships
In 2012, at Bain’s Net Promoter System (SM) conference in London, Don Peppers, co-author of Extreme Trust: Honesty As A Competitive Advantage made a compelling case: in an era of speed and transparency, trust isn’t just earned; it’s engineered.
He described “trustability” as the proactive protection of a client’s interests. It’s not only about being honest when asked. It’s about anticipating needs and acting before the client has to. That might include:
Reviewing work processes with clients to spot inefficiencies
Brainstorming ways to cut costs
These actions create transparency, which Peppers called a “prerequisite for trust,” adding: “Transparency is like disinfectant – it cleans things up, but it stings like hell.”
Examples of trust in action:
Amazon flags duplicate orders before dispatch.
A UK building company contacts clients before warranties expire, offering free inspections and repairs.
USAA Insurance refunds customers on active military service—over 2,500 sent the money back, saying: “Just be there when I need you.”
Peppers also reframed the Golden Rule of client service (treat clients as you’d want to be treated) into the Platinum Rule: treat clients the way they want to be treated.
For professional advisers, this means knowing clients well enough to understand what they truly value and acting on it before they ask.
FURTHER READING
Bain & Co Net Promoter System https://www.bain.com/consulting-services/customer-strategy-and-marketing/customer-loyalty/
Baldoni, J (2008) “How Trustworthy Are You?” Harvard Business Review https://hbr.org/2008/05/how-trustworthy-are-you
Bennett, M (1979) “Overcoming The Golden Rule: Sympathy & Empathy” , Annals of the International Communication Symposium. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/320818681_Overcoming_the_Golden_Rule_Sympathy_and_Empathy
Green C H "(2021) “Understanding The Trust Equation.” https://trustedadvisor.com/why-trust-matters/understanding-trust/understanding-the-trust-equation
If you’d like to know more, get in touch for a personalised call.
You can connect with Sue-Ella on LinkedIn.
Sue-Ella is the Principal of Prodonovich Advisory, a business dedicated to helping professional services firms sharpen their business development practices, and attract and retain good clients.
She is accredited in the Net Promoter System (NPS).
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