Trust is one of the most valuable assets you can have in a business relationship, and a great way to build trust is by pointing out some of your own flaws. This can happen a few different ways.
First, as I shared a few years ago, is the idea of sharing weaknesses that the audience is already aware of. In that situation, you’ll earn a few trust points without having to give away any new information. From Robert Cialdini’s book “Pre-Suasion“:
“The tactic can be particularly successful when the audience is already aware of the weakness; thus, when a communicator mentions it, little additional damage is done, as no new information is added—except, crucially, that the communicator is an honest individual.”
The other way is to point out flaws that people were otherwise unaware of. In David Ogilvy’s classic book “Confessions of an Advertising Man“, Ogilvy shares this example:
“I always tell prospective clients about the chinks in our armor. I have noticed that when an antique dealer draws my attention to flaws in a piece of furniture, he wins my confidence.”
This is something that I consistently work to do. For example, when people ask about how we measure marketing metrics I share all of the powerful tools that we use and how they work, but I also share how proper attribution is becoming harder to measure. I’m not happy about that, but it’s the state of the world we’re in, and I’m not ashamed to admit that weakness in the system.
Carefully sharing flaws can be a very powerful way to build trust.
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