Credibility by Association

Credibility by Association

Work with reputable businesses

Where you do business, and who you do business with such an awful lot about you whether you realize it or not. Your friends, family, customers, and prospects will evaluate you based on with whom you associate.

Last year, a misdirected onlooking to my house. I hand-delivered it to the actual recipient who turned out to be a widow of only 10 days when I met her. She’d just completed knee replacement surgery and was still recovering from that ordeal when she lost her husband. When I met her, she was about 69 years old. Among the many issues she faced was how to get her car back from an unreliable repairperson. Keep in mind that she didn’t know me from a hole in the wall when we met, and yet I was sitting there giving her advice on who might be able to help her with her situation.

Since we both lived in the same town, I asked her if she knew of Carl & Scott’s Automotive. She instantly said that she and her husband had usually gone to them for service. Once I told her that Carl & Scott’s Automotive was one of my sponsors, her comfort level with me accelerated. This business has an excellent reputation for treating people fairly and reliable automotive repairs. Since she felt the same way about their business as I did, she let her guard down and I was able to help direct her to some much-needed help in the areas of banking, estate planning, and handling some problems relating to real estate.

My point is that because I worked with people whom she considered reputable, that made me

reputable in her eyes. The same is true about your customers and prospects. If you use reputable tools, products, and services in your business, make sure your customers know about them. If you align yourself with reputable business associates and network contacts, their credibility will extend to you, and vice versa.

            “Tell me who you hang out with, and I’ll tell you who you are.”  – Burke Hedges's mother

Let me hear from you.

(This excerpt is taken from the seminar video How to Build Ironclad Credibility.) I encourage you to watch this video at www.RomeoNetwork.com.