Being trustworthy is crucial for a building product manufacturer. It’s good business practice, it saves time, and everyone is happy when people tell the truth. Fear is what generally causes someone to be untrustworthy. Fear can magnify itself and reduce a product rep’s productivity and possibly lead to the individual not being trustworthy. Let’s examine why trust is crucial between manufacturers and architects.

In Jim Blasingame’s The Age of the Customer, he defines trust as doing what others expect of you. If a product rep promises to do something, an architect expects the product rep to keep their word. Architects expect building product reps to act ethically and follow through with claims. Trust or mistrust can change the trajectory of a product rep’s and architect’s relationship significantly.

#1 Trust Saves Time

If an architect believes that they can trust a building product manufacturer they don’t have to look at as many options. Product specification takes due diligence. Working with people you trust can reduce several steps and help move to the next one more quickly. Specifiers are looking for collaborators and partners, not just vendors peddling products.

If a product manufacturer makes bold claims about their products in an AIA online courses, they better be able to back up those claims. Architects and manufacturers who have worked on multiple projects over several years can save a lot of time by having a relationship built on trust. Distrust and fear can sour a relationship and ultimately doom specification opportunities.

#2 Trust Is Peace of Mind

Nobody likes unhappy customers. If you have issues with an architect, contractor, engineer, designer, etc. you should do everything to solve the problem. Empower your employees to solve issues quickly which helps convey trust. Architects appreciate when a product is delivered on site on time and when a product performs under extreme circumstances. However, they also appreciate peace of mind.

Product reps should never lie. Always tell the truth. In a previous blog, Essential Qualities of Successful Building Product Manufacturers, we discussed how product reps should approach issues with customers. Don’t hide from problem customers, don’t hunker down at your desk, and don’t let the competition beat you because you were afraid to take chances. It can be difficult to change an architect’s mind, especially if they have a strong reaction to a building product or a product rep. Trust is crucial.

#3 Trust Improves Business

Trust is common among our daily interactions. Humans have developed the ability to assess and evaluate information given to them to test its veracity. Purchasing and specification decisions are built on trust. The architect that specified an exterior wall cladding product is trusting that it won’t fall off the side of the building and injure someone. The Health Product Declaration (HPD) that you submitted to a contractor better be accurate or you may be in trouble.

In the age of the internet, there is nowhere to hide. The global marketplace is connected like never before and unscrupulous companies and inferior products will be branded as untrustworthy. Telling the truth is the moral thing to do and good for business. Manufacturers should emphasize that trust is an essential part of their daily behavior and beliefs. How does your company reinforce trust in the marketplace?