The Credibles

In a time of increasing homogeneity of offerings; an ever-increasing pool of

competitors; an unpredictable, unstable market and your parents insisting

on you finally beginning to pay rent for using their garage as your Corporate

Head Office, the most illogical place to look for answers is backwards.

Let’s assess how far logic has gotten you so far? Logic dictated that you

should have landed a “stable” job, generate a “good” credit rating by

religiously shopping the Red Hanger sale every year (and actually making

your payments every month – before the 7th) until you could eventually

afford to secure a “reliable” mode of transportation to take you to and from

said “stable” employment… Entrepeneurs do not think logically, they defy

convention and break new ground. They boldly go where no financier has

gone before – and some of them (the bravest ones) actually make it.

Departing from logic is what (successful) entrepreneurs do best.

Those who are able to override their default social software, and forge their

own path, might just find some value back in “the good ‘ol days” of mom

and pop general stores and the neighbourhood butcher shop. These

businesses had what no competitor could replicate – credibility.

Credibility is the result of the interplay between your company’s exhibited

level of competence and the trustworthiness you hold in the eyes of your

clients (it really is that simple!).

Credibility is a pillar of persuasion, and by now I am sure we have realised

that business (and life) is all about persuading those around us to buy into

our envisaged future (and deposit large amounts of cash into our accounts).

Success is directly proportional to the extent to which the people we

interact with trust us. Without your clients trust you may as well clear out

your parents’ garage and give it up for a bad job.

Let’s not underplay the importance of actually being able to deliver the

product or service promised to clients. Competence is a basic tenet of

business. It is what has delivered you to the point you are at right now. It is

however not enough to stubbornly assert that “I am good at what I do and

people will see that and accept my quirks – and occasional incompetence”.

Reflect on the first statement made in this article…there are lots of people

doing (or attempting to do) what you do. Differentiation (I hate that word)

is key.

My advice – do some work on the credibility front. Assess how trustworthy

and competent you are. Ask yourself:

- What percentage of work in the past month has been delivered to my

clients IN time (this is different to ON time)?

- Do I make those follow-up calls as promised?

- Do I exceed the expectations of those I service (or are they simply

“satisfied”)? *watch this space for an article on the difference

between customer satisfaction vs customer loyalty*

All we, as entrepreneurs, have at our disposal to generate competitive

advantage is credibility.

A sober look at the relationships we have with our clients will serve as a

good barometer of future success. Business really is simpler than we make it

out to be.

Craig Kensley is the Founder and Director of Pragmatic Training and Development. He

lectures, trains and speaks to various audiences on topics such as Customer Service,

Strategic Communication and Change. He can be contacted at:

craig@pragmatics.co.za web: www.pragmatics.co.za