The Five Cs of Trust are:
- Character
Integrity and Honesty
- Competence
Knowledge and Ability
- Confidence
Conviction and Belief
- Credibility
History and Experience
- Congruence
Consistency and Harmony
The Five Cs
of Trust, as listed above, will all help you gain the trust you
need to have lasting influence. Let me illustrate how these elements
work in a story. Imagine you’re experiencing extreme tooth
pain. You’ve put off going to the dentist as long as possible,
but now nature’s telling you your time has run out. You
recently relocated, so your previous dentist is 2000 miles away
and no longer an option. You ask your new friends and neighbors
about their dentists and get the following five responses:
1. My dentist
has great character. He is one of the most honest people I know.
He’s not very competent, though. I heard he’s famous
for sticking the needle completely through your cheek.
Would you
go to this dentist?
2. My dentist
is one of the top dentists in the state. He’s extremely
competent, but kind of a crook. He has no character. He’s
been caught a few times for over billing and also sometimes fills
more cavities than you actually have.
Would you
go to this dentist?
3. My dentist
doesn’t have much confidence in his work. One time he said
to me, “I’ve never been very good at reading x-rays.
I feel unsure about whether I should give you a root canal or
just leave the tooth alone. Look at this x-ray and tell me what
you think.”
Would you
go to this dentist?
4. I’m
not sure my dentist is licensed. I didn’t see any degree
or diplomas on his wall, and no one seems to know where he went
to school. His office doesn’t have the latest equipment.
He even asked me to pay cash instead of writing a check. He has
no credibility in my book.
Would you
go to this dentist?
5. My dentist
is a nice guy, but he doesn’t keep his stories straight.
Congruency and consistency are not his strong suits. Last year
he said I’d probably have to get a root canal on my molar
the next time I came in. When I came back, I asked him about
the root canal on my molar, and he said, “You don’t
need a root canal on that tooth. Who told you that?”
Would you
go to this dentist?
I’m sure
you would spend more time trying to find a dentist who met all
five criteria. A deep and lasting sense of trust will not exist
without all five characteristics being present. We know if a
person is lacking in just one of these areas, it will affect
every aspect of their ability to build, gain, and maintain trust.
In
the upcoming newsletters, we will start
our in-depth discovery of these Five Cs of Trust.
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