About Social Media Today
In the business world today, the trust factor has been replaced by signed agreements and lawyers. We have e-signatures, contracts that are pages and pages long, then other contracts to confirm the first agreement, non-disclosures and non-circumventions, the list goes on. Point is, trust in business is frighteningly rare. Not so long ago, deals were made on handshakes and mutual understanding. By definition, you can only be considered trustworthy when someone else feels you are worthy of trust (very much an eye-of-the-beholder kind of thing).
This is not to say that written agreements and contracts are not warranted, especially given the recent financial catastrophe that plagues the world today where people trusted others who controlled their futures.
But as there is a social wave happening where people are starting to turn back to their local growers and starting to get to know their community once more, perhaps this can open the way to developing more meaningful relationships, even in business; relationships that are based in mutual trust, and as trust is based on honesty, this spells a potential saving grace for the business world.
Some would say that trust is an ill-advised and ludicrous practice in business today because you've always got a contract to back up your claims and if someone lies, you can take them to court. That may be the case, but there's not much to be gained in becoming litigious.
Sometimes posting a code of ethics on your website can help your clients see that you are a stand-up company that has integrity and upholds certain moral standards. This can apply to all kinds of businesses everywhere, from the flower shop to even law firms. Providing an honest service honestly has an opportunity to make way here. If not, well the social media world will take care of those who are less than honest and cannot be trusted. But being ahead of that curve can be nothing short of pioneering - again.
