Do You Trust Your Vendors You Do Business With?

Recently, a business owner went to the eye doctor for his yearly examination.  Because his previous eye doctor had retired, he was referred to a new optical practice.  This new practice had an assortment of medical doctors, called ophthalmologists, as well as optometrists.  The business owner, trusting the referral from his long time previous medical care provider trusted the new provider.

The business owner was given an examination by the medical doctor.  The medical doctor recognized that the business owner had some issues, none of which were real significant, none of which were critical, but each issue required future monitoring.  The ophthalmologist wrote a prescription for   new lenses, which the business owner trusted was the proper prescription.  The business owner had new glasses made, to the prescription ordered by the doctor.  Interestingly, the new glasses did not work.  The business owner could not see any better with the new glasses!  He took them back, told the staff the problem.  An optician reviewed the prescription, talked to an optometrist at the practice.  The optometrist elected to “recheck” the prescription to see that everything was correct.

Trust Is Having Confidence In Your Vendor.

The optometrist wrote a new prescription, indicating that the previous prescription could be adjusted better.  So, in the course of a month, the business owner now had 2 new prescriptions for new glasses.  Continuing to have full faith and trust in the optometrist, the business owner had the new prescription filled with a second prescription.  Again, once the glasses arrived, the business owner could not see with them.  Reporting back to the medical practice, the optician reviewed the new glasses and said that they were cut to the exact specifications that the optometrist had ordered.  However, because the lenses were made by a different lens company, there may be something wrong with the manufacturing process of the lenses.  The solution– have the glasses made a third time, with a different vendor, using a different lens material.  Again, the third set of glasses did not work.

Who is Telling the Truth Here?  Is It Medical Care or Selling Glasses?

The business owner, justifiably frustrated by this 3 month process, elected to start over and find a different care provider.  The new care provider, coming from a reference from a client, immediately identified that new glasses was NOT the issue.  The eyes were the issue– and no matter what lenses were cut, any lenses would not work until the eyes were treated for some identified issues.  Why, the business owner wondered, did it take 4 doctors to finally determine that new glasses were not the issue?  The business owner had an underlying medical condition that needed treatment before new glasses would work.  Obviously, the conclusion that the business owner came to was that selling glasses, new frames and a care plan was more important than finding out what the real underlying issues were.

Trust is Lost When the Truth is NOT Told.

The 4th doctor, told the full story described above elected to begin afresh, with no preconceived ideas.  After an hour of diagnosis, the doctor said that new glasses were not required, that the underlying medical condition had to be addressed before new glasses would work.  This doctor, in the opinion of the business owner, told the truth.  The doctor worked hard to find the problem and it appears that the 4th doctor’s solution was the correct one.  The doctor was clear that there was no reason to spend $2000 for new glasses until the business owner could indeed see the benefit of new glasses.

Trust is Formed When Truth is Told

Trust is the key to any business relationship.  If you fail to establish trust with the client, the client has doubt and hesitation through the entire engagement.  Establish trust, tell the truth and retain a happy client.

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