The Art of Building Trust & Rapport Jeffery L. Jeter (Jeff) Director of Fleet Services Spotsylvania County Va. Schools

Defining Trust Trust means confidence. The opposite of trust – distrust – is suspicion. When you trust people, you have confidence in them – in their integrity and in their abilities. When you distrust people, you are suspicious of them – of their integrity, their agenda, their capabilities, or their track record. Two sides to trust: Ethics (integrity; what kind of a human being you are) Competence (skills; capabilities) Stephen Covey

Trust is Four Things Competence - competence breeds trust A sense of benevolence People doing what they say; consistency in behavior and actions Being trustworthy and extending trust

How Can High Trust Ensure Success? Results in everyone working towards and committed to delivering the organizations Mission and Goals. High trust results in greater freedom and less regulations. Success means a strong brand and reputation, leading to attracting and retaining good staff. High trust means less conflict and people given the benefit of the doubt when things go wrong. Means people can challenge decisions without feeling personally threatened.

Define Rapport Building a relation; or a Connection Rapport is really about reducing the differences between you and your client, and building your similarities. In normal conversation we already do this – we look for things we have in common, such as people we know, schools we went to, former employers, where we live, the age of our children.

Six Strategies to Consider in Rapport Building UNDERSTANDING ATTITUDE LISTENING NONVERBALS INTEREST TEAM COHESIVENESS

Techniques to Building Customer Rapport Do An Attitude Check Immediate Customer Recognition Make the Greeting Warm and Sincere Handshakes are Optional Avoid asking How may I help you? Understanding your Customer

Things You Can Do as A Fleet Professional Hold quarterly Customer Focus Group Meetings Spend time with your customers (waiting area) Have a Customer Suggestion Box Write a Mission and Vision Statement Benchmark Have Performance Measures Prepare an SOP Business Plan Prepare an end of year Report Card Have Goals and Objectives