#16: Where does client trust break down? The trust leak stages explained.

Trust leaks are the silent killers of every business.
They quietly surface at different stages of the clients' journey.
And they lead to clients eventually leaving.

If your business is like a water bucket...
Trust leaks are the holes in the bucket.

Without addressing them and fixing the leak...
The business will always be on the acquisition hamster wheel.

Businesses that operate this way are fragile.
Because revenue is inconsistent every month.

CAC and ad costs are rising.

There's greater competition in the online space.

Trust levels are very low in the market.
People are skeptical and take longer to decide to purchase.

Yet, these businesses have to keep getting new leads and sales.
Otherwise... There's no continuous cash flow.

This can lead to the founder getting burnt out.
This can result in unnecessary stress.

Because even if the business keeps launching one offer after another.

The business will never be filled.

Clients may decide to leave after just 1 purchase.
There will be a lower lifetime value per client.

Getting positive reviews and referrals is almost impossible...
If the business has done poorly in retaining the client.

In Post #13: Why Businesses Lose Clients: The Hidden Role of Trust Leaks

and Post #14: Can Overdelivery Still Cause Trust Leaks?

You already know what trust leaks look like.

You also know how they appear.

Today, I'll reveal WHERE trust leaks can appear across different stages of the client journey.

You'll get clarity on where to look to address the leaks.

It's also useful to note WHEN the leaks show up.
So you stop them before they happen.


THE CLIENT'S JOURNEY

Before The Sale:
At this stage, trust leaks are usually due to misalignment in the business.

If you refer to Post #8: What Is The Retention Architecture Model: The 3 Layers Explained.
You'll see the "Alignment" layer is about setting expectations.
It's about building trust.

When there's misalignment in the values, beliefs, behaviors, offer, and messaging...
Trust leaks.
Because there's inconsistency and incongruence.
People find it difficult to trust when you don't do what you say.

For example:
1) Your webinar is scheduled for 3 hours on the registration page. You spoke for 4 hours during the event, without informing the audience that you planned to extend.

2) You promise the audience that they'll get a free resource upon registration. The resource never appears in their email after they complete registration.

During The Sale:
At this stage, the audience has not yet purchased from you.
You're making the offer to them.

Trust leaks when you hype up the value of the offer to ridiculous numbers.

In a sophisticated market...

The audience knows what you're trying to do.

They've seen this pattern multiple times.

They've already seen numerous marketers do the same thing.

It's not novel anymore.
Boosting the value only makes the offer feel cheap when its price is revealed.

But it feels disingenuous.
It feels manipulative.

People are not dumb.
Respect your audience's intelligence.
Just tell them the truth.

After The Sale:

Most businesses leak trust at this point.

The sale is secured.
Money has changed hands.
Complacency sets in.

That's why some clients experience "buyer's remorse".
They notice the difference in vibes and treatment before Vs after the sale.

At this stage, it corresponds to the "Execution" layer in Post #8: What Is The Retention Architecture Model: The 3 Layers Explained.

It's all about how the business delivers and fulfills promises to sustain trust.

These are all instances where trust leaks...

1) Fulfillment lapses.

Promises aren't fulfilled.

This can happen in many forms and occur in many instances.

Example:

Expectations don't match what's delivered.
What was promised before the sale failed to materialize.

Onboarding sessions fail to start punctually.

Clients' time isn't respected.

Onboarding sessions fail to address clients' concerns.

Access isn't given for sign-up bonuses and promised resources.

Clients fail to receive confirmation emails and details for access.

2) Overdelivery lapses.

Only the bare minimum is done.

The business doesn't seem committed and passionate about its work.

Clients are unimpressed.

Clients start wondering if they'll get better value for money buying from competitors.

3) Consistency and congruence lapse.

The most common form of consistency lapse is in communication.

They can occur in these instances...

a) Businesses stop communicating frequently with the client after they've paid.

Clients don't know what to expect next.

They feel uneasy.

Because they don't know if they've been scammed.

b) Businesses communicate poorly and unclearly.

Clients don't know where to get started.

They're overwhelmed with what's provided.

c) Businesses brush away the clients' concerns.

Clients' queries are addressed with condescending answers.

It makes them feel unseen and unheard.

Trust leaks also appear when words don't match behavior.

Let's say...

The coach appeared to be caring during the presentation pitch.
But after clients paid to get into the program...
The coach displays a poor attitude during coaching sessions.
The coach appeared unprepared and uninterested.

That's incongruence.
It's a major trust leak.

By now, you've seen the various spots WHERE trust leaks can appear.
You've seen WHEN in the clients' journey trust can start to break down.

Of course, I'm unable to list out every example.
So the list I've shown you is non-exhaustive.

Trust leaks can occur anywhere in a business.
I've given you a good starting point.

You know what to look for and where to look.

Now, here's my challenge for you...
What's the first trust leak you've identified in your business?

How do you want to address the trust leak...

So your clients don't experience repeated disappointments quietly?

- Herek