I had several friends in the same city a few years ago. They were each approached–some at work, some while shopping–by members of a certain church.
The conversations always went the same:
“Hey, how are you doing today?”
My friend would answer, and the answer literally wouldn’t matter, because regardless, the next thing said, in a tone meant to convey care:
“That’s great. … Hey, we’re having an event at. …”
Some of my friends began to identify the church members just by the fact that they asked this lazy question meant to show they were befriending you.
Why didn’t it work? No follow-up questions.
Inc. recently published this article about it. Building trust requires you to be able and willing to do what you say you will. But it also requires you to be real and–as the above story illustrates–demonstrate care.
So show your employees and customers that you aren’t part of a cult. Ask some follow-up questions.