What NOT to do when you think you’re being ghosted

This post is part of our Monthly-ish Tips series.

Sometimes you take a communication risk with clients and get rewarded with unexplained silence. For example, you might call for no other reason than to say hello, leave a message when they don’t answer, and then never hear back. So, what if anything should you do about that? In 2018 I wrote about an unconventional way to break the silence, then not long ago I was on the receiving end of a very similar strategy … and hated it. This post is dedicated to what I learned from this experience.

Reprise: If you’ve resolved to have better client relationships this year, great, now ditch your resolution

This post is part of our Monthly-ish Tips series.

And … we’re back. It’s “new year, new you” time for us all, which means that any resolutions resolutely declared are within days of faltering, according to psychologists who say we all typically backslide after the first couple of weeks. Relationship-oriented resolutions are no exception. So, I’m once again reprising my plea that we all try something a little different this year.

‘Tis the season: How to build more trust with us introverts

This post is part of our Monthly-ish Tips series.

The winter holiday season has descended here in the U.S. and beyond, which has many of the introverts among us (me included) uttering groans of dread as we face a dramatic uptick in social obligations. It occurred to me it might be useful to share a few tips for introverts and extroverts alike to help us all manage our circumstances for the best possible trust-building outcomes.

Start your next client interaction this way

This post is part of our Monthly-ish Tips series.

I had a really great experience with a customer support person not too long ago, via chat no less. It wasn’t because they were uber-friendly (which oddly tends to annoy me); it was because they did something really simple and distinctive early on that relates to the more rational side of trust-building (which is where most are more comfortable anyway). And few of us do this enough—or consistently enough—with our own clients, whatever the communication medium.

Reprise: How your relationship to authority may be hurting your client relationships

This post is part of our Monthly-ish Tips series.

I was recently interviewed for a podcast and asked at the end, “What advice would you give your 20-year-old self?” My answer reminded me of a cautionary tale from the early days of my consulting career. I think there’s a good bit of generalized wisdom in my story about everyone’s relationship to authority, and how that can cost us in terms of trust and relationship-building.

Reprise: A different kind of resolution for a different path to better relationships

This post is part of our Monthly-ish Tips series.

It’s the first week back at work for many of us in the new year, which means that any resolutions resolutely declared are within about 10 days of faltering—at least according to psychologists who say we typically do well for the first couple of weeks and then backslide. So I’m reprising my plea that we all try something a little different this year. Brace yourself because it may sound more than a little woo-woo.

Ready?

A word to the wise about adjusting your fees after your quote

This post is part of our Monthly-ish Tips series.

My spouse and I were recently on the hunt for a favorite electrician for house stuff—one that would finally be our “go to” to call on, after having tried several. This one came so close. And then they made a trust-related mistake that had nothing to do with the quality of their work. I recognize the mistake as one that a lot of sellers make, especially in professional services. Do you?

Reprise: What to do when your clients or colleagues are untrustworthy

This post is part of our Monthly-ish Tips series.


We spend an outsized amount of time in our programs focusing on how to increase your own trustworthiness proactively and specifically, since it’s the only thing you can actually control. A recent situation reminded me of content that my co-author Charlie Green and I recorded some years ago for our video learning library that answers the question, “What do you do when others show up in untrustworthy ways?”

Reprise: A different way to think about your “competitors”

This post is part of our Monthly-ish Tips series.


I originally shared this Weekly Tip three years ago, and at the time I didn’t know the identity of the person who offered the unconventional offer it describes. I had forgotten about the post until just the other day when I had a chance to meet this awesome person, in person. I’m reprising it because it’s such a great lesson in a much more trustworthy way to think about “competition” that’s worthy of emulation.