What is the trust and transparency matrix?

Why is it so fashionable to use this type of site now?

The SEO Project Manager position includes 2 important qualities that a person should possess: a strong SEO specialist and an excellent negotiator. While everything is clear about the first quality, many people have problems with communication. How often have you thought that communication with a client suffers and the client does not have the necessary trust in you? What does the customer need to trust and ensure that your cooperation is long and fruitful? The trust and transparency matrix can easily help you figure this out. This is a 2 by 2 matrix that includes two scales:

confidence scale
transparency scale

This matrix allows you to determine at what level your relationship with the customer is now, what levels of relations with the customer are possible in principle, and how to move from one zone of transparency and trust to another.

The transparency and trust matrix consists of four squares in which your customer relationship can be located:

low trust and low transparency (square A)
low trust and high transparency (square B)
high trust and high transparency (square C)
high confidence and low transparency (D square)

I suggest thinking, based on your feelings and existing communication with the customer, to determine which of the squares you are in. If you understand that communication with the customer is in square A, I recommend that you act faster and move the communication with the client to square B, and then strive for your relationship to be in square C.

You might ask why I don't recommend being in square D with a client? It's simple: this is too risky a level of relationship with a client, where the client's trust is not supported by any of your actions and work done, but is based only on recommendations or feedback. In this case, your slightest mistake can undermine the customer's trust.

Why is it so fashionable to use this type of site now?

Most often, when a new project starts, the contractor and the customer are in square A. The client doesn't know who you are or what your work experience is. Therefore, his credibility is rather questionable. It is based only on the fact that he chose the company based on recommendations, reviews, or the sales department convinced him and promised a lot. As a PM, what is required of you at this point is to increase customer confidence. Here are some tips from personal experience on how to increase trust and improve customer relations:

Constant communication. The customer must feel and have information about what stage the project is currently at, and why this or that task is being implemented. Engage your client in the process so they don't have questions about what you do and why you rarely call them.

Reporting on the work done. Telling the customer that the process is underway and the work is being done is not the most effective option. If you want to build long-term and trusting relationships, then make it a rule to provide the customer with reports detailing the work done and the results achieved.

Expertise should not be higher than communication with the client. Yes, sometimes you need to use your expertise, but don't make it a rule to say: “This is necessary because I am an expert and I said so.” Do not put yourself above the client; the client himself, based on the work you have done and the results achieved, will increase your trust, listen to and easily agree on new ideas and implementations for the project.

If you apply the above in your work, the customer's trust will definitely increase, because you are increasing the transparency of work and the relationship will gradually move into square B. And when the customer sees that his investments, time and your cooperation are profitable for him, then at that moment communication moves to square C (high transparency in work and high trust). This will be your success and the key to long-term cooperation. In conclusion, I would like to say that this is a really necessary and effective tool, because you can be the most popular specialist in your industry, but if you do not build the right communication with the customer, your experience alone will not be enough.

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