3 Reasons Why It’s Important to Be Overly Transparent
Not to say that I wasn’t truthful or transparent before RevBoss, but working at a start-up-in-the-process-of-transitioning-to-a-SaaS company, has really opened my eyes to the importance of being overly transparent and truthful in every interaction — from communicating with customers, to talking to your team, to (sometimes most importantly) being honest with yourself.
Transparency is one of our core values at RevBoss, and according to a survey we send our internal team each quarter, it’s the one we consistently live up to best — I’m really proud of that. It can be hard at times, but the rewards are great and many.
If you’re struggling to be more transparent, or if you’re wondering if you should start (you should), here are 3 reasons why it’s so important to the livelihood of your business:
1. You’ll keep customers longer.
No one likes to be “sold to,” and doing so can often create unrealistic expectations that will doom a relationship from the get-go.
If you’re honest with your customers about what you can deliver on, you’ll be in a much better position to keep them happy for longer. This is especially hard if you’re just getting started and you’re still in the process of getting from Point A to Point B, and wishing you were already there. But trust us on this one — customers will stick with you through the transition if you’re honest about where you are today.
Transparency also creates trust, and whenever something inevitably goes wrong in a customer engagement, you’ll need that trust to rebuild the relationship.
2. Your team will be more bought-in.
With a tip of the hat to Jerry Colonna, we often end team meetings by asking these questions:
- What are you not saying that needs to be said?
- What are you saying that is not being heard?
- What is being said that you’re not hearing?
It gives team members who are less vocal an opportunity to voice their thoughts in a conversation that they didn’t have to initiate, and it opens an approachable door to honest communication.
An engaged team is so important to the health of your company because they’re the ones on the frontline. Giving them the ability to be totally transparent with their boss, with each other, and with customers is an investment that will pay big dividends.
3. It’s just a good way to run a business.
Simply put, being honest and transparent is the right thing to do, but it’s also good for your business.
When you have good relationships with your customers, not only will they stick around, but they’ll also speak highly of your to their network and you’ll probably get some additional customers out of it. Your reputation will stick with you, so make sure that you’ve got a good one by being transparent.