Integrity matters.
I’ve worked for people who made that abundantly clear. The vice president who sends an email assuring employees that no layoffs are on the way with one hand as he writes the pink slips with the other hand. The manufacturer who has a solid warranty until it is put into play, and then it covers nothing. And yes, the client who asks you to do work and then never bothers to pay for it.
Thing is, integrity matters now more than ever. When I first moved into the metro Phoenix area, I needed some car repairs. I went to the place that advertised and in other ways made themselves visible. Every time I went there, they always found another $300 to $500 worth of repairs that just couldn’t wait. Every. Single. Time.
Through word of mouth I found another mechanic. This guy doesn’t advertise at all. His business has grown tremendously since I first discovered him, all by word of mouth. He fixes what I ask him to fix, and sometimes the cost even comes in below my guess. When he tells me I have a repair that just can’t wait, I believe him because he has earned my trust over the years.
The first mechanic has a decent-sized business and gets AAA customers towed to their doorstep, but I can’t believe they have all that many repeat customers. The second business gets all of his customers form word of mouth, and has the same loyal customers return every time they need service. He doesn’t need to advertise, and he doesn’t have capacity to handle AAA repairs without expanding. Business is good for him, he has my trust, and I have referred others to him. That’s the best way I repay him for being an honest mechanic.
Integrity matters. That’s why when I work with a client, I’m completely honest about when I can get a job done and how much it is going to cost. I like business relationships built on trust, where I know there will be repeat business because the client knows the job will be done on time.