Trust in business dealings has always been the life blood of the economy. To "deal" with someone meant exactly that. The dealing between individuals was the deal. Through that dealing each individual put forth their face, their name, their personal reputation as collateral.
Rules of great business practices were written long before the industrial revolution or modern day shenanigans such as CRM and 1to1 show boating. They were written in people's deeds not text books or power-point slides. Back in the days of Marco Polo, huge trading caravans moved back and forth between China and Europe.
Somehow, separated by thousands of miles, with nothing but sailing ships to communicate, people managed unbelievably large loans, entrusted others with their whole inventory on a rickety ship, working deals for long term, true business to business relationships.
There were no practical means of enforcing agreements over 5000-mile distances, across multiple languages and religious beliefs, there were no legally binding contracts that meant anything outside of a local jurisdiction, and little chance of recovering property if you were gullible enough to cut deals with swindlers.
Reputations were garnered over decades. Newcomers took their risks, the shallow had their day in the sun, but over time they were washed away and only the deep, true businesses survived.
The vast majority of traders were not crooks nor idealists, they understood the power of partnerships. They knew how to judge a crook from a partner, they knew what it meant to 'do business' with each other, either that or they went broke. The same is true today.
All of this occurred without cell phones, e-mail, couriers, railroads, MBA theories of customer management or conferences on how to create one-to-one relationships. That is because, doing business requires trust and like courage, love, respect and honesty, it is not something that can be taught, it resides inside all of us, we can only experience it by taking actions, it is about being not seeing or saying, you get there by doing it.
Every relationship, whether it is personal or business is about entering into something that cannot be fully defined, we cannot know everything about the other person, there are too many variables and these are changing all the time. That is where trust comes into the equation.
Business gets down to the courage to be trustworthy and trusting. We are not talking about blind trust, one hand washes the other, both parties need to operate with their eyes and hearts open. They need to connect, dig below the small talk. It requires people to place an ounce of integrity into every handshake, resist the temptations of greed and instant riches. That is how long term, true, business to business partnerships are created, through a core set of values that will never change.
There are as many crooks and swindlers today as there were in the so called - "dark ages". They used to be called pirates and swindlers, today we call them Conrad Black and Enron. They just have nicer suits and eat in better cafeteria's, but they will always be there to keep honourable business people on their toes.
This is an eternal truth, it is how it has been and how it will always be. Modern day business relationships are glued together through integrity and trust. Everything else is just so much noise. Laws, contracts, sales calls, customer information systems, databases, customer relationship management strategies are all an enforced ceremony.The only thing that counts is the underlying intent that keeps these social symbols, rituals and ceremonies together.
When love begins to sicken and decay,
It useth an enforced ceremony.
There are no tricks in plain and simple faith;
But hollow men, like horses hot at hand,
Make gallant show and promise of their mettle;
But when they should endure the bloody spur,
They fall their crests, and, like deceitful jades,
Sink in the trial.
Julius Cæsar
(Act iv, Scene ii)
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