As any business owner knows, one of the most important elements when it comes to customer loyalty and gaining new business is developing a good relationship with customers. And a big part of that relationship is built on consumer trust. Knowing how you stand with your customers is important, which is why the results of a recent survey might be important for alert business owners. The first-ever BBB/Gallup Trust in Business Index survey found that nearly one in five (18 percent) adult American consumers say their trust in businesses that they regularly deal with has decreased in the past 12 months, more than twice as many who say their trust increased (8 percent). The survey also found that less than half of American consumers (49 percent) say they have a great deal (12 percent) or quite a lot (37 percent) of trust in businesses that they regularly deal with. Better Business Bureau commissioned the survey, which was conducted by Gallup, and underwritten by Visa Inc. The survey focuses on consumer trust in businesses that they regularly deal with and provides guidance to businesses, especially small businesses, about steps they can take to increase trust. The initial set of data establishes a benchmark for an ongoing BBB/Gallup Index. BBB and Gallup are planning a second survey in the spring to delve deeper into consumer trust in business issues, and the Index will be a regular BBB service in the future. "It's alarming that about 37 million American adults trust business less now than they did last year, and that fewer than half of all Americans have a lot of trust in businesses they deal with every day," said Steven Cole, president and CEO, Council of Better Business Bureaus. "There are many contributing reasons for this bad news - recent toy recalls, the sub-prime mortgage and foreclosure crisis, well publicized ethics lapses and criminal violations, and a long period of what many experts see as declining customer service. But whatever the causes, if we care about the health and prosperity of our nation, we had better address trust issues immediately." When asked how important 14 reputational attributes are in determining what businesses they trust, American adult consumers rated a company's reputation for honesty and fairness most important, with 93 percent saying this is extremely or very important. A company's reputation for being both dependable and reliable was second with 91 percent saying it is extremely or very important, while a reputation for providing safe products is third at 89 percent. In the next part of this series, we’ll examine additional results from the study, and what this means to you as a small business owner. | 
