Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
Trust is a key element to success in the business world and most often leads to brand loyalty among customers, two Better Business Bureau officials told Towson University students recently.
“The most successful business builds loyalty and trust with consumers,” said Hannah Long, BBB Senior Operations Manager.
Long and Joann Francavilla, director of Strategic Partnerships at BBB, were guests at the “Lunch and Launch” series led by Towson’s Entrepreneurship Professor Jan Baum. They gave students advice on creating a more successful business.
Located on the fourth floor in the Cook Library, the Student LaunchPad was filled with 25 potential entrepreneurs, all interested in learning how to appeal to the emotional side when connecting with customers.
The women said that they noticed that brand loyalty and the trustworthiness of some businesses were lacking so the Better Business Bureau developed a curriculum to assist start-up businesses with creating and improving customer relationships. The goal is to target problems and find solutions from the initial development of the business, they said. The BBB created Building Better Business Behavior, or B4 as they call it, in early October.
“It’s not just about who sells the cheapest,” said Long. “It’s about how you sell it and if the customer feels that you actually care about them and their well-being, then you’ve done your job.”
During the presentation, students voiced both positive and negative opinions and told of experiences with certain businesses. They seemed to soak in the advice, intently gazing at Long and Francavilla as the women discussed why certain businesses were successful and why others were not.
Entrepreneurship is a growing field of study at Towson because it provides students with the tools and skills needed to build a successful business, said Baum, who pointed to the importance of her series to motivate and assist students. The one-hour event included an open discussion that allowed attendees to discuss the issues behind some businesses and to learn from those issues to improve on certain practices that helps launch start-up businesses.
The Bureau was founded in 1912, and has been going strong for 101 years, setting out to be a company that promotes successful customer-business interaction and relationships. The BBB offers a slew of programs including the National Partner Program, National Advertising Division and Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative.
“We thought that it would be great for consumers to know, firsthand, which businesses were recognized for being the most trustworthy before they purchased or shopped from these places,” said Long.
“I recommend using the Better Business Bureau as a resource,” said Luke Charlton, a Towson senior. “They help a lot with learning the tools to build a better foundation under your business, in order to build that comradery with your consumers.”
Kody Barnes, a Towson junior, agreed.
“Today, they taught me to check and inspect websites before purchasing from them,” Barnes said. “You have to make sure each site is credible.”
Using the BBB curriculum, students reviewed signs to look for when determining whether businesses are trustworthy or not. The women discussed in detail how trustworthy businesses will have legitimate contact information, such as the location of their office and their call line. Untrustworthy businesses, they said, will only have a contact form to fill out and send.
“You have to start out with trust,” said Francavilla. “Overtime you will build credibility if you do so, but trustworthiness puts you on the forefront when people want to do businesses with you.”
Long added, “The aim is to surprise consumers by under-promising and over-delivering. This shows consumers that you actually care about them as a human being.”
Baum underscored the messages of the guests: “Take advantage of these resources that you guys have, because they are right. People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.”