It’s easy to reach for the dictionary and get a ready-made definition but I’m not bothering. I know that in the real world of IT business, it means two things: Integrity and Competence.

This issue of Trust arose recently in discussion with a major IT vendor, which might have been IBM. Keen to penetrate the small and medium-sized business (SMb) sector, the company was defining its strengths. One of these was clearly trust – older readers will remember the maxim ‘No one ever got fired for choosing IBM’.

Of the two elements, Integrity is the more difficult deliverable. I may be honest, truthful and fair but how do I ensure my subordinates, my agents and representatives are the same? They may be motivated by targets, commissions or other incentives and thus be less concerned about the aspirations I hold dear. And how can I be sure that the providers of services essential to my business are trustworthy? My source of finance, my insurer or the firm that clears my rubbish may indulge, unknown to me, in dubious practices for short-term advantage.

While there can be no absolute assurance that those in the supply chain above or below you have the same standards of integrity as yourself, you can take some steps that give comfort. Training, contract terms, service level agreements that are monitored and enforced go a long way but your own example should not be overlooked. If, as a firm, you are known for high standards of integrity and are known to expect it in others, dealings with you should be uncomplicated by suspicion.

Competence is the ability to deliver in a timely fashion a product or service that performs to spec, with reliability and appropriate ongoing support. The reputation for competence is not gained from a one off project but from long time commitment to good performance.

Now while trust goes a long way by impressing customers, it is not the whole story. Take IBM’s aspirations for the SMB sector. Its products may not be suitable for the SMB sector. Its prices may be higher than the SMB sector can afford. Its sales and marketing structure may not be such as to make it easy for the SMB sector to do business with it.

In this particular story, over the last 3 years IBM has developed its Express Advantage (http://www-01.ibm.com/partnerworld/pwhome.nsf/weblook/pub_strategies_smb_uk_express_built.html)portfolio to address price and product suitability. More recently its Concierge service tries to address the SMB access issues with named individuals taking ownership of a customers enquiries until resolved. It has also restructured internally to get its own people to think SMB. The results are that IBM claims it has achieved 10% annual growth in SMB revenues.

While trust in itself may not win customers, it provides a sound foundation on which winning may be possible.