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Dear Bob ... 

I have liked Your writing style and straightforward nature for some time now, but your latest lead in to the issue was so "on target," I just have to congratulate you. Even though the necessity for "trust" is one of those "duh" equations most consumers would think business leaders know, that simply isn't the case. 

Why they're not thinking this way is one of the prime reasons we are watching "trust" go down the drain. It's dying among consumers, it's dying among employees, it's dying among investors. People don't trust marketing, they don't trust bosses, and they don't trust stock analysts.

You are so right about Southwest Airlines - and everyone feels that way. They have a way of saying what they'll do - then doing it. I've never run into a Southwest employee who didn't converse rather than dictate. That exemplary behavior starts at the top.

I've also had your same thoughts about my cell-phone company - until I changed it. Now I have one that at least suggests we look at my rate structure when I contact them. I just picked up one of the new PDA phones, and in the process, the salesman (after asking about my calling patterns) suggested I stay on my "old" rate plan since I would retain "night" calling that starts an hour earlier than the new plan. That guy has my trust now. The phone is incredible.

The "halo" effect of trust reaches far beyond the "feel-good" point. Little slip ups are brushed away when customers know they can trust they'll be fixed. That "boiling-blood" syndrome is much less likely to occur. The halo also extends beyond the customer, through word-of-mouth amazement when a person is treated correctly.

I'm still telling the story of the Nordstrom moth. After digging out a brand new, never-worn soft wool sport shirt I had forgotten for a year, I was crushed to find a moth had used it for dinner. How he got into that Nordstrom box, I'll never know. My tailor gave up on a re-weave, for lack of extra material in the shirt to cannibalize. He suggested I take it to Nordstrom to see if they might have some. I did - because I really wanted to resurrect that shirt. 

The salesman listened. He shook his head, saying he knew exactly how I felt. He said they just didn't carry my color any longer, but they still carried the style. He pulled out a very close match, now about a $70 version. I guess my face showed I was about to buy it - but he said, "If you like it, this one is yours," as he tucked my moth-eaten shirt under his arm. "We don't want some damn moth upsetting a Nordstrom customer," he added with a smile. I wouldn't even think of buying fine clothes from anyone else. Why on Earth would I? 

This brings me to the mention of "front-line" trust. That's where all the trust is, because that's where people interact with companies. When it comes to dealing with their customer base, the executives and top managers don't even count! At the sportswear counter, at the local phone store, at the phone-in call-center - these are today's factories of trust. And, just as Henry Ford made use of a production line for cars, today's executives are going to have to learn how to make a production line for trust.