The ultimate goal of every business is to become successful and lucrative; it is the basic truth of business. The number of factors that play into this is just ridiculously huge and it ranges from having the best customer service possible to providing the customers with the ultimate product/service. One of the essential factors in creating and maintaining a successful business is its reputability, i.e. how trusted it is by the customers or clients.

Just as the presence of reputability can contribute to the success of any business, so can the lack of reputability turn it into a complete failure, no matter how good the actual business and its products/services are. Here, we will be talking about ways in which one can keep their business reputable, regardless of its size, the industry it is in or anything else.

1. Constant quality

Perhaps the most important aspect of a business’ reputability is going to be the quality of the products or services that are provided by this business. However, it is not enough to just have the best product or the service. It is important that it stays high-quality over time and that it does not suffer just because the business is expanding or because there have been certain problems with the production process.

For example, let’s imagine that you run a business as small and as ‘common’ as a sandwich shop. You started off with the most delicious sandwiches in the area, with the freshest ingredients used and everything. People got used to the quality of sandwiches and you suddenly decide to save a bit of money by using ingredients that are not that fresh or by skimping on the ingredients. People will notice this in no time and the word will spread that your sandwiches are nowhere near as good as they used to be. You will lose reputation and you will most probably be unable to bring it back.

2. Honoring every deal

The world of business is predicated on honoring deals that are made between those who provide a service or manufacture/sell the product and those who purchase such product or service. As a business owner, you will be involved in innumerable deals, both in their strict sense and metaphorically. In order to keep your reputation, you will need to honor every deal in full.

For instance, let’s say that you are manufacturing something that is breakable and you are sending it overseas to the buyer. One of the things that you have to ensure is that it reaches the buyer in one piece, undamaged. This means that you need to take care of the shipping, deal only with shippers who use highest quality shipping crates. Only when the buyer gets everything they bought in its entirety, undamaged; can the deal be considered honored. And every such deal that you honor in full will contribute to your reputability.

3. Admitting your mistakes

In the nature of every business, there is room for mistakes. Let’s take two of our previous examples to paint a picture. As a sandwich shop owner, you might be provided with lesser-quality buns for your sandwiches and you might be forced to use such buns for your sandwiches one day. If anyone comes to complain, you need to admit this at once. Tell them that it is your mistake (even though it might not be) and ensure them that this will never happen again. If your shippers make a mistake and deliver your manufactured goods a few days late, do not blame them. Take full responsibility.

Taking responsibility lets people know that you are a serious business, a strong business that can admit to its mistakes. Take Toyota as an example, and their recalls. No one thinks that they are a bad company because they have recalled faulty vehicles. People respect them for their honesty about their mistakes. People love such companies/businesses.

AUTHOR: AUTHOR: James Burbank has years of extensive experience in offline and online marketing alike. He is currently blogging on all matters business and marketing and he is always open to new findings. You can find him on Twitter too – @JBurbank2019