A Business Built on a Foundation of Value and Trust

May
27, 2021

5 min read

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Behind the Review host and Yelp’s Small Business Expert, Emily Washcovick, shares a look at this week’s episode of the podcast.

Sometimes as a business owner, you’re involved in a very pivotal moment in a consumer’s life. They are coming to you in a moment of need and have to trust that you’re going to help them through to the other side. For Tim Lo, co-founder of career counseling service Your Next Jump, he finds himself in that position daily. He knows that developing trust, right off the bat, is essential, and his entire business is built off of that foundation. In this week’s episode, learn the importance of frontloading your offering and why you should think about the extra value you can offer your customers—at no cost to them.

Heather C., this week’s Yelp reviewer, walks us through her experience with Your Next Jump and how Tim not only helped her prepare for a job industry change but held her hand through every step of the journey, explaining everything she needed to know about the job search process and the challenges that would come along with that. That attention to the customer experience was what motivated her to leave her positive review: “When you’re looking for help with your resume, it’s probably because you’re at a crossroads in your life. And you’re at a place where you feel a little lost and you need some guidance. This was definitely a unique experience and one that was very helpful for me and feeling like I could get up the nerve to make this transition at all.”

The reason Tim is able to put so much into the customer journey is because he’s so passionate about his business and how it helps customers: “My business partner Tony and I both started this company back in 2015, but we actually were doing a lot of this work well before then. We started the company because we were helping friends and friends of friends at our church or different social groups that we were a part of. Honestly, we were pretty tired of just seeing a lot of our friends being passed up for positions that they were definitely qualified for.”

For Tim, Your Next Jump is more than just a job. It’s a way to help people find their next move, the next step in their journey that will bring them the happiness they seek. But the journey can be difficult, and it’s his ability to relate to his customers’ experience that sets him apart. As someone who struggled with navigating the uncertainty of job searching, he understands the roller coaster of emotions his clients are going through and strives to equip them not only with strong resumes but also the confidence and motivation that they need to actively participate in the process. No matter what industry you’re in, it’s important to be mindful of where your customers are when they engage with your business—both mentally and physically. Are they just starting out or do they need some fine tuning on the last steps of the process? Are they feeling nervous and timid, or are they confident and prepared? Uncover their stage in the process, and leverage it to create a deeper connection—like Tim does with his clients.

Here’s a look at some of the other things you’ll take away from this episode:

• Give your customers a reason to spend time and money with your business. Before a customer is asked to sign a contract or commit to Your Next Jump, Tim and his colleagues offer a free, 15-minute consultation—a no-strings-attached way to get a feel for what you can expect from the company should you decide to move forward. Of course, these types of consultations are only applicable to certain businesses, but think about the motivation you’re giving your customers to want to spend with your business. Are you able to offer them something without expecting anything in return as a show of good faith?

• Add value wherever you can. Your Next Jump doesn’t stop adding value to his customer’s lives when their time together ends. They continue to offer free materials, including educational webinars to help them better themselves and further advance their careers. When you look at your customer as more than just a transaction, you can build a more lasting relationship that will pay dividends in the long run.

• Build trust. This is essential in any business. If you establish a foundation of trust, your customers will find the experience so much more valuable and rewarding. Especially when it comes to an offering that may be a bit more of an investment, it’s critical to give your customers a reason to trust you. They want to know that you care about the outcome and that you’ll give them the attention you promised at the outset. 

Listen to the episode below to hear directly from Tim and Heather, and subscribe to Behind the Review for more from new business owners and reviewers every Thursday.