Why 'everything is good' hurts customer trust

I bought an expensive product recently that had a pretty glaring issue. Curious if others were seeing the same thing. So I posted a question in the company’s Facebook group. But my post never showed up. Turns out, the admins, who work for the company, screen every post. Only the “everything’s amazing!” ones make it through. No criticism. No bugs. Just a highlight reel. Here’s the thing: censoring feedback doesn’t build trust. It erodes it. If the only thing people see is how perfect everything is, they start wondering what’s being hidden. Real trust comes from transparency. From saying, “Yeah, that’s a known issue, we’re working on it.” From letting your customers talk to each other even when what they’re saying isn’t glowing. You can either control the narrative or build a reputation for honesty. But trying to do both? People notice.

Last week, a prospect told me they'd evaluated seven vendors. All seven claimed 99.9% accuracy. All seven promised best-in-class performance. None could prove it. Welcome to what I call the Field of Liars Dilemma. When your customers can't independently verify performance claims, vendors realize they can say anything. One company starts inflating numbers. Others follow to stay competitive. Soon everyone's making the same bold claims. The market becomes saturated with identical promises. Buyers grow cynical, assuming everyone's lying (frankly, most are). Now imagine you're the one vendor actually delivering those results. Your truth sounds exactly like everyone else's fiction. Because the marketplace is built on noise. I'll tell you this directly from my experience as the Chief of Staff of the US CIO. The companies with genuine advantages struggled to differentiate because their competitors faced zero consequences for matching their claims. When trust erodes this deeply, proof demands radical transparency, customer references who'll take calls, and metrics your buyers can independently verify. The field of liars creates a paradox: The more everyone claims superiority, the less anyone believes it.

In today's hyper-connected world, where consumers are bombarded with marketing messages at every turn, it's easy to fall into the trap of believing that flashy campaigns and clever branding can compensate for a subpar product. But the reality is far more sobering: no amount of marketing can salvage a fundamentally flawed product. As a seasoned marketer with years of experience in the industry, I've seen firsthand the allure of focusing solely on the surface-level aspects of a product—the fake reputation, the messaging, the hype. And while these elements certainly play a crucial role in capturing initial attention and driving short-term sales, they pale in comparison to the importance of delivering real value to your customers. The truth is, consumers today are more discerning than ever before. They have access to a wealth of information at their fingertips, from online reviews to social media discussions, and they're not afraid to voice their opinions when they feel let down by a product or brand. In this era of transparency and accountability, authenticity reigns supreme, and any attempts to mask a lackluster product with slick marketing tactics are bound to backfire in the long run. Why? Because at the end of the day, consumers are looking for solutions to their problems, not just empty promises and flashy gimmicks. They want products that deliver on their claims, that enhance their lives in meaningful ways, and that justify the investment of their hard-earned money. And no amount of clever marketing can compensate for a product that falls short of these expectations. In fact, attempting to market a bad product can often do more harm than good, tarnishing your brand's reputation and eroding consumer trust in the process. It's a short-sighted approach that prioritizes short-term gains over long-term sustainability, and it's one that ultimately leads to failure. So what's the alternative? Instead of pouring all your resources into marketing tactics designed to mask the shortcomings of your product, why not invest that time and energy into improving the product itself? Focus on truly understanding your customers' needs and pain points, and then work tirelessly to develop solutions that address them in meaningful ways. By prioritizing product excellence over superficial marketing tactics, you not only increase the likelihood of success in the marketplace, but you also build a loyal customer base that will champion your brand and drive sustainable growth over the long term. Because when you deliver a product that truly adds value to people's lives, the marketing practically takes care of itself. Commit yourself to creating products that speak for themselves and leave a lasting impression on your customers. Your bottom line—and your brand's reputation—will thank you for it. #Marketing #ProductDevelopment #CustomerExperience #BrandReputation #BusinessSuccess

Lately, I have been noticing a trend where people use big words a lot, such as fantastic, exciting, amazing, awesome. In sales we call them glamor words and they have their place, but if we overuse them, they become noise or, they are met with defiance. If you want to build trust you need to communicate truthfully. Not everything can or should be exciting. Also, excitement is a feeling and what feels exciting to some people might terrify others. For example, some people think that running with the bulls is exciting while others shudder at the idea. In sales, we need to be careful to overuse the glamor words because if we do, our audiences won’t take us seriously and we will sound unauthentic and not trustworthy. The same holds true for leaders. It is important to know when and how to use adjectives that could have a counter effect on your employees. While some organizational developments can be viewed as exciting for management, your field could feel differently about them. Acknowledge that everybody views their world through the lens of “what’s in for me” and choose your verbiage accordingly. #trustbuilding