Trust and Patience Will Lead to Success

A few years ago, I had adopted an Off-the-Track Thoroughbred mare.  She was trained to have a saddle and a rider on her back, but had no other real training.  All she knew was once a rider got on her back, she had to run around a track with other horses.

The first and foremost thing we had to learn was to trust each other, then build a connection and bond.  This was no easy task and a bit of a challenge.  I tried various training methods, some of which did not work.  A few made things worse.  She trusted the head horse of the herd more than she did me.  It was my challenge to get her to trust me enough that she wanted to stay with me and not the herd.

The final method I tried was the one that worked the best.  It was positive training with no punishments and lots of patience.  You see, horses do not plan to be disobedient.  They want to please, but many times they do not understand what is being asked of them.  When they take a step in the right direction when asked of a task, even if it is a small one, they get praised, then quit for the day instead of repeating it "until they get it right" which will confuse them.  Each day we make more steps in the right direction until they completely understand what is asked, without any frustration, yelling and screaming, or punishment.  Little by little they gain trust.

The same is true with us working with our clients.  In order for our business relationships to work, they must trust us. 

There are times we assume our clients know what we are talking about, but in reality they are totally confused.  We have to take the time to explain each step to them, one little step at a time.  We also should explain it in simple terms and be patient.  If they have questions or concerns, let's calmly answer and address them.  

Building trust is a good way to have a successful relationship with our clients.