sprin

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1111 northshore drive, suite n-400knoxville, tennessee 37919865.584.0550 · www.ackermannpr.com

If Y O U D O N ' T H AV E T R U S TI N S I D E Y O U R C O M PA N Y,

T H E N Y O U C A N ' T T R A N S F E RI T T O Y O U R C U S T O M E R S .

R O G E R S TA U B A C H , R E A L E S TAT E E N T R E P R E N E U R &

H A L L O F FA M E Q U A R T E R B A C K

• 72% of Americans believe that businesses play a more important role than any other organizations in addressing major social issues and challenges.

• Trust in corporations “to do the right thing” is at an all-time high of 54%.

• People trust information found in business magazines more than in newspapers, television and/or radio news.

• Americans are more likely than they have been in the past to take action against companies they do not trust.

• People rely more now than ever on the opinions of others in deciding who to believe, follow or buy from.

In our constant zeal to figure out how to sell more products and services – and yes, how to generate more revenues and profits – it is easy to think that the primary role of business is to stay in business, win marketshare from your competition and grow financially every year.

Obviously, these objectives have to be met in order to sustain our companies over the long haul, to allow our employees to remain employed and to serve our customers and clients well. However, there is an important “overlay” to these basic business ingredients, and it is that truly great companies understand that the key to thriving in business is to be able to instill inherent, unblinking trust among our key constituents, stakeholders and customers. We must prove by our daily actions that we are the kind of people who can be trusted to do the right thing every time, no matter what. That solid trust factor is the true “stickiness” that causes our key audiences and customers to stay with us over time and to continue buying whatever we are selling because they know we will deliver according to our stated values, without wavering.

Actually, polls tell us that trust in business is currently rising, perhaps because of the economy beginning to rebound, the increasing transparency and repercussions for executive wrong-doing, and the hope and belief that right-minded businesses are playing an important role in solving the world’s societal and environmental problems.

As in families, business trust starts at home. Companies that respect their employees, listen to them and treat them well establish an environment of engagement and trust in their workplaces. Employees who feel trusted and who see trust demonstrated by their leaders will then translate that respectful, trusting behavior to the way they treat their customers and clients.

The glorious spring season that we find ourselves in is such a great time to really consider how positive growth takes place. Nature trusts that the warmth of spring will cause flowers to bloom and grass to grow every year. People who do business with your organization trust that you will engage with them in open, honest and authentic ways, and if they find that to be true, then lifelong business relationships will flourish – based on TRUST.

cathy g. ackermannpresident and ceo

TRUST STATISTICSSome Interesting

ULTIMATE GOAL O F B U S I N E S S TRUSTthe

When the dreaded moment you hope would never come actually happens, and you find yourself in the midst of a corporate crisis, this really is the “moment of truth” relative to your willingness and ability to protect the trust that your stakeholders and customers have placed in you.

At this moment, the very worst thing you can do is hide. Once the news is out, you can’t dodge it. You have to address it head-on, with all the honesty and candor you can muster. Define your own story (even if it is not pretty) before the news media and the court of public opinion define it for you.

Don’t ever, ever, ever lie. Being caught in a lie is worse than whatever the original act was that you are trying to cover up. If you do not tell the absolute truth, your stakeholders’ trust in you will be completely and irrevocably broken.

And finally, don’t repeat your mistakes. Don’t put yourself back in the same situation that caused the reputational crisis in the first place. You may be able to get by with saying, “I’m sorry” the first time, but not the second time.

Treating employees with respect means understanding and appreciating their reality, providing them with valuable and pertinent information with which to make good decisions, and collaborating with them to produce the best possible result for the organization’s stakeholders.

A company can no longer just paper the walls with vision statements and quotes from famous people on leadership, and think it has done its job in “creating a corporate culture.” People today are inundated with information, and they’ve turned off the volume on everything that doesn’t have direct relevance to their lives.

Employees want context. They want to know how their company is performing – good or bad. They want to know what their company believes in and how it makes decisions. Employees want to see the business strategy through the prism of an organization’s beliefs and values.

The CEO has to be the “Chief Trust Officer” as well, engaging in authentic and frequent communication that affords open, ongoing discussion on things that really matter to the organization and its people.

Research shows that trust toward companies actually has a “personality.” Four groups of people with distinct influence styles impact the ability of businesses to track their reputation and public perception.

1. Public Activists engage in outspoken actions for or against companies. They write letters, work to affect legislation and sometimes openly protest corporate behavior.

2. Social Connectors seek out and value engagement in corporate conversations and believe companies should be held accountable by public opinion. They frequently share their opinions of companies with others.

3. Solo Actors take more personalized action. They are more passive but sometimes refuse to buy a company’s products if they disagree with its overall actions.

4. The Uninvolved have very little or no pronounced “trust relationship” one way or the other with a particular company or brand and therefore do not make buying decisions based on this.

Trends indicate that the top two categories are growing, and the bottom two are declining in numbers. Therefore, it behooves corporations to be aware of and monitor how these more active groups of “trust personalities” are responding to them.

buildsListening to employees

trust

In a recent national survey, the following question was asked:

“When you think of companies that you trust, what are the most important activities for them to be involved in?”

Here are the answers, in order of priority:

• Fair treatment of employees • Ensuring that products meet accepted social and environmental standards • Open communication of both positive and negative facts • Commitment to responsible business practices • Philanthropic donations and activities • Ongoing partnerships with sustainable non-profit organizations

“trust Personalities”DRIVE BEHAVIOR TOWARD COMPANIES

The people w h e n r i g h t l y &

f u l l y t r u s t e d wil l re tur n

the t r us t .

A B R A H A M L I N C O L N

| spring 2014 online + blog // www.ackermannpr.com news // www.ackermannwire.com twitter // @Ackermann_PR facebook // Ackermann PR

THE POLL RESULTS“ are in:

TRUST IS CRITICALIN CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS

sprin

g 201

4

1111 northshore drive, suite n-400knoxville, tennessee 37919865.584.0550 · www.ackermannpr.com

If Y O U D O N ' T H AV E T R U S TI N S I D E Y O U R C O M PA N Y,

T H E N Y O U C A N ' T T R A N S F E RI T T O Y O U R C U S T O M E R S .

R O G E R S TA U B A C H , R E A L E S TAT E E N T R E P R E N E U R &

H A L L O F FA M E Q U A R T E R B A C K

• 72% of Americans believe that businesses play a more important role than any other organizations in addressing major social issues and challenges.

• Trust in corporations “to do the right thing” is at an all-time high of 54%.

• People trust information found in business magazines more than in newspapers, television and/or radio news.

• Americans are more likely than they have been in the past to take action against companies they do not trust.

• People rely more now than ever on the opinions of others in deciding who to believe, follow or buy from.

In our constant zeal to figure out how to sell more products and services – and yes, how to generate more revenues and profits – it is easy to think that the primary role of business is to stay in business, win marketshare from your competition and grow financially every year.

Obviously, these objectives have to be met in order to sustain our companies over the long haul, to allow our employees to remain employed and to serve our customers and clients well. However, there is an important “overlay” to these basic business ingredients, and it is that truly great companies understand that the key to thriving in business is to be able to instill inherent, unblinking trust among our key constituents, stakeholders and customers. We must prove by our daily actions that we are the kind of people who can be trusted to do the right thing every time, no matter what. That solid trust factor is the true “stickiness” that causes our key audiences and customers to stay with us over time and to continue buying whatever we are selling because they know we will deliver according to our stated values, without wavering.

Actually, polls tell us that trust in business is currently rising, perhaps because of the economy beginning to rebound, the increasing transparency and repercussions for executive wrong-doing, and the hope and belief that right-minded businesses are playing an important role in solving the world’s societal and environmental problems.

As in families, business trust starts at home. Companies that respect their employees, listen to them and treat them well establish an environment of engagement and trust in their workplaces. Employees who feel trusted and who see trust demonstrated by their leaders will then translate that respectful, trusting behavior to the way they treat their customers and clients.

The glorious spring season that we find ourselves in is such a great time to really consider how positive growth takes place. Nature trusts that the warmth of spring will cause flowers to bloom and grass to grow every year. People who do business with your organization trust that you will engage with them in open, honest and authentic ways, and if they find that to be true, then lifelong business relationships will flourish – based on TRUST.

cathy g. ackermannpresident and ceo

TRUST STATISTICSSome Interesting

ULTIMATE GOAL O F B U S I N E S S TRUSTthe

When the dreaded moment you hope would never come actually happens, and you find yourself in the midst of a corporate crisis, this really is the “moment of truth” relative to your willingness and ability to protect the trust that your stakeholders and customers have placed in you.

At this moment, the very worst thing you can do is hide. Once the news is out, you can’t dodge it. You have to address it head-on, with all the honesty and candor you can muster. Define your own story (even if it is not pretty) before the news media and the court of public opinion define it for you.

Don’t ever, ever, ever lie. Being caught in a lie is worse than whatever the original act was that you are trying to cover up. If you do not tell the absolute truth, your stakeholders’ trust in you will be completely and irrevocably broken.

And finally, don’t repeat your mistakes. Don’t put yourself back in the same situation that caused the reputational crisis in the first place. You may be able to get by with saying, “I’m sorry” the first time, but not the second time.

Treating employees with respect means understanding and appreciating their reality, providing them with valuable and pertinent information with which to make good decisions, and collaborating with them to produce the best possible result for the organization’s stakeholders.

A company can no longer just paper the walls with vision statements and quotes from famous people on leadership, and think it has done its job in “creating a corporate culture.” People today are inundated with information, and they’ve turned off the volume on everything that doesn’t have direct relevance to their lives.

Employees want context. They want to know how their company is performing – good or bad. They want to know what their company believes in and how it makes decisions. Employees want to see the business strategy through the prism of an organization’s beliefs and values.

The CEO has to be the “Chief Trust Officer” as well, engaging in authentic and frequent communication that affords open, ongoing discussion on things that really matter to the organization and its people.

Research shows that trust toward companies actually has a “personality.” Four groups of people with distinct influence styles impact the ability of businesses to track their reputation and public perception.

1. Public Activists engage in outspoken actions for or against companies. They write letters, work to affect legislation and sometimes openly protest corporate behavior.

2. Social Connectors seek out and value engagement in corporate conversations and believe companies should be held accountable by public opinion. They frequently share their opinions of companies with others.

3. Solo Actors take more personalized action. They are more passive but sometimes refuse to buy a company’s products if they disagree with its overall actions.

4. The Uninvolved have very little or no pronounced “trust relationship” one way or the other with a particular company or brand and therefore do not make buying decisions based on this.

Trends indicate that the top two categories are growing, and the bottom two are declining in numbers. Therefore, it behooves corporations to be aware of and monitor how these more active groups of “trust personalities” are responding to them.

buildsListening to employees

trust

In a recent national survey, the following question was asked:

“When you think of companies that you trust, what are the most important activities for them to be involved in?”

Here are the answers, in order of priority:

• Fair treatment of employees • Ensuring that products meet accepted social and environmental standards • Open communication of both positive and negative facts • Commitment to responsible business practices • Philanthropic donations and activities • Ongoing partnerships with sustainable non-profit organizations

“trust Personalities”DRIVE BEHAVIOR TOWARD COMPANIES

The people w h e n r i g h t l y &

f u l l y t r u s t e d wil l re tur n

the t r us t .

A B R A H A M L I N C O L N

| spring 2014 online + blog // www.ackermannpr.com news // www.ackermannwire.com twitter // @Ackermann_PR facebook // Ackermann PR

THE POLL RESULTS“ are in:

TRUST IS CRITICALIN CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS

When the dreaded moment you hope would never come actually happens, and you find yourself in the midst of a corporate crisis, this really is the “moment of truth” relative to your willingness and ability to protect the trust that your stakeholders and customers have placed in you.

At this moment, the very worst thing you can do is hide. Once the news is out, you can’t dodge it. You have to address it head-on, with all the honesty and candor you can muster. Define your own story (even if it is not pretty) before the news media and the court of public opinion define it for you.

Don’t ever, ever, ever lie. Being caught in a lie is worse than whatever the original act was that you are trying to cover up. If you do not tell the absolute truth, your stakeholders’ trust in you will be completely and irrevocably broken.

And finally, don’t repeat your mistakes. Don’t put yourself back in the same situation that caused the reputational crisis in the first place. You may be able to get by with saying, “I’m sorry” the first time, but not the second time.

Treating employees with respect means understanding and appreciating their reality, providing them with valuable and pertinent information with which to make good decisions, and collaborating with them to produce the best possible result for the organization’s stakeholders.

A company can no longer just paper the walls with vision statements and quotes from famous people on leadership, and think it has done its job in “creating a corporate culture.” People today are inundated with information, and they’ve turned off the volume on everything that doesn’t have direct relevance to their lives.

Employees want context. They want to know how their company is performing – good or bad. They want to know what their company believes in and how it makes decisions. Employees want to see the business strategy through the prism of an organization’s beliefs and values.

The CEO has to be the “Chief Trust Officer” as well, engaging in authentic and frequent communication that affords open, ongoing discussion on things that really matter to the organization and its people.

Research shows that trust toward companies actually has a “personality.” Four groups of people with distinct influence styles impact the ability of businesses to track their reputation and public perception.

1. Public Activists engage in outspoken actions for or against companies. They write letters, work to affect legislation and sometimes openly protest corporate behavior.

2. Social Connectors seek out and value engagement in corporate conversations and believe companies should be held accountable by public opinion. They frequently share their opinions of companies with others.

3. Solo Actors take more personalized action. They are more passive but sometimes refuse to buy a company’s products if they disagree with its overall actions.

4. The Uninvolved have very little or no pronounced “trust relationship” one way or the other with a particular company or brand and therefore do not make buying decisions based on this.

Trends indicate that the top two categories are growing, and the bottom two are declining in numbers. Therefore, it behooves corporations to be aware of and monitor how these more active groups of “trust personalities” are responding to them.

buildsListening to employees

trust

In a recent national survey, the following question was asked:

“When you think of companies that you trust, what are the most important activities for them to be involved in?”

Here are the answers, in order of priority:

• Fair treatment of employees • Ensuring that products meet accepted social and environmental standards • Open communication of both positive and negative facts • Commitment to responsible business practices • Philanthropic donations and activities • Ongoing partnerships with sustainable non-profit organizations

“trust Personalities”DRIVE BEHAVIOR TOWARD COMPANIES

The people w h e n r i g h t l y &

f u l l y t r u s t e d wil l re tur n

the t r us t .

A B R A H A M L I N C O L N

| spring 2014 online + blog // www.ackermannpr.com news // www.ackermannwire.com twitter // @Ackermann_PR facebook // Ackermann PR

THE POLL RESULTS“ are in: THE TOUGHEST THING THE TOUGHEST THING THE TOUGHEST THING THE TOUGHEST THING THE TOUGHEST THING THE TOUGHEST THING THE TOUGHEST THING THE TOUGHEST THING THE TOUGHEST THING THE TOUGHEST THING THE TOUGHEST THING THE TOUGHEST THING THE TOUGHEST THING THE TOUGHEST THING THE TOUGHEST THING THE TOUGHEST THING THE TOUGHEST THING THE TOUGHEST THING

ABOUT THE PABOUT THE PABOUT THE PABOUT THE PABOUT THE PABOUT THE PABOUT THE PABOUT THE PABOUT THE PABOUT THE POOWER OF TRUSTWER OF TRUSTWER OF TRUSTWER OF TRUSTWER OF TRUSTWER OF TRUSTWER OF TRUSTWER OF TRUSTWER OF TRUSTWER OF TRUSTWER OF TRUST

is this this t at ititi ’s vevev rere y ry r ddid ffid ffidiffiidid ffidid cfficffi ult to builili d &ld &l

VEVEVERRRY EASY TO DESTRY EASY TO DESTRY EASY TO DESTRY EASY TO DESTRY EASY TO DESTRY EASY TO DESTRY EASY TO DESTRY EASY TO DESTRY EASY TO DESTRY EASY TO DESTRY EASY TO DESTRY EASY TO DESTRY EASY TO DESTRY EASY TO DESTRRY EASY TO DESTRRRY EASY TO DESTRRRY EASY TO DESTRR OOYY..

The eThe eT she eshe e sence ssence s of truof truo st buildildi ildild nini g is to ng is to nEMPHASIZE THE SIMILARITIESEMPHASIZE THE SIMILARITIESEMPHASIZE THE SIMILARITIESEMPHASIZE THE SIMILARITIESEMPHASIZE THE SIMILARITIESEMPHASIZE THE SIMILARITIESEMPHASIZE THE SIMILARITIESEMPHASIZE THE SIMILARITIESEMPHASIZE THE SIMILARITIESEMPHASIZE THE SIMILARITIESEMPHASIZE THE SIMILARITIESEMPHASIZE THE SIMILARITIESEMPHASIZE THE SIMILARITIESEMPHASIZE THE SIMILARITIESEMPHASIZE THE SIMILARITIESEMPHASIZE THE SIMILARITIESEMPHASIZE THE SIMILARITIESEMPHASIZE THE SIMILARITIESEMPHASIZE THE SIMILARITIESEMPHASIZE THE SIMILARITIESEMPHASIZE THE SIMILARITIESEMPHASIZE THE SIMILARITIESEMPHASIZE THE SIMILARITIESEMPHASIZE THE SIMILARITIESEMPHASIZE THE SIMILARITIESEMPHASIZE THE SIMILARITIESEMPHASIZE THE SIMILARITIES

between you & the customerere .

T HT HT H OO MM AA S S JJ .. WAWAWATT S OS OS O NN , ,

FF O UO UO U N DN DN D E R , I BE R , I BE R , I BE R , I BE R , I BE R , I B MM CC O RO RO R PP..

TRUST IS CRITICALIN CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS

sprin

g 201

4

1111 northshore drive, suite n-400knoxville, tennessee 37919865.584.0550 · www.ackermannpr.com

If Y O U D O N ' T H AV E T R U S TI N S I D E Y O U R C O M PA N Y,

T H E N Y O U C A N ' T T R A N S F E RI T T O Y O U R C U S T O M E R S .

R O G E R S TA U B A C H , R E A L E S TAT E E N T R E P R E N E U R &

H A L L O F FA M E Q U A R T E R B A C K

If people like you, they’ll listen to you.If people like you, they’ll listen to you.If people like you, they’ll listen to you.But if they trust you,But if they trust you,But if they trust you,

they’ll do business with you.they’ll do business with you.they’ll do business with you.Z I G Z I G L A RZ I G Z I G L A RZ I G Z I G L A R

• 72% of Americans believe that businesses play a more important role than any other organizations in addressing major social issues and challenges.

• Trust in corporations “to do the right thing” is at an all-time high of 54%.

• People trust information found in business magazines more than in newspapers, television and/or radio news.

• Americans are more likely than they have been in the past to take action against companies they do not trust.

• People rely more now than ever on the opinions of others in deciding who to believe, follow or buy from.

In our constant zeal to figure out how to sell more products and services – and yes, how to generate more revenues and profits – it is easy to think that the primary role of business is to stay in business, win marketshare from your competition and grow financially every year.

Obviously, these objectives have to be met in order to sustain our companies over the long haul, to allow our employees to remain employed and to serve our customers and clients well. However, there is an important “overlay” to these basic business ingredients, and it is that truly great companies understand that the key to thriving in business is to be able to instill inherent, unblinking trust among our key constituents, stakeholders and customers. We must prove by our daily actions that we are the kind of people who can be trusted to do the right thing every time, no matter what. That solid trust factor is the true “stickiness” that causes our key audiences and customers to stay with us over time and to continue buying whatever we are selling because they know we will deliver according to our stated values, without wavering.

Actually, polls tell us that trust in business is currently rising, perhaps because of the economy beginning to rebound, the increasing transparency and repercussions for executive wrong-doing, and the hope and belief that right-minded businesses are playing an important role in solving the world’s societal and environmental problems.

As in families, business trust starts at home. Companies that respect their employees, listen to them and treat them well establish an environment of engagement and trust in their workplaces. Employees who feel trusted and who see trust demonstrated by their leaders will then translate that respectful, trusting behavior to the way they treat their customers and clients.

The glorious spring season that we find ourselves in is such a great time to really consider how positive growth takes place. Nature trusts that the warmth of spring will cause flowers to bloom and grass to grow every year. People who do business with your organization trust that you will engage with them in open, honest and authentic ways, and if they find that to be true, then lifelong business relationships will flourish – based on TRUST.

cathy g. ackermannpresident and ceo

TRUST STATISTICSSome Interesting

ULTIMATE GOAL O F B U S I N E S S TRUSTthe